The ruling on the latecomer reciting aloud in the first rak'ah of Maghrib
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This is a letter received from Shihhat 'Ali al-Malik from al-Abbasiyyah, Egypt. He works in the Eastern Region in Dammam. He says: Sometimes I pray with the imam, but I only manage to catch one rak'ah of the Maghrib prayer. After the imam concludes the prayer, I stand up and complete the second rak'ah by reciting al-Fatihah and a surah aloud, then I sit for the tashahhud and complete the third rak'ah, also reciting aloud. Then I sit. Is my prayer valid or not?
Answer: Your prayer is valid. Reciting aloud in the second rak'ah is prescribed, but it should not be too loud so as not to harm the worshippers or those engaged in dhikr around you. As for reciting aloud in the last rak'ah, it is not prescribed; you should recite al-Fatihah only, without raising your voice, because the third rak'ah is a silent rak'ah. You caught the beginning of the prayer; the rak'ah you caught with the imam is the first rak'ah of your prayer, according to the correct view. You recite al-Fatihah and whatever is easy for you with it in that rak'ah. The second rak'ah, which you stood up for, is the second rak'ah of your prayer. The last one is the third, in which you recite al-Fatihah only, silently. This is the stronger of the scholars' opinions on this matter.
It is obligatory for you to hasten to the prayer so that you catch it all. You should not be lax until most of it or all of it is missed. No, it is obligatory for you to fear Allah, be mindful of Allah, and hasten to the prayer so that you catch it from the beginning. You must strive against this self, for the self needs to be struggled against. So you must strive against it so that you arrive early and proceed to the mosque before the iqamah. Pray whatever Allah makes easy for you before the iqamah, then pray the full prayer with the imam. This is what is obligatory for you. It is not permissible for you to delay until part of the prayer is missed. No, it is obligatory to be careful, to hasten, and to be consistent so that you catch it all. May Allah guide you, direct you, and protect you from the evil of your self.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Answer: Your prayer is valid. Reciting aloud in the second rak'ah is prescribed, but it should not be too loud so as not to harm the worshippers or those engaged in dhikr around you. As for reciting aloud in the last rak'ah, it is not prescribed; you should recite al-Fatihah only, without raising your voice, because the third rak'ah is a silent rak'ah. You caught the beginning of the prayer; the rak'ah you caught with the imam is the first rak'ah of your prayer, according to the correct view. You recite al-Fatihah and whatever is easy for you with it in that rak'ah. The second rak'ah, which you stood up for, is the second rak'ah of your prayer. The last one is the third, in which you recite al-Fatihah only, silently. This is the stronger of the scholars' opinions on this matter.
It is obligatory for you to hasten to the prayer so that you catch it all. You should not be lax until most of it or all of it is missed. No, it is obligatory for you to fear Allah, be mindful of Allah, and hasten to the prayer so that you catch it from the beginning. You must strive against this self, for the self needs to be struggled against. So you must strive against it so that you arrive early and proceed to the mosque before the iqamah. Pray whatever Allah makes easy for you before the iqamah, then pray the full prayer with the imam. This is what is obligatory for you. It is not permissible for you to delay until part of the prayer is missed. No, it is obligatory to be careful, to hasten, and to be consistent so that you catch it all. May Allah guide you, direct you, and protect you from the evil of your self.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.