Ruling on following the imam outside the mosque out of necessity
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Q379: The questioner says: I and a group of people arrived at a mosque at the time of the Maghrib prayer to perform the prayer, and we found the mosque filled with worshippers. Fearing that we would miss the Maghrib prayer, we prayed on the sidewalk adjacent to the mosque, following the imam. We prayed with the congregation by listening to the imam through the loudspeaker, but we did not see the rows. After the prayer, we were told that the prayer of one who does not see the imam or the rows is not valid. If there is a barrier between us and the mosque, such as a small street or a road opposite the mosque, is our prayer valid with this barrier present? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with the best reward.
A379: As you described, you found the mosque crowded and did not find a place in it, and you prayed outside on the sidewalk next to the mosque, and you were hearing the imam. In such a case, the prayer is valid out of necessity, provided that you did not get ahead of the imam. However, if there is a road between the worshipper and the mosque—as you described—then following the imam is not valid in such a case. If there is a road between the mosque and the worshipper that people and cars walk and drive on, then in this case it is not valid, because of your disconnection from the imam and the separation between you and him by the passersby. And Allah knows best.
A379: As you described, you found the mosque crowded and did not find a place in it, and you prayed outside on the sidewalk next to the mosque, and you were hearing the imam. In such a case, the prayer is valid out of necessity, provided that you did not get ahead of the imam. However, if there is a road between the worshipper and the mosque—as you described—then following the imam is not valid in such a case. If there is a road between the mosque and the worshipper that people and cars walk and drive on, then in this case it is not valid, because of your disconnection from the imam and the separation between you and him by the passersby. And Allah knows best.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.