Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

What will be the action of a person when he joins a jamat for prayer and Imam is in sujood. Whether wait for imam untill he completely finishes the sajdah and then join the jamat, or should instantly join it. Please advice.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Join congregation in sujud

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.54a

Topic: Catching up with imam or the congregation

Whoever joins a congregation, he should perform the opening ‘takbir’ while standing and then move directly to the act that the congregation may be performing; for instance, if the congregation is prostrating one should perform the opening takbir and then join it in the prostration. However, such a person is not considered as having performed the rak'ah unless he catches the ruku' (bowing).

Abu Hurairah reports that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "If you come to the ‘salah’ and we are in ‘sajdah’, then make ‘sajdah’ with us but do not count it [as a rak'ah]. And whoever 'catches' the ruku', he catches the salah."

Related by Abu Dawud, Ibn Khuzaimah, and al-Hakim.

In light of the above guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), when one joins a prayer congregation which is already in progress, one must stand and declare the opening ‘takbeer’, and then immediately and directly move to the act or rite in prayer which the congregation is performing.

Thus if the imam and the congregation are in the ‘sujood’ when one joins the congregation, one should stand in the row, raise his hands above his shoulders and declare the opening ‘takbeer’, and immediately move to perform the act or rite (in this case sajdah) the congregation is engaged in; and count the ‘rakah’ only if one has performed the ‘ruku’ with the congregation.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan