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:

Assalamu Alaikum,
Dear Brother,

First of all I would like to Thanks and I pray for your good deeds.

1. My question is when a Imam during the salah (e.g. Asr Salah) make extra rakat (e.g. Imam has done 5 rakats instead of 4 rakats) eventhough the behind mussalies has given the luqmah but he continued without listening. In this case the Salah of the Mussalies is remained unspoiled or the Imam has to repeat the Salah.

2. And if a person has joined the Imam after 2 rakats and he observed that the Imam has prayed 3 rakats instead of 2 rakats. In this case what he has to do ? either he should continue his remained 1 rakat or he has to repeat the salah

I hope my questions is clear to understand.

Eagerly waiting for your reply.

Allah Hafiz

(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:

Five rakah prayer of imam

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.

Your Question-1: My question is when a Imam during the salah (e.g. Asr Salah) make extra rakat (e.g. Imam has done 5 rakats instead of 4 rakats) eventhough the behind mussalies has given the luqmah but he continued without listening. In this case the Salah of the Mussalies is remained unspoiled or the Imam has to repeat the Salah.

If the ‘imam’ leading the prayer stands up for the third-consecutive-rakah in a four-rakah prayer without sitting for the ‘small tashahud’ after the second rakah, the believers should declare aloud the ‘tasbeeh’ of ‘Subhan-Allah” to make the ‘imam’ aware of his error. Because the sitting after the second rakah is not an obligatory part or condition of prayer, the ‘imam’ will not sit down but the believers will stand up and join their ‘imam’ who will offer the remaining two-rakahs to complete the prayer….and end the prayer with the ‘sajdah-sahoo’ or prostration of forgetfulness.

But if the ‘imam’ were to stand up to offer the fifth rakah in a four-rakah prayer, the ‘muktadees’ (people praying behind the ‘imam’) should not stand up for the fifth rakah, but rather sit down after the fourth rakah and declare aloud the ‘tasbeeh’ of “Subhan-Allah” to make the ‘imam’ aware of his error. This time it is the ‘imam’ who will sit down, recite the ‘tashahud’ and end the prayers by performing the ‘sajdah-sahoo’.

If for any reason both the ‘imam’ and the believers happen to stand up and offer the fifth rakah in congregation, and the ‘imam’ is made aware of his error only after the completion of the prayer….the ‘imam’ should offer the two-prostrations of ‘sajdah-sahoo’ after being aware of his error and that would suffice to make the prayers of both the ‘imam’ and the ‘muktadees’ acceptable to Allah Subhanah.

Ibn Mas'ud narrates that the Prophet (saws) prayed five rak'at and the companions asked him: "Has there been an addition to the prayer?" He (saws) asked: "Why do you say that?" They replied: "You prayed five rak'at" Then he (saws) made two sujJud (of ‘sajdah-sahoo’) after he (saws) had made the taslim.

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

Your Question-2: And if a person has joined the Imam after 2 rakats and he observed that the Imam has prayed 3 rakats instead of 2 rakats. In this case what he has to do ? either he should continue his remained 1 rakat or he has to repeat the salah

Normally a person who joins a congregation already in progress would not know how many rakahs he has missed until the imam sits down either for the small or big ‘tashahud’.

Thus if the believer joins the congregation while they are seated for the small-tashahud, and then the ‘imam’ gets up and tries to offer three-consecutive rakahs instead of two, the believers would declare the ‘Subhan-Allah’ when the ‘imam’ tries to stand up for the fifth rakah. The ‘imam’ would then sit down and finish the prayer and offer the two prostrations of ‘sajdah-sahoo’ at the end of the prayer….after which the believer who joined the congregation and caught the third rakah, would complete his prayer by offering two more rakahs.

As long as one was in the state of purity and wudu, and does not miss any of the obligatory acts of prayer….one would not be required to repeat their salah. If through forgetfulness one happens to pray less rakahs than the stipulated number of rakahs, one should offer the balance rakah/s to complete their prayer , and end their prayers with a ‘sajdah-sahoo’; and if one happens to offer more rakahs than the stipulated number of rakahs in a prayer, one should end their prayers with the ‘sajdah-sahoo’ which would suffice as the atonement of their error due to forgetfulness. In both situations, regardless of whether one happened to offer more or less rakahs than the prescribed number of rakahs, one would not be required to repeat their salaah.

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