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:

Assalamo alaikum
during firz salah ,one person completes his remaining rekats alone came be Imam as other people countinue with him?As i seen here to joining with him

(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:

Making congregation

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.

Abu Said narrates that a man entered the Mosque, and the Prophet (saws) and his companions had finished praying their obligatory prayer in congregation. The Prophet (saws) said: "Who will give ‘sadaqah’ to him by praying with him in congregation?" So, a man from amongst the companions (who had already prayed) stood up and offered prayers in congregation with him.

Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and at-Tirmidhi

Yazid al-Aswad says: "We prayed dawn prayer (fajr) with the Messenger of Allah (saws) at Mina and two men came and stopped at their resting places. The Prophet (saws) ordered for them to be brought and they came shaking with fear. The Prophet (saws) said to them: 'What prevented you from praying with the people (in congregation)? ...Are you two not Muslims?' They answered: 'Certainly we are, O Messenger of Allah (saws), but we had already prayed in our resting place.' The Prophet (saws) told them: 'If you pray in your resting places and then come upon an imam (leading a congregation), pray again with him, and it will be ‘nafl’ prayers for you.'"

Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'I, and at-Tirmidhi.

If one is praying any prayer, regardless of whether it is Fard, Sunnah, or Nafl…..and a brother taps him slightly on their back and signals his intention to form a congregation with him, the one who is praying should oblige to the request of their brother, and assume the role of the ‘imam’ of the congregation and continue his prayer….the brother who joined him in congregation will make his own intention and complete his prayer after the one who is leading the prayer as the ‘imam’ has declared the tasleems to signal the end of his prayer. Accommodating their brother’s request to form a congregation will be recorded as a deed of ‘sadaqah’ for the one who leads the prayer, Insha Allah.

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