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:

Assalam-o-alkum
i wana know that in the prayer of ASAR in fourth rakat imam does two sajdas but followers does one sajda beacause if imam forget to say loudely Allah Akber for second sajdah, then wat will be the case either nimaz was complted or to repeat it again by all

one is case that  first sajdah is faraz and second is wajib so all have to do sajdah-saho, but imam says if his nimaz is rite( as he did 2 sajdah) so nimaz of all followers is also rite

Allah Hafiz

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Answer:

What if the Imam prays wrong

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 no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

When one is praying behind an imam in congregational prayers, they are to do whatever the imam does. Unless, of course the imam makes a big error, like standing up for the fifth rakah in a four rakah prayer! The believers praying behind him should not stand up; but rather remain seated after the four rakahs, and the ones nearest to the imam must say in a loud voice ‘Subhan-Allah’ so that the imam may recognize his mistake and sit down. If this happens, then the imam must lead the congregation, and at the end of the prayer perform the ‘sajdah suhu’ and complete the prayer.

If the imam has made the two sajdahs, as stated in your question, and for some reason, he forgot to declare loudly the call ‘Allah o Akbar’, or if the people did not hear it, the prayer of the imam and the people praying behind him is valid.

If the imam recognizes his mistake, and does the sajdah-suhu, it is better; but in the above case, where the people praying behind him did not hear his call when he moved into the sajdah, and the imam did the sajdah as required, the prayer of the people praying behind the imam is valid and complete. Once this mistake is pointed out to the imam immediately after the prayer, he may very well lead the congregation and do only the sajdah-suhu in congregation again. Either way, there is no need to repeat the prayer again.

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

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan