Shaykh ‘Abdullaah bin Saalih
al-Fawzaan stated:
However, there remains an issue
to be asked about and it is appropriate to mention it here: Is it permissible for the masbooq (a latecomer
or one who joins congregational prayer late) to count the extra rak’ah in respect
of the Imaam and consider it a valid rak’ah for him? For example, the Imaam got
up out of forgetfulness to perform the fifth rak’ah in a four rak’ah prayer
like Zuhr or the fourth rak’ah in Maghrib prayer, and a ma’moom joined
him in this rak’ah without knowing that
it is extra. Would it count for him that he has caught up with the
congregational prayer?
The correct opinion among the
sayings of the people of knowledge is that he should count it and consider it
as part of his prayer, and it would be considered that he caught up with the
congregational prayer, because he caught up a rak’ah with the Imaam. Despite the
fact that it was an additional rak’ah in respect of the Imaam, he is excused of
the addition because he did not do it deliberately. It is valid with respect to
the masbooq, because it part of his original prayer. If we say he should
not count it, such would necessitate the permissibility of deliberately adding
a rak’ah to the prayer, and this would nullify the prayer according to
consensus of the scholars. This is because it necessitates that a person should
pray four rak’ah prayer as five rak’ah and Maghrib prayer as four rak’ah, and
this would necessitate contravention of consensus of the scholars and opposition
of sharee’ah proofs, and this is not right.
Source: Ahkaam Hudoor
al-Masaajid, p. 159 by Shaykh Abdullaah bin Saalih al-Fawzaan; translated
by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam.
