The imam recited a verse where a prostration is required and did not prostrate, but the person praying behind him prostrated and missed the rukoo’ (bowing)
Question At ‘Isha’ prayer yesterday I entered the mosque when the imam was reciting Soorat al-‘Alaq in the second rak’ah and I joined the prayer. At the end of the soorah there is a verse where a prostration is required, but the imam said takbeer after this verse. Some of the worshippers bowed but most…
Question
Praise be to Allah.
If the matter is as described, then your prayer is valid,
praise be to Allaah.
The reason for that is that the one who misses bowing with
the imam, for a reason like the confusion that you mention, has to do it and
then follow the imam, and in that case he is forgiven for his delay in
following the imam. If he does not do it, then the rak’ah is invalid, and he
has to do it again after the imam says the salaam, and you did that.
It says in
Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (1/466): If the person praying behind the imam
misses an essential part of the prayer for a reason such as sleeping or
confusion or because the imam moves too quickly, he should do it and catch
up because that is obligatory, because he can catch up with him without any
problem, so he has to do that, and the rak’ah will be valid and will count.
If he cannot make up what he missed and then catch up with the imam, because
that is not possible, then the rak’ah is not valid, rather it is cancelled
out because an essential part of it has been omitted. End quote.
