Joining the Jamā‘ah When One Does Not Know in Which Rak‘at the Imam Is
Issue No. 1261- If the imam is standing, and the follower does not know in which rak‘at he is, he can join him, but he should recite sūrah al-fātiḥa and the following sūrah with the intention of proximity to Allah (swt) and his prayer will be in order, even though he may come to know later that the imam was in the third or fourth rak‘at or in the first or second rak‘at, provided that [in case of these two] it is either ẓuhr or ‘aṣr prayer in which the imam recites sūrah al-fātiḥa and the sūrah in low voice.
