Issue No. 1258- If the imam is in the third or fourth rak‘at, and the follower knows that if he joins him and recites sūrah al-fātiḥa he will not be able to reach him in rukū‘, he should, as an obligatory precaution, wait until the imam goes to rukū‘ and then join the congregation.
Issue No. 1259- If a person joins the imam when he is in the third or fourth rak‘at, he should recite sūrah al-Fātiḥa and the sūrah, and if he does not have time for the sūrah he should complete sūrah al-fātiḥa and then join the imam in rukū‘. Anyhow, the sūrah al-Fātiḥa and the sūrah must be recited in whispering manner.
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.
Issue No. 1263- If a congregational prayer begins while a person is offering a mustaḥab prayer, and he fears that if he completes his mustaḥab prayer, he will not be able to join the congregational prayer, it is mustaḥab that he abandons the mustaḥab prayer, and joins the congregational prayer.
Issue No. 1264- If a congregational prayer is established while a person is offering an obligatory prayer, in case he has not begun the third rak‘at and fears that if he completes the prayer, he will not be able to join the congregation, it is mustaḥab that he turns his intention into mustaḥab prayer and completes the prayer in two rak‘ats, and then joins the congregational prayer.
Issue No. 1275- If the follower hears sūrah al-fātiḥa and the other sūrah of the imam in the first and second rak‘at of the fajr, maghrib and ‘ishā’ prayers, he should not recite them. And if he does not hear the voice of the imam, it is permissible for him to recite sūrah al-fātiḥa and the other sūrah in a low voice. The follower should not recite sūrah al-fātiḥa and the other sūrah in the first and second rak‘ats of ẓuhr and ‘aṣr prayers and it is mustaḥab that instead of them he utters a dhikr.
Issue No. 1277- If the follower recites sūrah al-fātiḥa and the other sūrah by mistake, or recites sūrah al-fātiḥa and the sūrah thinking that the voice which he is hearing is not the voice of the imam and realizes later that it was the voice of the imam his prayer is in order. And if he doubts whether it is the voice of the imam or of another person, the obligatory precaution is that he should not recite sūrah al-fātiḥa and the sūrah.
Issue No. 1278- The follower should not say takbīrat-ul-iḥrām before the imam. However, there is no harm in saying other Dhikrs before him, though the recommended precaution is that he should not do so if he hears the imam’s voice.
Issue No. 1279- The follower should not perform any acts of the prayer like rukū‘ and sajdah before the imam. He has to perform them with the imam or a little after him. And if he raises his head from rukū‘ before the imam by mistake, he should return to rukū‘, and then raise his head with the imam. In this case, the extra rukū‘ will not invalidate the prayer. However, if the imam raises his head before the follower reaches him in rukū‘, the prayer of the follower will be void.
Issue No. 1284- If, owing to mistake, the imam recites tashahhud in a rak‘at which does not have tashahhud, or recites qunūt in a rak‘at which does not have qunūt, the follower should not recite tashahhud or qunūt. But, he cannot rise before the imam or go into rukū‘ before the imam. In fact, he should make the imam realise his mistake by making a sign, and if this is not possible, he should wait until the qunūt or tashahhud of the imam comes to an end, and should offer the remainder of the prayer with him.
Issue No. 1270- A person who offers prayer in a standing posture cannot follow a person who offers his prayer in a sitting or lying posture, and a person who offers his prayer in a sitting posture cannot follow a person who offers his prayer in a lying posture.
Issue No. 1271- If the imam leads his prayer with tayammum, or jabīrah wuḍū, one can follow him. However, if because of some valid excuse, he has no alternative but to perform the prayer in najis clothes, one should not follow him, as a recommended precaution. However, one who suffers from a disease, owing to which he cannot control his urine or faeces and also mustaḥāḍah women and generally speaking, anyone who offers defective prayer on account of an excuse cannot, as an obligatory precaution, lead the prayer for others.
