Congregational Prayers

Prayer in congregation surpasses its performance alone by twenty-five degrees [in terms of merit].

Thus if the congregation commences after one had already begun the obligatory prayer alone, he should break it with one salām while standing and then join the congregation, as long as he had not yet performed the first prostration [for a four rak’ah prayer], or [even] if he had performed the first prostration for prayers that do not have four rak’āt [i.e., Fajr or Maghrib].

For those prayers specifically [i.e., the four rak’ah prayers, if he had already performed the first prostration], he should add a second rak’ah such that it becomes a [two-rak’ah] voluntary prayer, and then join the congregation, intending the obligatory prayer.

If he had completed three [of the four rak’āt], he should finish the prayer [i.e., all four rak’āt] and then join the congregation with the intention of performing a voluntary prayer, except for ‘Aṣr.

Regarding the [four rak’āt of] sunnah before the Friday prayer or before Ẓuhr, one should break the prayer after only two rak’āt.

If one [enters the mosque and] finds the imām already performing the obligatory prayer in congregation, he should not pray any sunnah, except for the two rak’āt before Fajr, as long as he feels reasonably sure that he will not miss the congregation [upon quickly finishing the sunnah].

The sunnah prayer before Ẓuhr is made up within its prayer time, before its two rak’ah sunnah.

The merit of praying in congregation is attained by catching even the final tashahhud with the congregation, yet by doing so one is not considered praying in congregation.

One may pray voluntary prayers before any obligatory prayer as long as he feels reasonably sure that he will not miss performing the obligatory prayer in its time.

If one prays the obligatory prayer by himself, after which its congregation begins, it is not disliked to leave the masjid, except for Ẓuhr and ‘Īsha’, in which case he should pray with the congregation, intending four rak’āt of voluntary prayer.

It is disliked for one to leave a masjid in which the adhān has been performed before praying with its congregation, except for a valid excuse.

An obligatory prayer is not repeated after its performance.

If one joins the congregation while the imām is in the bowing position, says the taḥrīmah, then remains standing until the imām raises his head, he did not catch that rak’ah of the prayer.

If a follower bows before his imām, yet after the imām had recited the minimum obligatory amount by which a rak’ah is valid, and the imām then catches him [the follower] in it [bowing], the follower’s bowing is valid; otherwise, it is not.

In general, the latecomer if a congregation prayer makes up the rak’ah(s) he missed in the following manner: with respect to Qur’ānic recitation, he starts at the beginning of the prayer, yet with respect to sitting and tashahhud, he starts at the end of the prayer. So for Maghrib, if he caught one rak’ah of the congregation, he would make up two rak’āt, both with recitation of the Fātiḥah and a sūrah, with a sitting and tashahhud in between. For the four rak’ah prayers, if he caught one rak’ah of the congregation, he does the same, followed by another rak’ah with just the Fātiḥah, without sitting before it.