How does a musafir (traveler) who starts to follow the imam as masbuq (after the first rak'ah) complete his prayer?

We sometimes catch up with the congregation in the places where we stop while travelling in the last or third rak'ah. However, we do not know whether the imam is a traveler or a resident. How should we perform the remaining rak'ahs?

Dear Brother / Sister,

A resident (muqim) person can follow a traveler (musafir) or a traveler can follow a resident in a prayer. When the traveler salutes at the end of the second rak'ah, the resident stands up and - according to the sound view - completes the prayer without qiraah; he does not make sjadah as -sahw if he makes a mistake. For, a resident is like a lahiq. It is mustahab for the imam who is a musafir to say, "I am a musafir; complete your prayers after I salute" before the prayer.

A traveler can follow an imam only in the determined time period of that prayer. In that case, he performs a four-rak'ah fard prayer fully like a muqim. When he catches up with the imam on time, his fard prayer is transformed into four rak'ahs from two rak'ahs.  

Ibn Abbas was asked, 'What would you say about the state of a musafir? He performs a fard prayer as four rak'ahs when he performs alone but as two rak'ahs as a muqtadi.' He said, 'It is sunnah to do it.' (az-Zuhayli, İslam Fıkhı, II/335)

Nafi said,

"When Ibn Umar was a traveler, he performed four rak'ahs when he followed the imam but when he performed alone, he performed two rak'ahs." (see ibid)

Accordingly, when a traveler follows the imam, he completes his prayer as four rak'ahs. 

LAHIQ

Lahiq is a person who starts a prayer with the imam but who cannot perform the whole prayer or some of it with the imam due to heedlessness, sleep or a trouble because of crowdedness of the congregation or breaking wudu. 

A person who follows the imam from the beginning to the end, performing all rak'ahs with the imam is called a "mudrik"; a person who starts to follow the imam after the ruku' of the first rak'ah and up to the time when the imam salutes is called a "masbuq". A lahiq is regarded like a person who follows the imam for the rak'ahs that he has missed. Therefore, when he performs the rak'ah(s) that he has missed, he does not read the Quran and does not have to perform sajdah as-sahw for the mistakes he has made in the rak'ahs that he performs alone. For, a person who follows the imam does not perform sajdah as-sahw when he makes a mistake while following the imam.    

If the wudu of a person who follows the imam breaks, for instance, if his nose bleeds, he leaves the saff (rank), makes wudu at once without doing anything contrary to prayer, returns to the congregation and starts to follow the imam again. If it is possible, he performs the rak'ahs or parts that he has missed and the follows the imam and salutes with him. If a person who is following the imam sleeps in the first rak'ah while standing and wakes up when the imam is in prostration, performs ruku' first and then follows the imam, performing sajdah. The sleep that occurs without leaning on a place is not regarded as real sleep; therefore, it does not harm wudu and prayer.

If a lahiq understands that he will not be able to catch up with the imam, he follows the imam at once and completes the rak'ahs or parts that he has missed alone. However, he is virtually regarded to be following the imam; therefore, he completes the missing rak'ahs without reading the Quran.

If a masbuq who starts to follow the imam in the second rak'ah and misses one or more rak'ah because his wudu is broken, he needs to read the Quran in the first rak'ah after the imam salutes.

If the imam performs sajdah as-sahw, a lahiq does not perform sajdah as-sahw with the imam if he has not completed his prayer. First he completes the prayer; then, he performs sajdah as-sahw. (Ibnul-Humam, Fathul-Qadir, I, 277 ff; az-Zaylai, Tabyinul-Haqaiq, al-Amiriyya, III,137 ff; Ibn Abidin, Raddul-Muhtar, Egypt, n.d., I, 500-560; az-Zuhayli, al-Fiqhul-Islami wa Adillatuh, Damascus 1405/1980, II, 209, 210)

In the prayer of fear (salat al-khawf), the first group, which starts the prayer by following the imam and performs the first rak'ah in a two-rak'ah prayer and the first two rak'ahs in a three or four-rak'ah prayer with the imam, goes to the battlefront after the second prostration or after at-tahiyyat in the first sitting; the second group comes and starts to follow the imam for the remaining rak'ahs; then, they go to the battlefront and the imam salutes alone. The first group returns and completes their prayer without qira'ah; then, they salute.  

This group is regarded like lahiq. The second group completes their prayer with qira'ah and returns to the battlefront. This second group is regarded like masbuq; therefore, they complete their prayer with qira'ah.

However, it is difficult for every lahiq to complete their prayer as it is explained above; therefore, it is regarded more appropriate for lahiqs to perform their incomplete prayer again.

Hamdi DÖNDÜREN

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