Is it permissible for a person who is performing a fard or sunnah prayer individually to stop performing that prayer in order to catch up with the congregation?

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is not permissible to stop a prayer that has been started deliberately and without any reason. However, it becomes permissible to stop a prayer in order to catch up with the congregation and to gain the thawab of the congregation. 

- What should a person who has started to perform a fard prayer individually when people start to perform the same fard prayer in congregation near him?

If a person who has started to perform a fard prayer individually has not performed sajdahs of the first rak’ah, he stops his prayer at once and follows the imam. If he has performed the sajdahs of the first rak'ah and if it is a four-rak’ah fard prayer, he completes the second rak’ah, salutes and follows the imam. Thus, he performs the prayer with congregation and gains the thawab of the congregation. The two-rak’ah prayer that he has performed individually becomes a nafilah prayer.     

If a person who has started to perform a fard prayer individually has not performed sajdahs of the third rak’ah, he can salute while standing and follow the imam. If he has finished the third rak’ah, he completes the prayer. Then, he can follow the imam to gain the thawab of the congregation. However, in that case, the prayer he has performed individually is regarded as fard and the one with the congregation as nafilah. In addition, this prayer must not be the morning or afternoon prayer for the followers of Hanafi madhhab because it is not permissible to perform nafilah prayers after the fards of the morning and afternoon prayers are performed.

If the prayer that is performed individually is not a four-rak’ah prayer (if it is the morning prayer, which is two rak’ahs, or the evening prayer, which is three rak’ahs), one can stop his prayer and follow the imam at once unless he has finished the second rak’ah. However, if he has finished the second rak’ah when the congregation starts, he cannot stop his prayer to follow the imam; he cannot follow the imam after finishing the prayer, either. For, nafilah prayers are not performed after the morning prayer. It is not permissible to perform a three-rak’ah nafilah prayer by following the imam after the evening prayer.   

- What should a person who has started to perform a sunnah prayer when people start to perform the same fard prayer in congregation near him?

He completes it as two rak’ahs and follows the imam at once. He cannot start to follow the imam before completing two rak’ahs. If it is the sunnah of the noon prayer, it is performed again as a missed prayer after the fard prayer. In addition, the last sunnah of two rak’ahs is also performed. The first two-rak’ah prayer is regarded as nafilah. If the sunnahs that are stopped are the sunnahs of the afternoon and night prayers, they do not have to be performed as qada after the fard prayer.

- What should a person who comes to the mosque sees that the congregation has started the fard prayer do?

He does not perform the sunnah; he follows the imam at once. In addition, it is makruh to start the sunnah prayer when the muezzin is calling iqamah. However, if it is the fard of the morning prayer and if it is possible to catch up with the congregation even when the imam sits after the second rak'ah, he performs the sunnah first and follows the imam after that.

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