Whoever reaches to the prayer while the Imam is at making Rukuu’, and not having recited the Faatiha, did they catch the unit?
Benefit:
Reciting the Faatiha:
▪️Whoever reaches to the prayer while the Imam is at making Rukuu’, and not having recited the Faatiha, did they catch the unit?
The people of knowledge differed in this subject matter to two positions:
The first:
That the unit counts.
Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
This is the position of the majority of the scholars, and Ishaaq bin Rahaawayh and others called it an unanimous agreement, Imam Ahmed mentioned in the narration of Abu Taalib that none of the people of Islam differed in this, and this is with the abundance of his knowledge and severity of his War’ [cautionary fear of what might cause harm in the Hereafter] and his carefulness.
End of speech from Al-Fath (8/5).
Their proof:
1- The Hadith of Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:
The Messenger of Allah . ﷺ
إِذَا جِئْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ وَنَحْنُ سُجُودٌ فَاسْجُدُوا، وَلَا تَعُدُّوهَا شَيْئًا، وَمَنْ أَدْرَكَ الرَّكْعَةَ فَقَدْ أَدْرَكَ الصَّلَاةَ
“When you come to the prayer and we are in the prostration then prostrate, and don’t count it, and whoever catches the unit then they have caught the prayer”.
Reported by Abu Daud (893), and others, and it is an inauthentic Hadith, its chain of narrations are all not safe from defects.
2- The Hadith of Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he came as the Prophet ﷺ was making Rukuu’, so he made Rukuu’ before reaching the row, this was mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ and he said:
زَادَكَ اللَّهُ حِرْصًا وَلَا تَعُدْ
“May Allah increase you in striving and don’t repeat it”
Reported by Bukhari (783).
They said: the striving by Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, was in making Rukuu’ before reaching the row to catch the unit, then after this the Prophet ﷺ didn’t command him with repeating the unit which he caught at the Rukuu’ without reciting the Faatiha.
3- The position of the prayer being caught was that of a congregation of the companions, and nothing contrary to this has become established from them.
The second:
That the unit isn’t counted, due to the lack of recitation of the Faatiha.
And this is the position of Ibn Madeeni, Bukhari, Ibn Khuzaimah, Ibn Hazm and Al-Iraaqi.
Shawkaani, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
It’s amazing that there are those that claim a consensus in this while the likes of them are opposing!
End of speech from An-Nayl (245/2).
They replied to the Hadith of Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, by saying that this doesn’t contain what points to having caught the unit, because as he didn’t order him to re-do the unit, it wasn’t reported to us that he counted it, and supplication with increase in striving doesn’t necessitate that it counted, because being with the Imam as he does is something which is ordered, regardless if what the one praying behind the Imam catches something which by way of it catches the unit or doesn’t.
Ibn Rajab responded to this answer by saying:
This is manifest in invalidity, because the striving of Abu Bakrah upon the Rukuu’ before reaching the row, and similarly all those of the companions and those after them that ordered to perform the Rukuu’ before reaching the row, was to catch the unit… for this reason none of them said: whoever catches the Imam while prostrating they should prostrate where they catch him prostrating and then when the Imam stands they should walk to the row.
If the performing of the Rukuu’ before having reached the row was for the hastening to follow the Imam, in what doesn’t catch the unit of the prayer, then there isn’t a difference between the Rukuu’ and the prostration in this, and this is an affair which everyone understands from these Hadiths and narrations regarding the Rukuu’ before reaching the row.
So the statement of he who says:
“They didn’t clearly mention the catching of that unit”
Is from stubbornness and causing uncertainty regarding clear affairs.
End of speech from his Fathul Baari (12/5).
So what’s most correct:
In-Sha-Allah, is the madhab of the Majority, based upon the Hadith of Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, and upon what has been established from the Companions of the position that the unit counts, like Ibn Mas’uud, Ibn Umar, Zaid bin Thaabit, may Allah be pleased with them all.
And their Hadiths are found in Al-Irwaa (262-263/2), and this is the position of San’aani, Albaani, Ibn Baz, Ibn Utheymeen, may Allah have mercy upon them all.
Benefited from:
Shaykh Abu Hamza Hassan bin Muhammed Ba Shu’ayb – may Allah preserve him
Source:
“at-Tasheelu wal-Iydaahu li kayfiyyatis-Salaati”
“The Simplification and Clarification of the description of the prayer”
Page 72-74 of the book.
What has been translated so far:
t.me/bashuaiben/1693
Translated by:
Abu ‘Abdirrahman ‘Abdullaah bin Ahmed Ash-Shingaani