The Imam Ended the Isha Prayer After Three Rakats Despite Being Corrected, So I Completed the Fourth Rakat Alone. Was My Action Correct, and What Should the Imam and Congregation Have Done?
Question: I was praying Isha in a masjid, and the imam made a mistake in the third rakat. Instead of standing up to perform the fourth rakat, he remained seated for the tashahhud. The peopl behind him said "SubhanAllah" aloud to alert him to the mistake, but the imam remained seated and then performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness (Sujud as-Sahw) before saying the taslim and ending the prayer. After the prayer ended, I felt uneasy, so I stood up and performed one rakat on my own to complete the four rakats of Isha, while none of the other people stood up to complete the missing rakat. What should the imam have done in this situation? What is the correct action if the imam does not stand up to perform the fourth rakat and ends the Isha prayer after only three rakats?
Summary:
If the imam mistakenly performs only three rakats of Isha and the congregation alerts him by saying "SubhanAllah," he must stand up to complete the fourth rakat, then perform the tashahhud and taslim, and perform the prostrations of forgetfulness at their prescribed place. This is because the prostrations of forgetfulness do not compensate for omitting a pillar of prayer, let alone an entire rakat. If the imam does not respond to the correction, and a person praying behind him knows with certainty that the imam has omitted the fourth rakat, he must not follow him in omitting it. Rather, he should separate from the imam and complete the fourth rakat individually. As for the questioner, if he was certain that the imam had performed only three rakats, then standing up to complete the fourth rakat was the correct action in principle, provided that there had not been a long interruption or anything that invalidated the prayer.
Answer:
First: Evidence from the Noble Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah
From the Qur'an:
- [Surah al-Baqarah: 238]
"Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient."
- [Surah at-Taghabun: 16]
"So fear Allah as much as you are able."
Part of maintaining the prayer is performing it with its pillars and obligations in the prescribed manner.
From the Sunnah:
- Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed two rakats of one of the two afternoon prayers and then said the taslim. Dhul-Yadayn رضي الله عنه reminded him, so the Prophet ﷺ verified the matter, completed the remaining rakats of his prayer, said the taslim, and performed the prostrations of forgetfulness.
The point of evidence: When the Prophet ﷺ said the taslim before completing the prayer, he did not suffice with the prostrations of forgetfulness. Rather, he completed the missing rakats. This indicates that completing the prayer is obligatory.
- Narrated by Muslim.Abdullah ibn Masud رضي الله عنه: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"If one of you forgets, let him perform two prostrations."
The prostrations of forgetfulness are prescribed to compensate for forgetfulness, but they do not take the place of an omitted rakat.
- Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. Sahl ibn Sad as-Saidi رضي الله عنه: The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever notices something during his prayer should say: 'SubhanAllah.'" The wording is that of al-Bukhari.
The point of evidence: It is prescribed to alert the imam by saying "SubhanAllah" if he makes a mistake in his prayer.
Second: Statements of the Scholars:
From the Scholars:
- Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله:
He was asked about an imam who said the taslim after the Maghrib prayer while having omitted one rakat. The worshippers then alerted him, so he stood up and completed the missing rakat. He explained that the prescribed action is to complete the prayer, then say the taslim, and then perform the prostrations of forgetfulness. He stated that this is the preferable procedure when a person says the taslim after omitting one or more rakats.
- Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen رحمه الله:
He was asked about a person praying behind an imam who was certain that his imam had omitted a rakat, so he alerted him by saying "SubhanAllah," but the imam did not correct himself. He said: "If the person praying behind the imam is certain that his imam has omitted a rakat, and he alerts him by saying 'SubhanAllah,' but the imam does not correct himself, then it is obligatory for him to separate from the imam in this situation."
He explained that the person praying behind the imam should stand up and complete the missing rakat and should not follow the imam in omitting it.
- He also said regarding the ruling on omitting a rakat:
"Whoever omits a rakat must perform it."
Third: What is obligatory upon the imam and those praying behind him? If the imam sits after the third rakat of the Isha prayer, thinking that it is the fourth: 1. Those praying behind him must alert him by saying "SubhanAllah." 2. If it becomes clear to the imam that he has omitted a rakat, he must stand up and complete it. 3. If the imam insists on remaining seated, and a person praying behind him is certain that a rakat has been omitted, he should separate from the imam and complete the fourth rakat individually. 4. If the imam says the taslim before completing the prayer and then remembers shortly afterward, he should complete the missing rakat, say the taslim, and perform the prostrations of forgetfulness. 5. If a long interruption occurs, or something that invalidates the prayer takes place, the prayer must be repeated. Conclusion: The stronger opinion is that the Isha prayer is not valid if only three rakats are performed, and the prostrations of forgetfulness do not compensate for the missing rakat. Accordingly, the questioner acted correctly by completing the fourth rakat, provided that he was certain that a rakat had been omitted and that no long interruption or action invalidating the prayer had occurred. As for those who said the taslim with the imam while knowing with certainty that a rakat had been omitted and did not complete their prayer, their prayer is not valid in this state. They must repeat the prayer if they did not make up the missing rakat in the prescribed manner.
And Allah knows best.
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