If I Missed Maghrib and Entered the Mosque While the Imam Was in the Second Rak’ah of Isha, Can I Join Him With the Intention of Maghrib?
Question: If I missed maghrib and entered the mosque while the imam was in second rakah of Isha, can I join him with the intention of maghrib?
Summary:
Yes. If you missed the Maghrib prayer and entered the mosque to find the imam praying Isha, and you caught him in the second rak’ah, then you should join him with the intention of praying Maghrib. You pray with him the second, third, and fourth rak’ahs of the Isha prayer, which will amount to three rak’ahs for you. When the imam gives the tasleem, you give the tasleem with him, and you will thereby have completed Maghrib. This is the stronger opinion, and it is the view upon which Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen رحمه الله issued fatwas.
Answer:
First: The Evidence From the Sunnah
The basic principle is that every person praying has his own intention.
From the Sunnah:
- Al-BukhariUmar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Actions are only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.” Agreed upon.
Thus, the imam intends Isha while you intend Maghrib.
Among the evidences indicating that it is permissible for the intention of the imam to differ from that of the person praying behind him is the hadith,
From the Sunnah:
- Muslim in Sahih and othersMuadh bin Jabal رضي الله عنه
Muadh رضي الله عنه used to pray the Isha prayer with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, then return to his people and lead them in prayer. It was voluntary for him and obligatory for them.
The scholars have used this as evidence that a difference between the intention of the imam and that of the person praying behind him does not invalidate following the imam.
- Two SahihsIt is also authentically reported from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The imam has only been appointed to be followed.” Agreed upon.
In the situation mentioned in the question, you are able to follow the imam until he gives the tasleem, because you will have caught exactly three rak’ahs with him.
Second: The Fatwa of Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen رحمه الله
From the Scholars:
- Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen رحمه الله was asked about someone who missed Maghrib and then found the imam praying Isha. He said:
“The correct view is that if a person comes while the imam is praying Isha... he should join the imam with the intention of Maghrib, and it does not matter that the intention of the imam differs from that of the person praying behind him.”
- He then mentioned the very situation described in the question, saying:
“If they join him in the second rak’ah, they should give the tasleem with him, because they will have prayed three rak’ahs.”
This is an explicit statement concerning this issue: you join the imam in the second rak’ah with the intention of Maghrib, pray three rak’ahs with him, and then give the tasleem with him. This was cited from Liqa’at al-Bab al-Maftuh (3/425).
Third: The Fatwa of Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله
From the Scholars:
- Shaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz رحمه الله likewise issued a fatwa permitting a person to pray Maghrib behind someone praying Isha. He said:
“The difference in intention between the imam and the person praying behind him does not cause any harm, according to the correct view from among the opinions of the scholars.”
It is also reported from him رحمه الله concerning a person who caught three rak’ahs of the Isha prayer while intending them as Maghrib that these three rak’ahs suffice him for the Maghrib prayer.
Fourth: The Permanent Committee
From the Scholars:
- The Permanent Committee was asked about someone who missed a prayer and then found the imam praying the current prayer. It answered:
“He should pray the prayer that he missed behind the imam, and the difference between his intention and the intention of the imam does not cause any harm, according to the correct of the two scholarly opinions.” Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Da’imah (7/407).
Fifth: The View of the Jurists. This view is the position of the Shafiis, one narration from Imam Ahmad رحمه الله, and the view chosen by a number of the Hanbalis, including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله. Al-Mardawi رحمه الله transmitted this in al-Insaf (4/413). Conclusion: The situation mentioned is straightforward and there is no problem with it: You missed Maghrib → you entered the mosque → the imam was in the second rak’ah of Isha → intend Maghrib and say the takbeer to join him → pray three rak’ahs with him → when the imam gives the tasleem, give the tasleem with him. You will thereby have prayed a valid three-rak’ah Maghrib prayer, and you do not have to repeat it according to the stronger opinion, because the difference between the intention of the imam and the intention of the person praying behind him does not cause any harm in this situation. However, if you catch the imam from the first rak’ah of Isha, the ruling differs when he stands for the fourth rak’ah, because Maghrib consists of three rak’ahs, so you do not stand with him for the fourth.
And Allah knows best.
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