the issue of standing: it is valid for a follower who is able to stand to pray behind an imam who is unable to stand.

Imam Ahmad himself explicitly stated this, saying: “If someone enters while the imam is praying Tarawih and prays Isha with him, there is no harm in that.” Thus, the one praying Tarawih is offering a voluntary prayer, while the one praying Isha is offering an obligatory prayer. This is an explicit statement from the Imam. Therefore, without doubt, this is the stronger view. It was also the view preferred by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and it is supported by the evidence.

“Nor may one praying Zuhr follow one praying Asr or another prayer.”

His statement, “Nor may one praying Zuhr follow one praying Asr or another prayer,” means that it is not valid for one praying Zuhr to follow one praying Asr, or another of the four-unit prayers, because the intentions of the two prayers differ. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The imam has only been appointed to be followed, so do not differ from him.” (1)

An example is a man who wakes from sleep, comes to the mosque, and finds the imam praying Asr while he himself has not prayed Zuhr. He wishes to pray Zuhr behind this imam who is praying Asr. The author says that this is not valid, because the intentions of the two prayers differ: one is Zuhr and the other is Asr. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The imam has only been appointed to be followed, so do not differ from him.”

The reverse case is the same: it is not valid for one praying Asr to follow one praying Zuhr.

For example, a man enters the mosque and finds people there who had combined the prayers by