when a person has prayed the regular sunnah prayer, or the sunnah prayer between the two calls to prayer. (1)
Then sit with the intention of awaiting the prayer. Know that when you come to the mosque in this manner, you remain in prayer for as long as you await the prayer. Even if the imam is delayed by an additional five or ten minutes, you are still upon goodness, because you remain in prayer as long as you await the prayer. Moreover, the angels invoke blessings upon you so long as you remain in your place of prayer; and a man for whom the angels invoke blessings is worthy of Allah answering their supplication for him.
It is recommended to stand when the caller reaches “qad” in the iqamah, …
His statement, “It is recommended to stand when the caller reaches ‘qad’ in the iqamah,” means that it is recommended for the follower in prayer to stand when the caller says “qad” in the phrase “qad qāmati al-salāh” (the prayer has been established), because “qad” indicates certainty, while “qāmat” indicates that it has actually taken place. Thus, the point at which one should stand for the prayer is when he says “qad” in “qad qāmati al-salāh.”
The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that it is recommended to stand at this phrase, whether or not the worshippers have seen the imam. This is one of the views in the school of jurisprudence. (2)
The well-known position of the school (3) is that they should not stand when the iqamah is given unless they see the imam. If they do not see him, they should wait until they do, for they are followers. Were they to stand in the row before seeing the imam, they would be the ones being followed, since the imam would come after them, after they had formed their rows and stood. Usually, in our town, the iqamah is not given until the imam has entered the mosque and the people have seen him; then the muezzin gives the iqamah.