and either of them may validly intend to withdraw from the congregation when an excuse exists that would allow one to miss communal prayer. A follower who parts¹ from his imam while they are standing must recite—or finish reciting—and once he has completed the entire Fātiḥah he may bow immediately.

Whoever begins the prayer as an obligatory act and then turns it into a voluntary one, the change is valid provided there is still ample time left in the prayer’s window; if not, the change is invalid and his obligatory prayer is annulled.