The imam shoulders on behalf of the follower the Qur’anic recitation, the prostrations of forgetfulness and of recitation, the use of a sutrah, the qunūt supplication, and the first tashahhud when the follower has joined having already missed one rakʿah of a four-rakʿah prayer.

It is sunnah for the follower to pronounce the opening supplication and the taʿawwudh during the audible prayers, and to recite al-Fātiḥah and a sūrah at the prescribed points during the imam’s silent pauses—namely, before al-Fātiḥah, after it, and after the imam has completed his recitation.

In the units where the imam does not recite aloud, the follower may recite whenever he wishes.1

Section

Whoever pronounces the opening takbīr at the same moment as the imam, or before the imam has finished it, his prayer does not take effect. The follower should begin every movement after the imam; to perform it simultaneously with him—or to pronounce the salām together with him—is disliked, whereas to precede him is unlawful.

If a person bows, prostrates, or rises before his imam on purpose, he must return and carry out that movement with the imam. Should he knowingly and deliberately refuse, his prayer is invalid—unlike the case of one who errs out of forgetfulness or ignorance.

It is sunnah for the imam to keep the prayer light yet complete, unless the congregation prefers a longer recitation, and to wait for a late-comer2 provided that this does not burden the worshippers3.

If a man’s wife or female servant asks his permission to go to the mosque, it is disliked for him to prevent her, although her home is better for her.