the imam; but if he singles him out and then names the wrong person, his own prayer is invalid. The imam, for his part, is not required to intend leadership, though the intention is recommended; therefore, if he misidentifies the follower who is praying behind him, it does no harm. It is valid for someone performing a current prayer to follow one who is making up a missed prayer, and for a person engaged in an obligatory prayer to follow another who is praying voluntarily. Likewise, Zuhr may be prayed behind ‘Asr and the reverse, and Zuhr behind Fajr or Maghrib—the follower in all such cases being treated like one who has joined late. Following the imam in the qunūt or in the final sitting of Maghrib does not harm the prayer, though the follower may leave the imam when the latter performs them. According to the stronger view, praying Subḥ behind an imam praying Zuhr is also permissible; when the imam then rises for the third rakʿah, the follower may either leave him and give salām or wait and conclude with him.

I say: waiting for him is preferable—Allah knows best. If the follower is able to make qunūt in the second rakʿah, he should do so; otherwise he may omit it, or separate from the imam in order to recite it. If the two prayers differ in kind—for example, an obligatory prayer with a solar-eclipse prayer or a funeral prayer—the connection is invalid according to the sounder opinion.

Section

One must follow the imam in the actions of the prayer: the follower’s movement must begin after the imam has begun his, and end before the imam finishes. Exact simultaneity is harmless, except in the opening takbīr. If the follower lags by one pillar—so the imam has completed it while he is still in the previous one—the prayer is not invalid on the stronger view. If he falls two pillars behind with no excuse, the prayer is invalid. Suppose the imam hastens his recitation and bows before the follower has finished al-Fātiḥah. One opinion says the follower should bow with him and the remainder of al-Fātiḥah is waived; the sounder opinion is that he completes it and then hastens after the imam, provided he is not left behind by more than three integral pillars, counting only those that are lengthy. If the gap exceeds that, one view holds that he should break away, while the sounder view is that he continues to follow in whatever posture the imam is in, then makes up what he missed after the imam’s salām. He is excused if he failed to finish al-Fātiḥah because he was occupied with the opening supplication. All of the foregoing concerns someone who began the prayer with the imam.

As for one who arrives late and the imam bows during his recitation of al-Fātiḥah, the correct view is that if he has not yet begun the opening supplication or the taʿawwudh, he abandons the recitation, bows, and the rakʿah counts for him. Otherwise, he must recite an equivalent amount. A latecomer should not occupy himself with any sunnah recitations after the opening takbīr; rather, he must start al-Fātiḥah—unless he is sure he will still catch the rakʿah. If, while bowing, the follower realizes or doubts that he has omitted al-Fātiḥah, he does not return to it; instead, he performs an extra rakʿah after the imam has given salām.