the sun, let him complete his prayer. If he catches a rak'ah of the Fajr prayer before the sun rises, let him complete his prayer.”

As for the wording found in some chains of transmission, “If any of you catches a prostration,” what is meant is a complete rak'ah, as in the other wording. A complete prayer unit may be named after bowing and called a rak'ah, or after prostration and called a sajdah. This usage occurs frequently in the wording of hadiths, including this hadith and others.

Third, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made catching the prayer with the imam depend on catching a rak'ah. This explicitly addresses the issue. In the two Sahīh collections, Abū Hurayrah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever catches a rak'ah of the prayer with the imam has caught the prayer.”

This is an explicit text that settles the dispute.

Fourth, the Friday prayer is caught only by catching a rak'ah, as stated in the rulings of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, including Ibn 'Umar, Ibn Mas'ūd, Anas and others. No Companion is known to have disagreed with them. Indeed, several scholars have reported that this was the consensus of the Companions. Drawing a distinction between Friday prayer and congregational prayer is unsound. For this reason, Abū Hanīfah consistently applied his principle and treated both alike. However, the established hadiths and the reports from the Companions invalidate his position.

Fifth, anything less than a rak'ah does not count towards the prayer, for he begins it afresh