at the mosque until the iqāmah is about to be pronounced, and that he should perform the regular Sunnah prayers in his house, just as the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to do. The congregant, by contrast, may arrive earlier; but because the imam is the one for whom the people wait while he himself waits for no one, the Sunnah is for him to remain in his home until he has completed the prescribed supererogatory prayers and then come out.

This ḥadith also indicates that it is recommended to lie on one’s right side after the two Sunnah rakʿahs of Fajr when they are offered at home, following the practice of the Prophet. The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, have differed regarding this brief rest. Some say it is Sunnah under all circumstances; others say it is Sunnah only for someone who prays late at night, so that he may give his body a measure of rest. A few even went to extremes, treating it as a condition for the validity of the Fajr prayer and claiming, “Whoever does not recline after the Sunnah rakʿahs, his Fajr prayer is invalid.” This is an anomalous view; we mention it only to show that certain jurists advance eccentric opinions that are far from correct.

The sound position is that the recline is Sunnah for anyone who has engaged in night worship—spending lengthy periods in prayer—so he may lie down until the call for the obligatory prayer is given. This ruling is clear with respect to the imam. As for the follower, if he were to recline the iqāmah might be announced while he is unaware and he could miss part of the prayer, for the congregation waits for him but he does not wait for them, whereas it is the imam who