that the imam must expressly intend to lead maintain that the two men’s prayer is invalid, because the man in front never formed the intention to act as imam. Those who hold that the imam’s intention is not a condition judge the prayer of those two men to be sound, since they, for their part, did follow him.

The first opinion is the well-known position of Imam Aḥmad (d. 241 AH), while the second is the school of Imam Mālik (d. 179 AH). The Mālikīs cite as evidence the incident in which the Prophet ﷺ once prayed alone on a Ramadan night; some people entered the mosque and prayed behind him even though, when he first began, he had not intended to lead anyone. They also cite the report that Ibn ʿAbbās — may Allah be pleased with them both — spent a night at the Prophet’s house. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ rose to pray in the night, he started the prayer alone. Ibn ʿAbbās got up, performed ablution, and joined him. There is, however, no doubt that this latter narration does not furnish the required proof, for the Prophet ﷺ did in fact form the intention to lead, albeit in the middle of the prayer, and there is no harm in adopting that intention partway through.

In any case, the cautious and preferable course in this matter is to say: if two men come upon someone who is praying alone, they should alert him that they wish to stand behind him as followers. If he remains silent, his silence counts as approval; but if he refuses and motions with his hand, “Do not pray behind me,” then they must not follow him. This is the safer and more prudent approach.