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Congregational Prayer
Issue 97: It is recommended to perform daily prayers in congregation. In some cases, congregational prayer might become obligatory, such as when a duty-bound person makes mistakes in his recitation, which he can correct but he neglects his duty to do so, in which case, it is necessary for him to follow another person if possible.
Issue 98: As an obligatory precaution, congregational prayer is not valid for any recommended prayer except Ṣalāt al-Istisqā (prayer for rain).
Issue 99: The conditions for the Imam of congregational prayer are the following:
1. Must be an adult.
2. Must be sane.
3. Must be a muʾmin, meaning an Ithnā ʿAsharī Shīʿa.
4. Must be just (ʿādil).
5. Must be of legitimate birth.
6. Must have correct recitation.
7. As an obligatory precaution, must not have undergone a legal punishment (ḥadd) for committing a sin.
8. If the follower prays standing, the Imam must also pray standing.
9. If the follower is male, the Imam must also be male.
10. The Imam's prayer must be valid in the follower’s opinion. Therefore, one cannot follow someone whose prayer is invalid in their opinion, such as if the Imam believes tayammum is obligatory upon him in a certain scenario while the follower believes wuḍū or ghusl is obligatory.
Issue 100: In order for a congregational prayer to be valid, the following conditions must be met:
1. The follower (maʾmūm) must intend to follow the prayer leader (imām).
2. The imām must be known to the follower, though general knowledge suffices (e.g., intending to follow the present imām even if the follower does not know him personally).
3. The imām must be independent in his prayer, so it is not permissible to follow an imām who is himself following another imām.
4. The follower must start his prayer with the intention to follow; a person who begins praying individually cannot switch to congregational prayer while in the middle of his prayer.
5. The follower must not intend to pray individually without a valid reason during the congregational prayer; if he does so, his congregational prayer would be problematic.
6. There must be no barrier between the imām and the male follower that separates them, whether it prevents seeing the imām or not. Similarly, there should be no barrier between the follower and another follower who connects them to the imām. For instance, in the first row, the connecting follower must be in the same row between the follower and the imām, and if there is no direct connection in that row, it should be through someone in the row ahead.
7. The imām’s position should not be higher than the follower’s position to the extent that it appears, customarily, that the imām is at a higher place. However, if the follower's place is higher than the imām’s, it is not a problem, even if significantly higher, unless it reaches the point where they are no longer considered part of the same congregation.
8. The distance between the follower and the imām, or the follower connecting them to the imām, should not be too great. As a necessary precaution, the distance between the follower’s place of prostration and the place of standing of the imām or the connecting follower in the front row should not exceed the length of an ordinary large step (approximately 1.2 meters).
9. The follower should not stand ahead of the imām or, as an obligatory precaution, in line the imām but slightly behind them; however, if the follower is only one person, there is no problem if he stands in line with the imām. If the follower is a woman, she must observe her position relative to the imām or the male follower as described in Issue 72.
Issue 101: In the first and second rakʿahs of Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr prayers, the follower, as an obligatory precaution, should not recite Sūrah al-Ḥamd and another Sūrah. However, in Fajr, Maghrib, and ʿIshā prayers, the follower may recite them quietly if he cannot hear the imām’s voice, even if it is in the form of unintelligible words.
The imām does not bear the responsibility for any of the follower’s actions and recitations in the prayer, except for the recitation of the first and second rakʿahs. Therefore, the follower must perform all other obligatory acts of prayer as he would when praying individually, with the difference that he should follow the imām in performing acts like bowing (rukūʿ) and prostration (sujūd) after the imām performs them. However, following the imām in reciting the prayer’s phrases, like those of rukūʿ and sujūd, is not obligatory, except for the opening takbīr (Takbīrat al-Iḥrām), which should not be said before the imām. If the follower has a valid excuse, he may choose not to follow the imām in the final tashahhud and recite it before the imām. Following the imām in saying the salām at the end of the prayer is never obligatory, so the follower may say the salām before the imām.
Issue 102: A follower can join the imām’s prayer at any point, which can be done in two ways:
1. If the imām is in the first rakʿah reciting al-Ḥamd and another Sūrah or in rukūʿ, the follower must say the opening takbīr and follow the imām, performing the prayer just like other followers. If he is standing, the follower stands, and if he is in rukūʿ, the follower does rukūʿ and completes the prayer as if he had joined from the beginning.
2. If the imām is not in the first rakʿah, the follower has time to join until the imām completes the rukūʿ. If the imām raises his head from rukūʿ, he cannot join the congregational prayer in that rakʿah. If the follower joins before or during the imām’s rukūʿ, he must act in harmony with the imām. For example:
If the follower joins when the imām is in the second rakʿah of Ẓuhr, for the follower, it is his first rakʿah. When the imām sits for tashahhud, as an obligatory precaution, the follower should adopt the “tajāfī” position (placing the fingers and tips of the feet on the ground while lifting the knees slightly) and wait for the imām to finish the tashahhud and then stand up with the imām for the next rakʿah, which will be the follower’s second and the imām’s third. The follower should recite al-Ḥamd and another Sūrah quietly. If there is not enough time for both, he should complete al-Ḥamd and join the imām in rukūʿ, then follow the imām for sujūd. Here, the follower must recite tashahhud since it is the end of his second rakʿah, while the imām stands up for the fourth rakʿah. After reciting the tashahhud, the follower stands and continues the prayer in congregation, reciting the tasbīḥāt al-arbaʿah and following the imām in rukūʿ and the rest of the prayer.
If the follower wants to join during the imām’s third or fourth rakʿah, he should join during the imām’s rukūʿ. If he joins while the imām is standing, he must recite al-Ḥamd and another Sūrah himself, provided the imām gives him enough time. If the imām proceeds to rukūʿ without giving enough time, the follower may suffice with just al-Ḥamd and join the imām in rukūʿ. And if the imām does not give the follower (maʾmūm) enough time so that the follower cannot finish Sūrah al-Ḥamd and join the imām in bowing (rukūʿ), then it is permissible for the follower to stop reciting Sūrah al-Ḥamd and join the imām in rukūʿ.
Traveler’s Prayer →
← Doubts in Prayer
Issue 98: As an obligatory precaution, congregational prayer is not valid for any recommended prayer except Ṣalāt al-Istisqā (prayer for rain).
Issue 99: The conditions for the Imam of congregational prayer are the following:
1. Must be an adult.
2. Must be sane.
3. Must be a muʾmin, meaning an Ithnā ʿAsharī Shīʿa.
4. Must be just (ʿādil).
5. Must be of legitimate birth.
6. Must have correct recitation.
7. As an obligatory precaution, must not have undergone a legal punishment (ḥadd) for committing a sin.
8. If the follower prays standing, the Imam must also pray standing.
9. If the follower is male, the Imam must also be male.
10. The Imam's prayer must be valid in the follower’s opinion. Therefore, one cannot follow someone whose prayer is invalid in their opinion, such as if the Imam believes tayammum is obligatory upon him in a certain scenario while the follower believes wuḍū or ghusl is obligatory.
Issue 100: In order for a congregational prayer to be valid, the following conditions must be met:
1. The follower (maʾmūm) must intend to follow the prayer leader (imām).
2. The imām must be known to the follower, though general knowledge suffices (e.g., intending to follow the present imām even if the follower does not know him personally).
3. The imām must be independent in his prayer, so it is not permissible to follow an imām who is himself following another imām.
4. The follower must start his prayer with the intention to follow; a person who begins praying individually cannot switch to congregational prayer while in the middle of his prayer.
5. The follower must not intend to pray individually without a valid reason during the congregational prayer; if he does so, his congregational prayer would be problematic.
6. There must be no barrier between the imām and the male follower that separates them, whether it prevents seeing the imām or not. Similarly, there should be no barrier between the follower and another follower who connects them to the imām. For instance, in the first row, the connecting follower must be in the same row between the follower and the imām, and if there is no direct connection in that row, it should be through someone in the row ahead.
7. The imām’s position should not be higher than the follower’s position to the extent that it appears, customarily, that the imām is at a higher place. However, if the follower's place is higher than the imām’s, it is not a problem, even if significantly higher, unless it reaches the point where they are no longer considered part of the same congregation.
8. The distance between the follower and the imām, or the follower connecting them to the imām, should not be too great. As a necessary precaution, the distance between the follower’s place of prostration and the place of standing of the imām or the connecting follower in the front row should not exceed the length of an ordinary large step (approximately 1.2 meters).
9. The follower should not stand ahead of the imām or, as an obligatory precaution, in line the imām but slightly behind them; however, if the follower is only one person, there is no problem if he stands in line with the imām. If the follower is a woman, she must observe her position relative to the imām or the male follower as described in Issue 72.
Issue 101: In the first and second rakʿahs of Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr prayers, the follower, as an obligatory precaution, should not recite Sūrah al-Ḥamd and another Sūrah. However, in Fajr, Maghrib, and ʿIshā prayers, the follower may recite them quietly if he cannot hear the imām’s voice, even if it is in the form of unintelligible words.
The imām does not bear the responsibility for any of the follower’s actions and recitations in the prayer, except for the recitation of the first and second rakʿahs. Therefore, the follower must perform all other obligatory acts of prayer as he would when praying individually, with the difference that he should follow the imām in performing acts like bowing (rukūʿ) and prostration (sujūd) after the imām performs them. However, following the imām in reciting the prayer’s phrases, like those of rukūʿ and sujūd, is not obligatory, except for the opening takbīr (Takbīrat al-Iḥrām), which should not be said before the imām. If the follower has a valid excuse, he may choose not to follow the imām in the final tashahhud and recite it before the imām. Following the imām in saying the salām at the end of the prayer is never obligatory, so the follower may say the salām before the imām.
Issue 102: A follower can join the imām’s prayer at any point, which can be done in two ways:
1. If the imām is in the first rakʿah reciting al-Ḥamd and another Sūrah or in rukūʿ, the follower must say the opening takbīr and follow the imām, performing the prayer just like other followers. If he is standing, the follower stands, and if he is in rukūʿ, the follower does rukūʿ and completes the prayer as if he had joined from the beginning.
2. If the imām is not in the first rakʿah, the follower has time to join until the imām completes the rukūʿ. If the imām raises his head from rukūʿ, he cannot join the congregational prayer in that rakʿah. If the follower joins before or during the imām’s rukūʿ, he must act in harmony with the imām. For example:
If the follower joins when the imām is in the second rakʿah of Ẓuhr, for the follower, it is his first rakʿah. When the imām sits for tashahhud, as an obligatory precaution, the follower should adopt the “tajāfī” position (placing the fingers and tips of the feet on the ground while lifting the knees slightly) and wait for the imām to finish the tashahhud and then stand up with the imām for the next rakʿah, which will be the follower’s second and the imām’s third. The follower should recite al-Ḥamd and another Sūrah quietly. If there is not enough time for both, he should complete al-Ḥamd and join the imām in rukūʿ, then follow the imām for sujūd. Here, the follower must recite tashahhud since it is the end of his second rakʿah, while the imām stands up for the fourth rakʿah. After reciting the tashahhud, the follower stands and continues the prayer in congregation, reciting the tasbīḥāt al-arbaʿah and following the imām in rukūʿ and the rest of the prayer.
If the follower wants to join during the imām’s third or fourth rakʿah, he should join during the imām’s rukūʿ. If he joins while the imām is standing, he must recite al-Ḥamd and another Sūrah himself, provided the imām gives him enough time. If the imām proceeds to rukūʿ without giving enough time, the follower may suffice with just al-Ḥamd and join the imām in rukūʿ. And if the imām does not give the follower (maʾmūm) enough time so that the follower cannot finish Sūrah al-Ḥamd and join the imām in bowing (rukūʿ), then it is permissible for the follower to stop reciting Sūrah al-Ḥamd and join the imām in rukūʿ.
