What is the ruling on a congregant who says the opening takbir before the imam?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Following the Imam is obligatory; it is not permissible to precede him, nor to lag excessively behind him. If someone says the takbīrat al-iḥrām (the opening Allahu Akbar) before his Imam, his prayer is not valid by consensus (ijmāʿ), and he must repeat it. As for one who coincides with the Imam in saying the takbīr, the majority opinion is that his prayer is not valid, and this is the correct view.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/42430
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 42430
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy