Is the bowing unit of prayer (rak'ah) counted if the imam bows and rises before the worshipper (ma'mum) completes Al-Fatiha due to seeking refuge (isti'adha), and should seeking refuge be omitted to catch up with the bowing?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Your prayer is valid, and the first rak'ah of your prayer counts for you. You are excused for lagging behind your Imam in order to complete Al-Fatihah. In the future, omit the Isti'adhah (seeking refuge with Allah) and the Istiftah (opening supplication) if you fear that the Imam will bow before you complete Al-Fatihah.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/169622
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 169622
- 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