What is the ruling on the prayer of one who was certain of the correctness of the prayer and did not alert the Imam, but rather performed a fifth rak'ah with him? And what is incumbent upon the one who thought the prayer was incomplete and caused an increase in the prayer?
Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
If only one worshiper alerts the Imam, the Imam should not act on his word unless he is reasonably certain of its truthfulness. In such a case, he should act based on his strong presumption, not merely on the worshiper's glorification. The worshiper who alerted the Imam has fulfilled his duty, because doubt regarding a deficiency in prayer is treated the same as certainty of it, and "Whoever experiences something [unexpected] in his prayer should say: SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah)."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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