Is the Rak'ah counted for someone who caught the Imam while he was bowing, but the Imam rose from bowing before the worshipper reached the bowing position, so the worshipper completed his bowing then followed the Imam?
A congregant's attainment of a unit (rak'ah) by catching the Imam's bowing (ruku') has several scenarios: If he catches the Imam bowing and achieves tranquility with him before the Imam rises, this constitutes attainment of the rak'ah according to the majority of scholars. However, if he bows after the Imam has risen, he is not considered to have attained it. If he doubts whether he attained it, his bowing is not counted. If the congregant reaches the sufficient bowing (bending so that his hands touch his knees) before the Imam moves from this position, he has attained the rak'ah, even if he achieves tranquility after the Imam has risen. This is the view of the Hanbalis, Hanafis, and Malikis. However, the Shafi'is stipulated that the congregant must achieve tranquility before the Imam rises from the position of sufficient bowing. As for one who does not bow until the Imam has stood upright, he has not attained the rak'ah according to the majority of scholars.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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