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What should the worshiper do if the Imam omits a prostration in the first rak'ah of the Friday prayer?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the Imam omits a prostration (sujud) in the Friday prayer, the congregants must alert him by saying "Subhanallah" (glorified be Allah). If he does not understand, one of them should speak to him. If he returns and prostrates, he completes his prayer. However, if the Imam does not return, the congregants should prostrate and wait for him in prostration. If the congregants rise with him, knowing that the prayer is invalid, their prayer becomes void. If they wait for him in the sitting between the two prostrations, they would be prolonging a short pillar. Alternatively, if they prostrate and rise with him, they would have preceded him by two pillars. Or if they prostrate and wait for him while standing, they would have preceded him by two pillars. Or if they prostrate and wait for him while sitting in a place other than where one should sit, all of this invalidates their prayer. In the Friday prayer, they must prostrate and wait for him in prostration because it is a long pillar. In prayers other than Friday, they have the choice between leaving him or waiting for him in prostration. It is preferable for the congregant not to speak to him, but rather to recite a verse that makes him understand his oversight, intending the recitation, such as "And bow down with those who bow down" (Quran 2:43) or "And prostrate and draw near" (Quran 96:19).

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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