Back to search

Does the rak'ah count if the worshiper catches the imam bowing, then says the takbir for ihram, and then the imam rises before the worshiper bows? And what should he do if this happens repeatedly?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The majority of scholars agree that whoever does not catch the bowing (rukūʿ) with the Imam does not count that rakaʿah (unit of prayer). Zufar, a student of Abu Hanifa, disagreed with this. The correct view is that the worshipper catches theufficient bowing by placing their hands on their knees before the Imam rises. If the Imam rises before the worshipper bows, then the rakaʿah is missed, and it becomes obligatory for them to make it up after the prayer ends. It is not prescribed to bow after the Imam has risen; rather, what is prescribed is to follow the Imam in his current state. Narrations from the Companions, such as Ibn Masʿud, Ibn ʿUmar, and Zayd ibn Thabit, indicate that what is considered is catching the Imam before he raises his head from bowing, and that whoever catches the bowing has caught the rakaʿah.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy