Back to search

What is the ruling on congregational prayer for two people if one of them is making up a missed prayer and the other is leading him, and what is the ruling on that during times when prayer is forbidden?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible for someone who missed a prayer to perform it as a make-up prayer behind an Imam who is performing a current prayer. This is known among jurists as the issue of "difference in intention between the Imam and the follower." The majority of scholars hold the view that this is permissible, such as performing a supererogatory prayer behind someone performing an obligatory prayer, or an obligatory prayer behind someone performing a supererogatory prayer, or an obligatory prayer behind someone performing another obligatory prayer. They cite as evidence the Hadith of Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), who used to pray 'Isha with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and then go and lead his people in the same prayer, which would be supererogatory for him and obligatory for them. They interpreted the Hadith "Indeed, the Imam is appointed to be followed" as referring to following in actions, not in intention. It is also permissible to perform a make-up obligatory prayer during the prohibited times for prayer if the delay was due to an excuse. Similarly, it is permissible to perform supererogatory prayers that have a reason – such as the prayer for greeting the mosque (Tahiyyat al-Masjid) – as a make-up during the prohibited times, even if congregational prayer is not recommended for them.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy