Imam
An imam is the person who leads a congregational prayer, standing at the front with worshippers following his movements. The word is also used more broadly for a community's religious leader, or a major early scholar. The two uses are related, but distinct.
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See the term in context
How is congregational prayer performed if one joins the Imam in the second, third, or fourth rak'ah of Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, or Isha prayer?
It is prescribed for the latecomer to the prayer to pronounce the opening takbir (Allahu Akbar) and then follow the Imam in his current state. The rak'ah (unit of prayer) whose bowing he did not catch is not counted.…
Is the hadith, "Whoever stands with the Imam until he departs, it is recorded for him as if he stood the entire night in prayer," specific to the 'Isha prayer or Tarawih, and does it suffice for Qiyam al-Layl? And how can one achieve the reward of standing the entire night in prayer if one prays Tarawih in a mosque where the Imam prays eight rak'ahs and then leaves, and another Imam comes to complete the remaining rak'ahs and Witr? What is the ruling on friends separating from the Imam after eight rak'ahs and not completing the prayer with him?
The aforementioned hadith is authentic, and it is better for a man to pray with the Imam and perform Witr with him, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Indeed, if a man prays with the Imam until he…
Is it permissible to combine the Maghrib and Isha prayers, sufficing with three rak'ahs for Maghrib, then completing the remaining rak'ahs with the imam during the Isha prayer, due to joining the military college and arriving half an hour before the Isha adhan?
It is not permissible to combine two prayers without a valid excuse, and doing so is a major sin. What was mentioned is not a permissible excuse for combining prayers. A person can perform ablution and pray in the…
Questions that use it
What is the ruling on following the Imam in the prostration of forgetfulness (Sujud al-Sahw), and what is the ruling on the prostration of forgetfulness for the congregant (Ma'mum)?
What should we do if the Imam prostrates in congregational prayer after rising from his bowing, without saying the Takbir?
Does the ruling on catching a rakʿah in congregational prayer—by remaining with the imam for the duration of one tasbīḥah—apply to all rakʿahs or only to the first rakʿah? And is completing the recitation of Al-Fātiḥah in the subsequent rakʿahs before bowing considered an act of extremism?