Reaching into sajdah before the Imaam
Question
It takes our imam a bit long to go into sajdah, standing up from sajdah, etc. So what happens, for example, is that after qaumah, as the Imam goes down into sajdah, he says Allahu Akbar, and we also go into sajdah, but some of us reach sajdah before him. Is his and our salaah valid? Should we request him to rather try and do his postures slightly faster? I think it is because of his weight problem.
Answer
If he has a problem in going into sajdah with speed then this cannot be treated easily because of his weight problem. The jamaat should be informed that they should not hurry into sajdah. Rather, they should wait for the imam to get into sajdah and thereafter follow him. One way of achieving this is that the imam should lengthen the takbeer and complete it as he reaches the sajdah position making it easy for the rest of the jamaat to get into sajdah after the imam and not before him.
However, those that go into sajdah before the imam are guilty of an act that is makrooh and undesirable. They should immediately desist. However, their namaaz is not invalid because of this.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
عن محمد بن زياد سمعت أبا هريرة عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال أما يخشى أحدكم أو لا يخشى أحدكم إذا رفع رأسه قبل الإمام أن يجعل الله رأسه رأس حمار أو يجعل الله صورته صورة حمار (صحيح البخاري رقم 691)
ومن انتهى إلى الإمام في ركوعه فكبر ووقف حتى رفع الإمام رأسه لا يصير مدركا لتلك الركعة خلافا لزفر رحمه الله هو يقول أدرك الإمام فيما له حكم القيام فصار كما لو أدركه في حقيقة القيام ولنا أن الشرط هو المشاركة في أفعال الصلاة ولم يوجد لا في القيام ولا في الركوع ولو ركع المقتدي قبل إمامه فأدركه الإمام فيه جاز وقال زفر رحمه الله لا يجزئه لأن ما أتى به قبل الإمام غير معتد به فكذا ما يبنيه عليه ولنا أن الشرط هو المشاركة في جزء واحد كما في الطرف الأول والله أعلم (الهداية 1/153)
- Answered by
- Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)
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