Understanding Prayer Rules for Travelers Joining a Resident Imam
Question: In a four-unit (Rak’ah) prayer, if a traveling person joins in the third Rak’ah, should he end the prayer with the Imam or complete the four Rak’ahs?
Answer: A traveler should complete the full prayer behind a resident Imam. Therefore, if a traveler joins in the third Rak’ah, he should complete one more Rak’ah after the Imam finishes, making it a total of four Rak’ahs, just like the resident Imam. This is based on the narration from Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
“This is the Sunnah of Abu al-Qasim (peace be upon him), meaning that a traveler should complete the full prayer when following a resident Imam, otherwise he should shorten the prayer.”
Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi
(Jeddah Dawah Center, Hayy Al-Salamah – Saudi Arabia)
Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi