People who join a salaah that is Being Repeated

Q: Salaah- 629: when the lmaam of our Masjid mistakenly performed three Sajdahs in the final Rakaah, he completed the salaah without performing Sajdah Sahw. When informed about this after the salaah, he acknowledged the error and repeated the salaah. Those who had missed some Rakaahs terminated their salaah and joined the second Jamaa'ah, while others who came even later joined only the second Jamaa'ah. Is their salaah valid or does it have t be repeated?

Answer: In the stated case, the extra Sajdah in the third Rakaah caused a delay in the Qa'dah of the fourth Rakaah. It was therefore necessary to perform Sajdah Sahw. When this was not done. the salaah needed to be repeated so that the second salaah could compensate for the deficiency in the first. The obligation of salaah was however lifted by, the first salaah Therefore. because the second salaah of the Imaam's is not a Fardh salaah in its own right but a completion of another Fardh salaah. it is not correct for a person performing a fully-fledged Fardh salaah to follow an Imaam who is merely completing an incomplete Fardh salaah. Therefore, those Masbooqs who broke their salaah to join the second Jamaa'ah as well as all the newcomers will have to repeat rheir salaah As for those who joined the Imaam from the beginning and ended with him, they will not have to repeat their salaah. And Allaah knows best what is most correct.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah vol.2