For the Muqtadi to Precede the Imaam in the Postures of Salaah

Q: Miss-3: Will the salaah be valid if the Muqtadi proceeds for? Sajdah before the Imaam?

Answer: The salaah of the Muqtadi will be nullified if all of the following happened:

* He proceeded into Sajdah before the Imaam and got up before the Imaam reached the Sajdah posture

* He did not repeat the Sajdah either with or after the Imaam had made Sajdah.

The salaah of the Muqtadi will therefore not be nullified if the Imaam joined him in Sajdah. The act of the Muqtadi is however Haraam and a cause of great sin. Rasulullaah SAW. once said, "O people! I am the Imaam, so do not proceed before me into Ruku. Sajdah. Qiyaam or leaving. Do not also stand ahead of me.

Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. reports that Rasulullaah SAW. said, "Does the person who raises his head from Sajdah before the Imaam not fear that his head should be transfigured into that of a donkey?

Ulema explain that the transfiguring is not necessarily literal and refers to the person's understanding being retarded to that of a donkey's. Allaama Ibn Hajar RAH. writes that the transfiguring could well be literal and the transfiguring of people that the Ahadeeth state will not happen to the Ummah refers to it happening to the Ummah at large and does not exclude individual cases. This is supported by an incident in which a person travelled to Damascus to acquire knowledge from a famous Sheikh. Upon arrival, he discovered that the Sheikh always lectured from behind a veil and never showed his face.

When some time had passed and the Sheikh realised the fervour and potential of the student, he removed the veil. The student was surprised to see that the face of the Sheikh was like that of a donkey. The Sheikh then said, "Dear son! Never proceed ahead of the Imaam. When I came across the Hadith, I took it to be far{etched and proceeded ahead of the Imaam. It was then that this happened to my face as you see.

It is because of this that Maa Laa Budda Minhu (Pg.39) makes it clear that proceeding to a posture ahead of the Imaam is Haraam. And Allaah knows best what is most correct.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah vol.3