One Who Joins the Imam’s Prayer after Performing His Own Is Not Required to Recite

Question

A person had already performed a fard prayer, for example Zuhr or ‘Isha’. Afterwards this person reached another mosque where the prayer had not yet taken place; upon his arrival the prayer began. He too joined this prayer with the intention of nafl, while the imam is leading the fard. In performing the fard, recitation in the last two rak‘as is not necessary, whereas in nafl al-Hamd and adding a sura are necessary in all four rak‘as.

Answer

Whether the follower is praying fard or nafl, whether the prayer is silent or audible, he is not permitted to recite, whether the imam’s prayer is fard or nafl: [ar]إِذَا قَرَأَ فَأَنْصِتُوا[/ar] “When he (the imam) recites, be silent” (hadith; “Sahih Muslim”). If the follower recited intentionally, he has committed a makruh tahrimi; [but] the prayer has not become fasid.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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