Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When you come (for prayer) and we are in the state of prostration, then join us in prostration and do not count it as anything. And whoever catches a rak‘ah (including bowing and prostration) has caught the prayer." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I do not feel at ease about this chain of narration because I do not know about the criticism or praise regarding Yahya bin Abi Sulayman (whether this narrator is weak or trustworthy?). Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I pondered over it and found that the freed slave of Banu Hashim, Abu Sa‘id, narrates several traditions from this same Yahya bin Abi Sulayman. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: These words, "do not count it as anything," belong to the same category which I have mentioned in several places in my books, that the Arabs sometimes negate the name of something due to its being incomplete or deficient. Therefore, the intention of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (if this hadith is authentically proven from him) with these words is that you should not count it as such a prostration that suffices for the obligatory (rak‘ah). His intention is not that you should not count it as obligatory or supererogatory at all (rather, this prostration will be counted as supererogatory).
And he should not count this prostration, because the one who catches the prostration is only the one who has also caught the bowing before it (otherwise, a single prostration will not complete the rak'ah).
Hadith Referenceصحيح ابن خزيمه / جماع أبواب قيام المأمومين خلف الإمام وما فيه من السنن / 1622
And he should not count this prostration, because the one who catches the prostration is only the one who has also caught the bowing before it (otherwise, a single prostration will not complete the rak'ah).
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When you come (for prayer) and we are in the state of prostration, then join us in prostration and do not count it as anything. And whoever catches a rak‘ah (including bowing and prostration) has caught the prayer." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I do not feel at ease about this chain of narration because I do not know about the criticism or praise regarding Yahya bin Abi Sulayman (whether this narrator is weak or trustworthy?). Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I pondered over it and found that the freed slave of Banu Hashim, Abu Sa‘id, narrates several traditions from this same Yahya bin Abi Sulayman. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: These words, "do not count it as anything," belong to the same category which I have mentioned in several places in my books, that the Arabs sometimes negate the name of something due to its being incomplete or deficient. Therefore, the intention of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (if this hadith is authentically proven from him) with these words is that you should not count it as such a prostration that suffices for the obligatory (rak‘ah). His intention is not that you should not count it as obligatory or supererogatory at all (rather, this prostration will be counted as supererogatory).
Hadith Referenceصحيح ابن خزيمه / جماع أبواب قيام المأمومين خلف الإمام وما فيه من السنن / 1622