Question: Does one who catches the bowing (rukūʿ) obtain the rakʿah? Please answer with evidence. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
On this issue, scholars have two positions:
First: The rakʿah is obtained.
Second: The rakʿah is not obtained.
A brief and comprehensive review of the evidences of the first group of scholars is as follows:
➊ Abu Dawud
, Ibn Khuzaymah
, و أعله ولم يصححه al-Hakim
, al-Daraqutni
and al-Bayhaqi
narrated through the chain of يحيي بن أبى سليمان عن زيد بن أبى عتاب و سعيد المقبري عن أبى هريرة that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا جٔتم و نحن سجود فاسجدوا ولا تعدوا شيئاً ومن أدرك الركعة فقد أدرك الصلوٰة
“When you come and we are in prostration, then prostrate and do not count it at all, and whoever has caught a rakʿah has caught the prayer.”
↰ Regarding the narrator Yahya ibn Abi Sulayman in this report:
◈ Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: منكر الحديث
◈ Ibn Khuzaymah said: “My heart is not at ease with this chain, because I do not know Yahya ibn Abi Sulayman either by way of criticism (jarh) or authentication (taʿdil).”
The majority of muhaddithun have declared the aforementioned Yahya to be weak.
Therefore, al-Hakim’s saying that his narration is sahih is rejected.
Note: This narration is not evidence for the one who catches the bowing; rather, it only establishes that whoever catches a rakʿah has caught the prayer.
➋ Al-Bayhaqi narrated through the chain of عن عبدالعزيز بن رفيع عن رجال عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم that
إذا جئتم والإمام راكع فاركعو و إن كان ساجداً فاسجدوا ولا تعتدو بالسجود إذا لم يكن معه الركوع
“When you come and the imam is in bowing, then bow, and when he is in prostration, then prostrate, and do not count the prostrations unless bowing is with them.”
Note: In another narration of al-Bayhaqi
, a meaning similar to these words is related through the chain of سفيان (الثوري) عن عبدالعزيز بن رفيع من شيخ من الأنصار.
The chain of this narration is weak for two reasons:
First: Sufyan al-Thawri is a mudallis and the narration is muʿanʿan.
Second: Shaykh min al-Ansar is majhul (unknown), and saying that والصحيح أنه صحابي is wrong.
➌ Al-Daraqutni
, al-Bukhari
, Ibn Khuzaymah
, al-Bayhaqi
, al-Uqayli
and Ibn ʿAdi
, among others, narrated through the chain of
يحيي بن حميد عن قرة عن ابن شهاب عن أبى سلمة عن أبى هريرة
that the Prophet ﷺ said:
من أدرك ركعة من الصلٰوة فقد أدركها قبل أن يقيم الأمام صلبه
“Whoever catches a rakʿah of the prayer before the imam raises his back has caught the prayer.”
↰ The chain of this narration is weak because of the narrator Qurrah ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Hayawil.
Qurrah is weak according to the majority of muhaddithun. Regarding this narration, Shaykh Aminullah Peshawari says:
وسنده ضعيف “And its chain is weak.”
This narration has another chain in which there is an accused (muttaham) narrator.
Therefore, this chain is severely weak and rejected.
➍ Al-Bayhaqi
quoted the saying of ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿud (may Allah be pleased with him) that
من لم يدرك الإمام راكعاً لم يدرك تلك الركعة “Whoever did not find the imam in bowing has not caught that rakʿah.”
↰ In the chain of this narration, ʿAli ibn ʿAsim is weak and criticised according to the majority of muhaddithun.
Therefore, calling this narration وإسناده صحيح is wrong. In another chain of this narration, Abu Ishaq al-Sabiʿi is a mudallis.
Therefore, that chain is also weak. Unless the chain is sahih or hasan, saying ورجاله موثقون is of no benefit.
➎ Ibn Abi Shaybah
, al-Tahawi
and al-Bayhaqi
narrated from ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he considered the one who catches the bowing to be one who catches the rakʿah.
Its chain is sahih, but it is the fatwa of a companion (sahabi).
➏ Ibn Abi Shaybah
quoted from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) his fatwa, the summary of which is that he considered the one who catches the bowing to be one who catches the rakʿah.
↰ The chain of this narration is weak because of the tadlis of Hafs and Ibn Jurayj.
In al-Sunan al-Kubra of al-Bayhaqi
there is also a weak corroborating report (shahid). In it is Walid ibn Muslim, who also practised tadlis al-taswiyah, and there is no explicit statement of continuous hearing (sama’ musalsal).
➐ Al-Bayhaqi
narrated from Zayd ibn Thabit and Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them) that
من أدرك الركعة قبل أن يرفع الإمام رأسه فقد أدرك السجدة
“Whoever catches the bowing before the imam raises his head has caught the prostration, i.e. has caught the rakʿah.”
↰ The chain of this narration is weak because of inqita’ (break in the chain).
Imam Malik did not state through what channel this report reached him. This mawquf narration has other chains as well.
Against these athar, Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
حدثنا عبيد بن يعيش قال : حدثنا يونس قال : حدثنا (ابن ) إسحاق قال : أخبرني الأعرج قال سمعت أباهريرة رضى الله عنه يقول : لا يجزئك إلا أن تدرك الإمام قائماً قبل أن تركع
“Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Your rakʿah is not valid unless you catch the imam standing before bowing.”
◈ Abu Saʿid al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
يركع أحدكم حتيٰ يقرأ بأم القرآن
“None of you should bow until he has recited Surat al-Fatihah.”
↰ It is known from this that there is disagreement among the companions on this issue. When there is disagreement, the command is to refer to the Book and the Sunnah.
➑ Ibn Abi Shaybah
narrated from ʿAbdullah ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he would join the row while walking during the bowing.
↰ The chain of this narration is weak because of Ibn Tamim.
Note: This narration has no connection to the one who catches the bowing.
➒ Al-Bayhaqi
narrated from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that he joined the row while walking during the bowing.
This chain is weak because of the tadlis of Walid ibn Muslim, who practised tadlis al-taswiyah, and the inqita’ of Abu Bakr ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith. The claim that he took this narration from Zayd ibn Thabit is without evidence.
➓ Musnad Ahmad
reports that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came walking to catch the rakʿah.
↰ The chain of this narration is weak because of Bashshar ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Khayyat al-Muzani.
Calling it سنده حسن is wrong.
Ibn Maʿin declared Bashshar weak, and there is also doubt about the continuity (ittisal) of the chain.
⓫ Some people say that Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib, Maymun and al-Sha’bi (Tabi’un) held the view that one who catches the ruku’ thereby catches the rak’ah.
These reports from the Tabi’un are rejected, as they contradict the reports of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) and others, and the general sense of the marfu’ ahadith.
⓬ Tabarani narrated from Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib and Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with them) that whoever does not catch the ruku’ should not count the sajdah.
These reports are not established with a sahih chain.
⓭ In one narration it has come that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لا تبادروني بركوع ولا بسجود فإنه مهما أسبقكم به إذا ركعت تدركوني به إذا رفعت و إني قد بدنت
“Do not precede me in ruku’ or sujud, for indeed, whenever I bow before you, you will catch me when I raise my head, (for) my body has become heavy.”
↰ This narration is not evidence for catching the ruku’, but al-Ayni the Hanafi presented it as one of his proofs. See Umdat al-Qari
⓮ Ibn Abi Shaybah
narrated from Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (a Tabi’i) and Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) that when they found the imam in ruku’, they would say two takbirs: one takbir of commencement and the second takbir of ruku’.
↰ This narration is weak due to the tadlis of al-Zuhri, and it is not evidence for catching the ruku’.
⓯ Ibn Abi Shaybah
narrated from Muhammad ibn Sirin that Abu Ubaydah (ibn Abdullah ibn Mas’ud) came, and the people were in ruku’, so he walked and joined the row, and reported that his father had done likewise.
↰ This narration is munqati’, because Abu Ubaydah did not hear anything from his father.
⓰ In one narration it has come that
عبدالعزيز بن رفيع عن ابن مغفل المزني قال قال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم : (ولا تعتدو بالسجود إذا لم تدركوا الركعة)
↰ In this narration, if Ibn Mughaffal refers to Abdullah ibn Mughaffal al-Muzani (may Allah be pleased with him), then there is no proof that Abdul Aziz ibn Rafi’ met him; and if it is Shaddad ibn Ma’qil, then this chain is munqati’. In summary, all the marfu’ narrations in this series are da’if in terms of their chains. As for the reports of the Companions, there is difference of opinion regarding them.
Second: Those scholars who say that one who catches the ruku’ does not gain the rak’ah, because two obligatory elements remain for him:
① Qiyam ② Surah al-Fatihah
The position of these people is correct. The Prophet ﷺ said:
لا تفعلو إلا بأم القرآن فإنه لا صلٰوة لمن لم يقرأ بها
“Do not recite anything except Umm al-Qur’an (Surah al-Fatihah), for there is no prayer for one who does not recite it.”
Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) and many eminent scholars held that one who catches the ruku’ does not gain the rak’ah. For details, see the book “Itmam al-Khushu’ bi-Ahkam Mudrik al-Ruku'” by Maulana Muhammad Yunus Qureshi (may Allah have mercy on him), and the treatise “Rukoo mein milne wale ki rakat, Janibain ke dalail ka jaiza” by Maulana Muhammad Munir Qamar (may Allah preserve him).
وما علينا إلا البلاغ ( [26رجب 1427ه] )
