Source: Fatāwā ‘Ilmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Page 373Does One Attain the Rak‘ah by Joining the Imam in Rukū‘?
❖ Question:
If a person joins the Imam while he is in Rukū‘, will that Rak‘ah be counted for him?
There is a narration that states:
"Whoever catches the Rukū‘ with the Imam has caught the Rak‘ah."
This narration is found in Sunan al-Tirmidhī. Some scholars consider it weak, while others classify it as authentic.
❖ Analytical Review:
Source of the Narration:
This narration is present in Sunan Abī Dāwūd (Ḥadīth No. 893) and other Ḥadīth collections.
Assessment of the Narrator:
The central narrator of this ḥadīth is Yaḥyā ibn Abī Sulaymān.
Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله and the majority of Muḥaddithīn have explicitly declared this narrator weak and unreliable (majrūḥ).
Imām Ibn Khuzaymah رحمه الله (Ḥadīth 1622) also criticized this narration, confirming its weakness.
All the supporting narrations (shawāhid) related to this narration are also classified as weak.
❖ Commentary of Shaykh al-Albānī:
Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله, in Masā’il Aḥmad wa Isḥāq, cited a supporting narration (shāhid) from Isḥāq ibn Manṣūr al-Marwazī:
See: al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah, Volume 3, Page 185, Ḥadīth No. 188However, there are two fundamental criticisms on this:
➊ There is no authentic chain of narration available up to Isḥāq ibn Manṣūr.
➋ This narration is not found in the printed editions of Masā’il Aḥmad wa Isḥāq.
Additionally, the meeting between ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Rufay‘ and ‘Abdullāh ibn Mughaffal رضي الله عنه also lacks proof.
Summary:
Based on all available evidences and the condition of the narrators, it is clear that:
"Whoever catches the Rukū‘ with the Imam has caught the Rak‘ah" —
This narration is weak from all chains, and there is no reliable evidence to act upon it.
ھٰذَا مَا عِندِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
