Rules of Congregation/Jamaat prayers

from Islamic Laws of Ayatullah Seestani

1409. It has been reported in authentic traditions, that the congregational prayers are twenty five
times better than the prayers offered alone.

1417. When an Imam is leading a congregation for the daily prayers, one can follow him for any
of the daily prayers.

1436. If a person joins the Imam at the time of Ruku, and participates in Ruku of the Imam, his
prayer is in order, even if the Zikr by the Imam may have come to an end. It will be treated as one
Rak'at. However, if he goes to Ruku and misses Imams Ruku, he can complete his prayers as
Furada.

1440. If a person arrives for prayers when the Imam is reciting the last tashahhud, and if he
wishes to earn 'thawab' of congregational prayers, he should sit down after making niyyat, and
pronouncing takbiratul ehram, and may recite tashahhud with the Imam, but not the Salaam, and
then wait till the Imam says Salaam of the prayers. Then he should stand up, and without making
niyyat and takbir, begin to recite Surah al-Hamd and the other Surah treating it as the first Rakat
of his prayers.

1448. If a person joins the Imam in the second Rakat, it is not necessary for him to recite Surah
aI-Hamd and Surah, but he may recite qunut and tashahhud with the Imam, and the precaution is
that, at the time of reciting tashahhud, he should keep the fingers of his hands and the inner part
of his feet on the ground and raise his knees. And after the tashahhud, he should stand up with the
Imam and should recite Surely aI-Hamd and Surah. And if he does not have time for the other
Surah, he should complete Surah al Hamd, and join the Imam in Ruku, and if he cannot join the
Imarn in Ruku, he can discontinue surah al-Hamd and join. But in this case, the recommended
precaution is that he should complete his prayers as Furada.

1449. If a person joins the Imam when he is in the second Rak'at of the namaz having four
Rak'ats, he should sit after the two Sajdah in the second Rak'at, which will be the third of the
Imam, and recite Wajib parts of tashahhud, and should then stand up. And if he does not have
time to recite the Tasbihat Arba'ah thrice, he should recite it once, and then join the Imam in
Ruku.

1450. If Imam is in the third or fourth Rak'at, and one knows that if he joins him and recite Surah
aI-Hamd he will not be able to reach him in Ruku, as an obligatory precaution, he should wait till
Imam goes to Ruku and then join.

1451.' If a person joins the Imam when he is in the state of qiyam of third or fourth Rak'at, he
should recite Surah aI-Hamd and the other Surah, and if he does not have time for the other
Surah, he should complete Surah al Hamd and join the Imam in Ruku. But if he has no time even
for Surah al Hamd, he may leave it incomplete and join Imam in Ruku. But in this case, the
recommended precaution is that he should change to Furada.

1455. If Imam is standing, and the follower does not know in which Rak'at he is, he can join him,
but he should recite Surah al-Hamd and the other Surah with the niyyat of Qurbat though he may
come to know later that the Imam was in the first or second Rakat.

1456. If a person does not recite Surah aI-Hamd and Surah, under the impression that the Imam is
in the first or second Rak'at, and realises after Ruku that he was in the third or fourth, his prayers
are in order. However, if he realises this before Ruku, he should recite Surah aI-Hamd and the
other Surah, and if he does not have sufficient time for this, he should act according to rule
no.1451.
1457. If a person recites Surah al-Hamd and Surah under the impression that the Imam is in the
third or fourth Rakat, and realises before or after Ruku that he was in the first or second, his (i.e.
the followers') prayers are in order, and if he realises this while reciting Surah aI-Hamd and the
other Surah, it will not be necessary for him to complete them.

1458. If a congregational prayer begins while a person is offering a Mustahab prayers, and if he is
not sure that if he completes his Mustahab prayers, he will be able to join the congregational
prayers, it is Mustahab to abandon the Mustahab prayers, and join the congregational prayers. In
fact, if he is not certain that he will be able to join the first Rak'at, he should follow this rule.

1459. If a congregational prayer begins while a person is offering a prayer of three or four
Rak'ats, and if he has not gone into Ruku of the third Rak'at, and is not sure whether upon
completion, he will be able to join the congregational prayers, it is Mustahab to end the prayers
with the niyyat of Mustahab prayers of two Raka'ts, and join the congregational prayers.

1461. If a person is behind the Imam by one Rak'at, it is better that when the Imam is reciting
tashahhud of the last Rak'at, he (the follower) should place the fingers of his hands and the inner
part of his feet on the ground, and raise his knees, and wait till the Imam says Salaam of the
prayers and then stand up

1470. It is necessary for the follower to recite all the things of the prayers himself, except surah
al-Hamd and the other Surah. However, if his first or second Rak'at coincides with third or fourth
Rakat of the Imam, he should recite Surah aI-Hamd and Surah.

1471. If the follower hears Surah aI-Hamd and Surah of Imam in the first and second Rakat of the
Fajr Maghrib and Isha prayers, he should not recite them, even if he may not be able to
distinguish the words. And if he does not hear the voice of the Imam, it is Mustahab that he
should recite Surah al Hamd and Surah silently. But if he recites them loudly by mistake, there is
no harm.

1475. The follower should not recite Sarah al-Hamd and Surah in the first and second Rak'ats of
Zuhr and Asr prayers and it is Mustahab that instead of them he should recite Zikr

1476. The follower should not say Takbiratul ehram before the Imam. As an obligatory
precaution, he should not say the takbir until the takbir of the Imam is completed.

1477. 'If the follower says the Salaam by mistake, before the Imam does it, his prayer is in order,
and it is not necessary that he should say Salaam again along with the Imam. And even if he says
Salaam before the Imam intention-ally, there is no objection.

1479. It is necessary for the follower that besides that which is recited in the prayers, he should
perform all acts like Ruku and Sajdah with the Imam or a little after him, and if he performs them
before the Imam, or after a considerable delay, intentionally, his congregational prayers becomes
void.

For complete details refer to the Islamic Laws book or www.najaf.org