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26 / 06 / 2026
Leading the Latecomer
I entered a loud prayer as a latecomer, then I stood up to complete two rak'ahs and recited quietly. Then another person joined me and made me the imam. In this case, am I required to recite aloud?
Answer
I say, and with God's guidance: The prayer of one who is late (mسبوق) cannot be an imam for others, as the prayer of the follower (مقتدي) becomes invalid; because the prayer of the latecomer resembles that of the follower in some aspects, making it weak, thus it is not valid for leading, and God knows best.
