Firstly, the basis in this matter is several hadiths that appear to be contradictory, which are:
– The first narration is the one reported by Abu Huraira in which the Prophet Peace be upon him said: “The Imam is appointed to be followed, so do not differ from him. When he says ‘Allahu Akbar,’ say ‘Allahu Akbar,’ and when he bows, bow, and when he says ‘Sami Allahu liman hamidah,’ say, ‘Rabbana wa lakal-hamd.’ And when he prostrates, prostrate, and when he prays sitting, pray sitting, all together. And straighten the rows in your prayers, for indeed, straightening the rows is part of the perfection of prayer.”
– And what Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that Mu’adh used to pray Isha with the Prophet Peace be upon him and then return to his people and lead them in that prayer.
The apparent contradiction between the two hadiths raises the question of how one can be instructed to follow the imam in bowing, prostrating, standing, and sitting, while also being discouraged from opposing the imam’s actions.
I say: How does this situation apply to Mu’adh’s prayer with the Prophet and his prayer with his own people during the same prayer?
Secondly, the scholars have widely differed on this matter, and their opinions are as follows:
The first opinion is that the follower must align their intention with that of the imam, both in obligatory and voluntary prayers, and deviation from this alignment is not permissible.
According to this view, it is not permissible for someone performing an obligatory prayer to pray behind someone performing a voluntary prayer, and vice versa. Also, it’s not permissible for someone performing an obligatory prayer to pray behind someone performing a different obligatory prayer.
This viewpoint is held by Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Al-Zuhri, Yahya ibn Sa’id Al-Ansari, Rabia, and Abu Qilabah. It is also narrated from Malik.
These scholars support their stance with the narration: “Do not differ from him.”
The second opinion is completely contrary to the first one. It allows for a difference in intention in all cases. According to this view, it is permissible for someone performing a mandatory prayer to pray behind someone performing a voluntary prayer, and vice versa. It is also permissible for someone performing an obligatory prayer to pray behind someone performing a different obligatory prayer.
This viewpoint is held by the Shafi’i school, Dawud ibn Ali, and it is narrated from Ibn al-Mundhir via Tawus, Ata, Al-Awza’i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Thawr, and Sulayman ibn Harb.
These scholars support their stance with the narration about Mu’adh, who used to pray behind the Prophet and then lead his people in prayer.
The third opinion asserts that it is not permissible for someone performing an obligatory prayer to pray behind someone performing a voluntary prayer, or vice versa. Likewise, it is not permissible for someone performing one obligatory prayer to pray behind someone performing a different obligatory prayer. However, they permit the scenario where someone performing a voluntary prayer prays behind someone performing an obligatory prayer.
This is the opinion of our Hanafi scholars, may Allah be pleased with them. The philosophy behind this opinion is to reconcile the two texts. The statement “Do not differ over it” prohibits deviating from the intention. The practice of Mu’adh, on the other hand, indicates that he used to pray with the Prophet, peace be upon him, with the intention of performing the Sunnah, and then he would lead his own people in prayer, where he was their imam. Similarly, the rationale is that the Sunnah prayer is of a lower degree than the obligatory prayer, and it is permissible to follow a lower degree with a higher one, but not the reverse.
Therefore, it is not permissible for the worshiper to join the prayer with the intention of performing the Isha prayer when following an imam who is leading the night prayer (Qiyam), let alone the Witr prayer. This is due to the difference in intention, form, and appearance.
And Allah knows best.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr