Aslam

Praise be to Allah.If someone is praying in a congregation and the loud speaker stops working or the

person is drowsy, and he lags behind the Imam by one or more obligatory acts

(arkaan) of prayer (i.e., the Imam performed it and he could not because of not hearing

the Imam’s voice), then when he returns to consciousness or the sound of the speaker

returns back, he should complete the missed obligatory acts and then continue with the

Imam. This situation has many cases. Take for example the following case: the Imam

recited a verse that contains the word of prostration (sajdah) and the people

misunderstood it to be an actual verse of prostration while in reality it is not, so when

the Imam says takbeer for ruku‘ at the end of the verse and performs ruku‘, some of

the followers (especially those towards the rear of the rows) take it to be the takbeer for

the prostration of recital, thus going into prostration. When the Imam stands up from

the ruku‘ saying “sami‘a Allahu li man hamidah”, they return back (stand up) from

their prostration. Thus, they missed the act of ruku‘ and standing up from it. So it is

incumbent on them to complete what they missed and then catch up with the Imam.

This is because they did not do it intentionally. However, for the one who intentionally

lags behind the Imam (e.g., someone who prolongs his prostration to make a long

supplication such that he misses the obligatory act which is after the prostration) the

majority of the scholars say that the prayer of someone who misses two consecutive

obligatory acts of prayer without a valid excuse, is void and he is sinful.1 However, in

principle the Imam must be followed as said by the Prophet

(peace be upon

him):

The Imam is selected to be followed; the, do not differ with him. When he makes

the takbeer, make the takbeer, when he goes into ruku‘, make ruku‘. When he

says “samia‘ Allahu li man hamidah” (Allah hears he who praises Him), say

“Rabbanaa lakal Hamd” (O our Lord! To You belongs the Praise). When he

goes into sajdah, make sajdah. If he prays sitting, then all should be sitting.   (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 689)