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6. Doubts in recommended prayers →
← 4. An excessive doubter (kathīr al‑shakk)
5. Doubt of an imam and a follower in congregational prayers
Ruling 1178. If an imam of a congregational prayer has a doubt about the number of rakʿahs – for example, he doubts whether he has performed three rakʿahs or four rakʿahs – then, in the event that a follower is certain or supposes that he has performed four rakʿahs and makes it known to the imam that he has performed four rakʿahs,[1] the imam must complete the prayer and it is not necessary for him to perform ṣalāt al‑iḥtiyāṭ. Similarly, if the imam is certain or supposes that he has performed a certain number of rakʿahs and a follower has a doubt about the number of rakʿahs, the follower must dismiss his doubt. The same applies with regard to a doubt that they may have about the acts of prayers, such as a doubt about the number of sajdahs performed.
[1] For example, the follower can make it known to the imam that he has performed four rakʿahs by saying ‘alḥamdu lillāh’ after the second sajdah of the fourth rakʿah in a manner that is audible to the imam, thereby alerting him to the fact that he must now start saying the tashahhud of the prayer.