Does Adding an Extra Cycle to My Prayer as a Latecomer Invalidate It?


Hanafi Fiqh

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

I joined Jumu‘a Salah late and entered Ruku with the imam, but I doubted my stability in Ruku and repeated the Rak‘a after the imam’s Taslim. Later, I learned that joining in Ruku‘ is sufficient without reciting the Dhikr. Did my addition of a Rak‘a invalidate my prayer, and was Sujud al-Sahw required? What should I do now, considering I’ve already prayed subsequent Fard prayers?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

The Validity of Your Prayer

No, your addition of an extra cycle does not invalidate your prayer, and your subsequent prayers are valid. [Maydani, al-Lubab]

The reason for this is that you have performed all the obligatory actions of the prayer in a sound manner without missing any of the conditions for its validity, the last being performing the last sitting for the extent of reciting the tashahud.  [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

Allah, Most High, says:

“Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you.” [Quran, 2:185]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching for ways to learn Islam reliably and was disappointed at the answers he found locally.

Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.

He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.

He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.