Following other Mazhabs in Salaah

Following a Shafi'ee Imaam in salaah

Q: I have questions related to following a Shafi'ee Imaam in salaah.

  1. During Fardh of Fajar Salaah, if the Imaam did not recite Qunoot, is Sajda-e-Sahw necessary?
  2. If Qunoot was not recited, Sajda-e-Sahw was not done either, is the Salaah valid?
  3. What is the correct form of Sajda-e-Sahw for Shafi'ee Imaam? Just before Salaam or After Thashahud?
  4. When Shafi'ee Imaam recites Qunoot in Fajar Salaah, what should the Hanafi followers do?

Salaah behind an Imaam who made one Salaam

Q: I am in Oman. When I went to perform my namaz in the musjid I was confused with the way the Imam performed his namaz. The Imaam came and stood on the musallah and without raising his hand up he said allahu akbar and started praying namaz and at the last rakaat the Imaam said only once Assalaamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi and moved his head right and left with one salaam. Is my namaz behind this imaam correct? Or what must I do?

Witr Salaah in the Harams

Q: I am a follower of the Hanafi Mazhab. At the Haramain the Witr prayer during Ramadaan is conducted in Jamaah. At times they pray as 2 + 1 rakaats and sometimes as 3 rakaats. Also they raise their hands during Dua-e-Qunoot which during the night of Shab e Qadr and the night of Quran Khatam which is on 29th night of Ramadhan the Dua e Qunoot goes on for approximately half an hour.

Please advise in the circumstances narrated above:

(1)What type of Niyat should I make for Witr namaaz not being sure whether it is going to be 2 + 1 or 3 rakaats together?

(2) should I also raise the hands during Dua e Qunoot which we normally do not do in Hanafi Mazhab.

In the huge gathering it is practically difficult to move away and not participate in the Witr.

Hanafi leading Shaafi'ees in Salaah

Q: I am situated an area where Hanafi madhhab is minority, and I regularly lead the salaah at the local Musallah. I am a Hanafi. Please can you clarify the following, as I don't want to create any confusion in the community:

  1. Is it permissible for me to lead the Asr salaah, even though the Shafiee time is followed?
  2. For Fajr and Zohr salaah, if I have not performed my sunnats as yet, should I decline to lead the salaah?
  3. When leading taraweeh: If majority of the jamaat performs the sajdah ​tilaawat in 17th para, and not the sajdah in 23th para, do I have to do this as well, or do I do as I have been taught?
  4. Witr in Ramadaan: Can I lead the witr, as I believe the Shafiee method is different?
  5. Recently, one of the brothers, while leading salaah performed sajdah sahw, by making both salaams, then 2 sajdahs, then immediately 2 salaams to end the ​salaah. Is the salaah correct, as I have been taught differently?
  6. I notice that the Imaams in the area say something in Arabic before the salaah, which I believe is related to straightening the saffs. Is this a sunnat, and if so, what exactly should I say.

Following a Shafi'ee Imaam

Q: If a Hanafi follows a Shafi'ee imam whose salat is valid according to the Shafi'ee madhab but not the Hanafi mazhab (e.g. when doing masah of the head in wudu, the Imam did masah of just 3 straws of hair), will the salaat of the Hanafi follower be valid?

Performing Salaah behind the Imaams of the Haram

Q: I visited a certain website, according to them hanafis can't pray behind Imams of the haramain if they don't take care of the masaail in wudu as hanafis do i.e they should do masah of head to more than quarter of the head, if they don't do we can't pray behind them. I think this is not good, at the time of Sahaba there would not have been such an issue as to not offer salah behind any specific sahabi. Please clarify.