What is the ruling on one who intentionally fails to catch the opening Takbir (Takbirat Al-Ihram), and suffices with catching only one rak'ah with the Imam, despite knowing this, relying on the saying: "Whoever catches one rak'ah of the prayer has caught the prayer"?

Delaying joining the congregation until a full rak'ah is missed causes one to miss the apprehension of the takbirat al-ihram (definition) with the Imam, regarding which a hadith (definition) states concerning the virtue of preserving it: "Whoever prays to Allah for forty days in congregation, apprehending the first takbir, will be granted two immunities: immunity from the Fire and immunity from hypocrisy." Apprehending one rak'ah or more allows one to attain the full virtue, ruling, and reward of the congregation. It is advisable to counsel the latecomer to strive to apprehend the prayer from its very beginning.