Should one who was preempted (by the Imam) say another takbir (Allahu Akbar) when completing his prayer after joining the Imam during the Tashahhud, or prostration, or the last rak'ah, or is the first takbirat al-ihram sufficient, and should he recite only Al-Fatihah or Al-Fatihah and a surah in the rak'ahs he completes?

The congregant (ma'mum) must follow the imam in prayer and pronounce the opening takbir (takbirat al-ihram). The missed rak'ahs (units of prayer) are to be made up after the imam's taslim (salutation of peace).

If one enters while the imam is prostrating, he should say the takbirat al-ihram while standing, then prostrate without an additional takbir, according to the majority of scholars.

If the latecomer (masbuq) stands to make up what he missed, he should say the takbir if it is the place for sitting (i.e., if he is rising from a sitting position that marks the end of a rak'ah), otherwise not. This is the stronger opinion.

It is sunnah (recommended) to recite a surah after Al-Fatiha in the made-up rak'ahs, according to the majority of scholars, though some scholars differed on this.

Scholars have differed on the wording of the hadith: "fa'atimmu" (complete it) or "faqdu" (make it up). However, Al-Hafiz (Ibn Hajar) holds that both words carry the same meaning and that what the congregant catches with the imam is considered the beginning of his prayer.

Al-Hafiz is of the view that what was missed of surah recitation is not to be made up.