✅ Answer:

Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 الحسين بن المختار و داود بن الحصين قال: سُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ فَاتَتْهُ صَلَاةُ رَكْعَةٍ مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ مَعَ الْإِمَامِ فَأَدْرَكَ الثِّنْتَيْنِ فَهِيَ الْأُولَى لَهُ وَ الثَّانِيَةُ لِلْقَوْمِ فَيَتَشَهَّدُ فِيهَا قَالَ نَعَمْ قُلْتُ وَ الثَّانِيَةُ أَيْضاً قَالَ نَعَمْ قُلْتُ كُلُّهُنَّ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَ إِنَّمَا هِيَ بَرَكَةٌ

📚 Tahdhib, Vol. 3, p. 56

It was asked of the Imam (Sadiq, peace be upon him) about a person who has missed one rak'ah of the Maghrib prayer with the Imam and has caught up with two rak'ahs of the Imam's prayer, which are his first rak'ah and the people's second rak'ah. And he performs the tashahhud (when the people are performing it). The Imam said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Should he also perform it in his own second rak'ah?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Should he perform it in all of them?' He said: 'Yes, indeed it (i.e., the tashahhud) is a blessing!'

2 إسحاق بن يزيد قال: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْداللَّه جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ يَسْبِقُنِي الْإِمَامُ بِالرَّكْعَةِ فَتَكُونُ لِي وَاحِدَةٌ و لَهُ ثِنْتَانِ فَأَتَشَهَّدُ كُلَّمَا قَعَدْتُ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَإِنَّمَا التَّشَهُّدُ بَرَكَةٌ

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 381

Is'haq ibn Yazid said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'May I be sacrificed for you! The Imam is one rak'ah ahead of me, and it is my first rak'ah and the Imam's second rak'ah. Should I perform the tashahhud every time I sit?' He said: 'Yes, indeed the tashahhud is a blessing!'

3 علي بن جعفر عن أَخيه مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ قال: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُدْرِكُ الرَّكْعَةَ مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ كَيْفَ يَصْنَعُ حِينَ يَقُومُ يَقْضِي أَ يَقْعُدُ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ وَ الثَّالِثَةِ قَالَ يَقْعُدُ فِيهِنَّ جَمِيعاً

📚 Qur'b al-Isnad, p. 90

Ali ibn Ja'far said: I asked Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) about a person who catches up with one rak'ah of the Maghrib prayer. What should he do when he wants to stand up and complete his prayer? Should he sit in the second and third rak'ahs? He said: 'He should sit in all of them!'

4 عبدالرحمن بن الحجاج قال: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عبداللَّه عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُدْرِكُ الرَّكْعَةَ الثَّانِيَةَ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ مَعَ الْإِمَامِ وَ هِيَ لَهُ الْأُولَى كَيْفَ يَصْنَعُ إِذَا جَلَسَ الْإِمَامُ قَالَ يَتَجَافَى وَ لَا يَتَمَكَّنُ مِنَ الْقُعُود فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الثَّالِثَةُ لِلْإِمَامِ وَ هِيَ الثَّانِيَةُ لَهُ فَلْيَلْبَثْ قَلِيلًا إِذَا قَامَ الْإِمَامُ بِقَدْرِ ما يَتَشَهَّدُ ثُمَّ لْيَلْحَقِ الْإِمَامَ

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 381

Abd al-Rahman ibn Hajjaj said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about a person who has caught up with the second rak'ah of the Imam's prayer, which is his first rak'ah. When the Imam sits (for his second rak'ah's tashahhud), what should he do?

The Imam said: 'He should perform tajafi and not sit completely in his place. And when it is his second rak'ah and the Imam's third rak'ah, when the Imam stands up, he should wait long enough to perform his own tashahhud and then join the Imam!'

5 الحلبي عن أبي عبداللَّه في حديث قال: و مَنْ أَجْلَسَهُ الْإِمَامُ في مَوْضِعٍ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَقُومَ فِيهِ تَجَافَى و أَقْعَى إِقْعَاءً و لَمْ يَجْلِسْ مُتَمَكِّناً

📚 Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 404

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever the Imam causes to sit (in a place where it is obligatory for him to stand), he must perform tajafi and sit in the 'iq'a' position, and not sit completely and settled!'

✅ It is clear from the above narrations that if a person has missed a part of the congregational prayer, in the place where the Imam's tashahhud is and it is not his place to sit and perform the tashahhud, he should not sit in a settled and relaxed manner. Rather, he should sit in the position of 'tajafi' and separated from the ground, in the 'iq'a' position.

(And 'iq'a' is when a person places the balls of his feet on the ground and his buttocks on his heels, and lifts his shins off the ground, and only places his knees on the ground.)

Also, wherever the Imam performs the tashahhud, he performs the tashahhud with him. And wherever it is his place for tashahhud but it is not the Imam's place for tashahhud, he sits and performs his own tashahhud and then joins the Imam.

So, the follower performs the tashahhud wherever the Imam performs the tashahhud. However, in a place where it is not his turn for tashahhud, he sits in the position of 'tajafi' and separated from the ground, in the 'iq'a' position.

Therefore, for example, a person who has arrived late for one rak'ah of the Imam's Maghrib prayer performs the tashahhud in all three rak'ahs of his prayer, but his sitting position in his first rak'ah, which is the Imam's second rak'ah, is in the 'tajafi' and 'iq'a' position.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Also refer to:

Question 11:

Manner of sitting for tashahhud:

https://feghh14.com/en/32