Waiting for the Prayer
Question:
In the masjid some of the brothers come a few minutes before the iqaamah and then stand and wait for the prayer to begin, and they do not perform the tahiyyat ul-masjid, so what is the ruling regarding this?
Answer:
If the time period is short such that it is not sufficient to pray tahiyyat ul-masjid, then there is nothing wrong in what they do. If they do not know when the imaam will arrive, then it is better to pray tahiyyat ul-masjid. So if the imaam comes and the prayer is established and you are in the first rak'ah then cut it, and if you are in the second rak'ah then complete it quickly.
Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen
Selected Fataawaa on Salaah
Translated by Abul Irbaad Abid Zargar