Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
The ma’muum usually follow the movements almost synchronously with the imam, unlike in Shafi`i madhab where there’s a lag. I find this most obvious with the first tasliim, to the point that I’m worried that I actually *precede* the Imam, which as I understand, annuls my jamaah prayer. Is this part of the hanafi madhab? I’m nominally trained in Shafii fiqh. But now that I’m praying with predominantly Hanafi jamaah, specifically Turkish community, I’d like to learn few subtleties with regards to the jamaah prayer. Unfortunately I don’t have any fiqh manual for the hanafi madhab
Yes. It is recommended to perform all the actions of the prayer with the imam (but, importantly, ensuring that one remains behind). Therefore, it is best to do this in the Hanafi school, while being careful NOT to get ahead of the imam. If one finishes the opening takbir before the imam, one is not praying with him. In other actions, getting ahead of the imam, if one clearly gets ahead, is prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman). It would not invalidate the prayer, but would make it necessary (wajib) to repeat the prayer, in order to lift this gross deficiency from one’s prayer.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani.