Ibn Hajar narrated that one of the Muhaddithin said that ‘he once traveled to Damascus in order to meet a great Shaikh there and learn had?th from him. He accompanied the Shaikh for a long time during which the Shaikh was always veiling his face. After a while, the Shaikh uncovered his face veil and his face was like that of a donkey. Then he addressed his student: ‘Be ware my son of preceding the Im?m in his Sal?t. When I read the had?th [about preceding the Im?m] I didn’t believe that it could really happen. Accordingly, I preceded my Im?m in Sal?t. Consequently, my face was transformed in the shape you see now’. (1)

Those who precede the Im?m in his acts should know that they do so just to finish their Sal?t quickly and this is of Shait?n’s insinuations which are cast in their hearts. They should also realize that they will not end their Sal?t but after the Im?m does so, so why to be hasty?! And they should always bear in mind that such an act incurs sin and punishment on oneself.

[2/ 41] Most of those who precede their Im?m in Sal?t are of those who attend the mosque early. Not only have they lost the reward of waiting for doing Sal?t in the mosque but they have also incurred a sin upon themselves for preceding the Im?m. How misfortunate they are.

May All?h ( - عز وجل -) shower his mercy on Ibn Al-Jawzi who said: ‘Many people perform Naw?fil [optional acts of worship] perfectly and cause to loss the obligatory ones. For example, some may attend the mosque early before the ’Ath?n is pronounced, do Naw?fil and when doing the obligatory one with the Im?m; they preced him’. (2)

The matter even gets worse amongst those who do Hajj and ‘Umrah; they end their Sal?t before the Im?m does so to have the chance of kissing the Black Stone before other people!!