the enemy is close to the city. Al-Awza'i and Al-Shafi'i held this view. It was narrated from Malik that it is not permissible while a resident, because the verse only indicated the prayer of two rak'ahs, while the resident's prayer is four, and because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform it while a resident. His companions disagreed with him and said the same as our view. Our evidence is the saying of Allah the Almighty: {And when you are among them and lead them in prayer...} [Surah An-Nisa: 102], and this is general for every situation. The Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) abstention from performing it while a resident was only because he had no need to perform it in that state. As for their statement that the verse only indicated two rak'ahs, we say: There may be two rak'ahs in residence, [such as] the Dawn prayer and the Jumu'ah, and the Maghrib is three. It is permissible to perform it during fear while traveling, and because it is a state of fear, the Prayer of Fear is permissible in it just as in travel. So, if he leads them in the four-rak'ah prayer as a Prayer of Fear, he divides them into two groups, and he prays two rak'ahs with each group. Does the first group separate from him during the first tashahhud, or when he stands for the third? There are two views: One is when he stands for the third, which is the opinion of Malik and Al-Awza'i; because he needs to prolong [the prayer] for the sake of waiting, and it is recommended to lighten the tashahhud. For that reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to be, when he sat for the tashahhud, as if he were on hot stones until he stood up. Also, because the reward of the one standing is greater, and because if he waits for them while sitting, and the [next] group arrives, he stands before their ihram (entry into prayer), so their following him in the standing does not materialize. The second is during the tashahhud, so that the second group catches the entire third rak'ah, and because waiting while sitting is lighter on the Imam, and because whenever he waits for them while standing, he would need to recite a surah in the third rak'ah, which is contrary to the Sunnah. Whichever he does is permissible. And when the Imam sits for the final tashahhud, the group sits with him and performs the first tashahhud, then stands while he is sitting to complete their prayer, and they recite the Hamd and a surah in each rak'ah; because what they are completing is the beginning of their prayer, and because they did not have the recitation of the surah with the Imam. The Imam prolongs the tashahhud.