If the Imam passes wind during his Salah

Q 8: I entered the Masjid (mosque) and joined the Imam (leader of congregational Prayer) while offering Salah (Prayer). After, the Imam pronounced Taslim (salutation of peace ending the Prayer), I stood up to complete what I missed of the Salah; then a man came in and joined me in Salah. Is it permissible for this man to do so, or not?

A: If the Ma'mum (a person being led by an Imam in Prayer) has offered some Rak`ahs (units of Prayer) with the Imam and then stands up to offer the remaining Rak`ahs, other people can follow him in Salah, according to the strongest opinion of Fuqaha' (Muslim jurists). Some of them, such as Hanafis and Malikis, concluded that it is impermissible to take a person who continues Salah after his Imam as an Imam. However, this matter is one of Ijtihad (juristic effort to infer expert legal rulings), as there is no definitive text mentioned about it.