Question: What is the Criteria of an Imam in Salah?
Question:
Who is allowed to lead the prayer and who is it permissible for us to pray behind.
Answer
الحمد لله رب العالمين ، وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين، وبالله التوفيق
It is not permissible and invalid to follow an imam who is:
· A person who is known that his salah is invalid like a non-Muslim, one who is insane, a person in a state of ritual impurity (hadath) or who has filth (najasah) on his body or clothing.
· A follower who has belief that his imam’s salah is invalid, such as a Shafiʿi following a Hanafi who touched his private parts. The muʿtamad view of the madhhab is according to the madhhab of the follower (al-Minhaj 1: 231). However, there is second opinion in our school, and that is the ruling is according to the madhhab of the Imam of Salah, and this is the opinion of Imam al-Qaffal, al-Manṣūṣ and the Jumhur (majority). (al-Najm al-Wahhāj: 2: 347).
· A person following another person (muqtadi) or a person who is compulsory for him to repeat his salah,
· A woman or hermaphrodite leading men,
· Someone who omits or mispronounces a letter of the Fatiha leading someone who knows it, or a mute, or someone who slurs the words so the letters are indistinct from one another, or someone with a lisp.
If after the prayer one finds out that the imam was one of the above, then one must make up the prayer, unless the imam had filth upon him that was concealed, or he was in a state of ritual impurity, in which cases one doesn’t need to make it up. (al-Minhaj 1: 231, Reliance of the Traveller)
It is permissible for:
· A person performing wudhu (ablution) to follow a person performing tayammum (dry ablution) or wiping the khuff (leather socks).
· A person standing to follow the one who is sitting or one who is reclining while leading the Salah.
· A free adult person to follow a mumayyiz child or a slave.
· Non blind to follow the blind, also for the healthy person to follow a person with incontinence of urine (with all its conditions), and a non-bleeding woman to follow a woman who is mustahadah ghayr mutahayyirah (unconfused vaginal bleeding). (al-Minhaj: 1: 232)
والله تعالى أعلم
Allah 
Most High knows best.
Answered by:
Abdullah Muhammad al-Marbuqi al-Shāfiʿī
Checked by:
Al-Ustadh Fauzi al-Shāfiʿī
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!
Can a person who prays with “signs” (no full sujud) lead standing followers in salah?
Jazakum Allahu Taala khayran.
ws wr wb Brother ‘Ali,
What do you mean by “signs”?
Jazakum Allahu Khayran
salat without qiyyam, rukuh and sajda, only some limited moving.
wa jazaka.
Is this because the Imam is ill or incapable?
incapable.
In the above fatwa, the Shaykh said:
“It is permissible for: [...]
“· A person standing to follow the one who is sitting or one who is reclining while leading the Salah.”
Such falls into the same category br. Ali. Wallahu ‘Alim.
But it is preferable for you to appoint someone who can stand during solah and of course, he should meet all conditions to become the Imam.
As Salamu alaikum,
I don’t mean to be picky, but what is meant by the opening statement, “It is not permissible and invalid to follow an imam who is….”
Should that read, “It is not permissible, nor is it valid….?”
Just wondering, would it be possible to post the various bios of the teachers answering questions and their Ijazah to answer questions ?
Al-Muzani, you can find the bios in the about us section at the top of the page. Jazakum Allahu Khayran.
Assalamu alikum.
I had to pray my Jummah behind an Imam who was wearing his dresses upto his toe.
Is this accepted?
Asalaamu alaykum
Is it obligatory on the followers of the imam to make up their prayers in the following scenario? Here is what happened:
The imam started to pray and then realized he forgot to make wudu. But he continued the prayer because he did not really know what to do (or was embarrassed of ending the prayer and informing the followers of what happened).
Does the imam have to attempt to contact the followers to tell them to make up their prayer? Will he get sins because he did not contact them earlier before the time for the prayer passed?
Please give evidence from the hadith and sunnah because I have read two opposing answers and would like to know which is correct.
Thank you very much.
Wa’alaykum Salam wr wb,
Do you mean below the ankles?