IMAM THAT IS ARROGANT
ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA,
ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
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Bismillah
Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum
Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu. Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and
whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is
no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam)
is His slave and Messenger.
1.0 QUESTION FROM A BROTHER
What
is the ruling on an Imam that is so arrogant for example he usually recite very
lengthy sura in the morning and many complain to him many stop coming to the
Masjid because they can't stand for long, many even vomiting while standing and
one ill boy even panted while enduring the long standing as we approached him
and told him what is happening the Imam even quoted the Hadith of the Prophet
Muhammad saw) that advice to recite long aya's because there are ills ones and
the aged ones amongst you. Yet the following week he continued reciting the
long Aya's. From that day the Imam stop talking to us and he stop saying Salam
to us.
Imagine.
So since he is deviating from teaching of the Prophet Muhammad saw some people
stop following him in prayer. Please clarify the above issues for us. Many
people talk to him but he didn't listen. Advise us on this issue please
1.1 POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED:
1.
Imam that is arrogant
2.
Imam recites very lengthy surah (leading to people even vomiting while
standing)
3.
Imam stop talking to Muslims and he stop saying Salam to them.
4.
Due to deviation from teaching of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) some people stop
following him in prayer.
Summary
of points for not only this question but other related issues where Ummah are
having concerns but kept mute.
2.0 PRAYING BEHIND AN IMAM WHO COMMITS MAJOR
SINS
Shaving
the beard in whole or in part is a sin which is not permissible to do. The
prayer of one who commits a sin such as shaving the beard and the like is valid
if he does it as prescribed by Allaah, according to scholarly consensus. The
prayers of those who pray behind him, if he leads the prayer, are also valid,
according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions. Tuhfat al-Ikhwaan,
p. 114, by Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz.
The
fact that his leading of the prayer is valid is indicated by the fact that the
Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) prayed behind unjust leaders and
ruler. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar and Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) prayed
behind al-Hajjaaj al-Thaqafi. Al-Shaafa’i said: And he – meaning al-Hajjaaj –
was bad enough (as an evildoer).
Once
this is established, there is no point in saying, “I will not pray behind this
imam.” Rather you should pray behind him if not doing so will lead to evil
consequences, division or conflict, because conflict is worse.
Shaykh
Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: If by not praying behind him the
worshipper will miss out on Jumu’ah and prayers in congregation, then no one
does that except an innovator who is differing from the Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them). Similarly, if the imam has been appointed by those in
authority and there is no shar’i purpose to be served by not praying behind
him, then you should not refuse to pray behind him, rather it is better to pray
behind him. Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 9/388.
Al-Nawawi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said – concerning one who leads people in prayer
when they do not like him: Our companions said: His leading the prayer is
makrooh if they dislike him because of something that is condemned in
sharee’ah, such as an oppressive ruler or one who attains the position of imam
by force and does not deserve it, or one who does not take precautions to avoid
naajis (impure) things… If no such thing applies then it is not makrooh. … Then
he said: When we say that it is makrooh, that is limited to the imam; as for
the members of the congregation who do not like him, it is not makrooh for them
to pray behind him. Al-Majmoo’, 4/172-173
With
regard to replacing him, if you are able to replace him with another imam who
is more religiously committed and doing so will not result in a greater evil,
then it is better to do that, otherwise it is better to leave him.
The
evidence that an imam who commits sin openly should not be allowed to lead the
prayers is to be found in the report narrated by Abu Dawood (481), which says
that a man led some people in prayer and he spat in the qiblah (of the mosque)
when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
looking on. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, when he had finished praying: “He should not lead you in prayer.” After
that he wanted to lead them in prayer again, but they did not let him, and they
told him what the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) had said. He mentioned that to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said: “Yes.” And I (the narrator) think
that he said: “You have offended Allaah and His Messenger.” Classed as hasan by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
This
is so long as preventing him from leading the prayers will not lead to a
greater evil; if that is the case, then you should pray behind him, and it is
not permissible to refrain from praying in congregation because of the
evildoing of the imam, as stated above.
Shaykh
Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: If it is possible for a person to
prevent a person who commits evil openly from leading the prayer, then he has
to do that; but if he has been appointed by someone else and it is not possible
to stop him leading the prayers or it is only possible to stop him by means of
a greater evil that is more harmful than the evil of the imam who commits evil
openly, then it is not permissible to ward off a lesser evil by means of a
greater one. Islam came to achieve and complete what is in people’s best
interests and to wipe out and reduce evil as much as possible. Majmoo’ Fataawa
al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 9/377
3.0 IMAM STOP TALKING TO MUSLIMS AND HE
EVEN STOP SAYING SALAM TO UMMAH
To
break off relations with a Muslim is a sin but not an act that drives the
person out of Islam. It is stated in the Alsaheehayn as well as in other books
that to break off relations with a Muslim is prohibited. Anas bin Malik told
that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "(O! Muslims) Do not
hate each other, do not envy one another, and do not be hostile to one another
(standing back to back), rather be brothers (as) servants of Allah. A Muslim is
not allowed to desert his brother (Muslim) more than three days." This
means, as explained in the Sunan: To avoid whatsoever may cause hatred, and
none of you should wish the termination of other's amenity, whether you wish it
for yourself or not, and do not break off from one another more than three
nights with their days.
Since
human beings get angry by nature, desertion is accepted for only this (limited)
time and less (than that) in the hope that he will come back to his senses and
will return. This regards relations between Muslims and shortcomings that could
affect these relations such as not dealing kindly with one another. But if the
cause for severing ties is religious, then one should not regret it. (On the
contrary), a Muslim is required to break off from the people of innovation and
of those who do things as they like, unless they repent and come back to their
consciousness and get themselves right. But to mix with him is better if it is
hoped that this will result in their accepting to be guided to the right path.
It
has also been stated in Sunan Abu Dawood by Abu Hurairah that the Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "The Muslim is not allowed to abandon
a Muslim brother more than three (nights). If three days pass and he meets him,
he should greet him. If he (the other believer) returns his greeting, then they
share the reward; but if he does not return it, he (alone) will incur the
sin." Ahmad added: 'And the Muslim is then freed from the desertion.' In
another Hadith (it says): "He who breaks off from his (Muslim) brother
more than three and dies (during this period) will go to Hell." In another
Hadith (it says): "He who deserts his (Muslim) brother for a year is like
shedding his blood."
Also,
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said:
"The doors of Heaven are opened every Monday and Thursday, and Allah
pardons, in these days every individual servant who is not a polytheist, except
those whose enmity is between them; Allah Says: 'Postpone those until they reestablish
normal relationship (with each other)."
Therefore,
Imam must turn to Allah and stop breaking off from Muslims, and he should not
cut contacts with Ummah: Greet him whenever you meet him, visit him if ever he
gets sick, and give all the rights that Allah made obligatory on a Muslim for
his brother Muslim. Let him get away with the sin alone if he insists on not
replying to greetings.
4.0 PRIDE, ARROGANCE, BOASTFULNESS
This
is the chronic disease. It is man’s consideration of himself with the eye of
self-glorification and self-importance and his consideration of others with the
eye of contempt. The result as regards the tongue is that he says, ‘I.. I..’;
as accursed Iblis said, ‘I am better than he; Thou hast created me of fire, but
him Thou hast created of clay’ (holy Quran chapter 38:77).
The
fruit of it in society is self-exaltation and self-advancement and the
endeavour to be foremost in discussions and resentment when what one says is
contradicted. The arrogant man is he who, when he gives advice, mortifies, but,
when he receives it, is rude. Every one who considers himself better than one
of the creatures of God most high is arrogant.
Indeed,
you ought to realize that the good man is he who is good in God’s sight in the
mansion of eternity; and that is something unknown to man, postponed to the
End. Your belief that you are better than others is sheer ignorance. Rather you
ought not to look at anyone without considering that he is better than you and
superior to you.
Thus,
if you see a child, you say, ‘This person has never sinned against God, but I
have sinned, and so he is better than I.’ And if you see an older person, you
say, ‘This man was a servant of God before me, and is certainly better than I.’
If he is a scholar, you say, ‘This man has been given what I have not been
given and reached what I did not reach, and knows what I am ignorant of; then
how shall I be like him?’
And
if he is ignorant, you say, ‘This man has sinned against God in ignorance, and
I have sinned against Him knowingly, so God’s case against me is stronger, and
I do not know what end He will give to me and what end to him.’ If he is an
infidel, you say, ‘I do not know; perhaps he will become a Muslim and his life
will end in doing good, and because of his acceptance of Islam something of his
sins will be taken away, as a hair is taken from dough; but as for me – God is
our refuge (God grant it does not happen) – perhaps God will lead me astray so
that I become an infidel and my life ends in doing evil, and then tomorrow he
will be among those brought near to God and I shall be among the punished.’
Arrogance
will not leave your heart except when you know that the great man is he who is
great in the sight of God most high. That is something which cannot be known
until the end of life, and there is doubt about that (the end and whether it
will be good or bad).
So
let fear of the end occupy you and keep you from making yourself out, despite
the doubt about your end, to be aboved the servants of God most high. Your
certitude and faith at present do not exclude the possibility of your changing
in the future; for God is the disposer of hearts; He guides whom He will and
leads astray whom He will. Ref.The Beginning of Guidance –by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
5.0 SHOULD HE PRAY BEHIND SOMEONE WHOSE
‘AQEEDAH IS NOT KNOWN, WHETHER THERE ARE SUFIS AND SHI’AS IN THE COUNTRY?
So
long as the imam is outwardly a Muslim, it is not permissible to abandon
Jumu’ah and prayer in congregation behind him because of the possibility that
he may be a Shi’ah or a Sufi, unless it is possible to establish another
congregation for praying Jumu’ah and prayers in jamaa’ah – without causing any
fitnah – behind another imam who is known to be righteous and following a sound
way, in which case it is better to pray behind that one.
The
basic principle is that we should think positively of Muslims, and not impugn
their religious commitment or path without proof. The correct view is that it
is valid to pray behind anyone whom we regard as a Muslim, so long as he does
not do anything that constitutes kufr, such as believing that the Qur’aan has
been altered or regarding the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) as kaafirs, or praying to the dead and seeking their help.
We should not pray behind one who does such things.
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about praying
behind al-muraaziqah and about their bid’ah.
He
replied: It is permissible for a man to offer the five daily prayers and
Jumu’ah etc behind a person whom he does not know to engage in bid’ah or
evildoing, according to the consensus of the four Imams and other imams of the
Muslims. It is not one of the conditions of leading prayers that the person
praying behind the imam should know what his imam’s beliefs are, and he should
not examine him by saying, “What do you believe?” Rather he should pray behind
the one whose situation he does not know. If he prays behind one who he knows
to be an evildoer or innovator, then there are two well-known scholarly views
concerning the validity of his prayer in the madhhab of Ahmad and Maalik; the
view of al-Shaafa’i and Abu Haneefah is that his prayer is valid.
If the person knows that the imam is an
innovator who calls others to follow his bid’ah, or an evildoer who commits
evil openly, and he is the regular imam and it is not possible to pray behind
anyone else, such as the imam for Jumu’ah and Eid prayers, or the imam in Hajj
prayers at ‘Arafah and so on, then he should pray behind him, according to the
majority of earlier and later scholars. This is the view of Ahmad, al-Shaafa’i,
Abu Haneefah and others.
Hence
they said concerning ‘aqeedah: He should offer Jumu’ah and Eid prayers behind
any imam, whether he is righteous or an evildoer. Similarly, if there is only
one imam in a village, then the prayers in congregation should be offered
behind him, because praying in congregation is better than praying alone, even
if the imam is an evildoer. This is the view of the majority of scholars, Ahmad
ibn Hanbal, al-Shaafa’i and others. Prayer in congregation is obligatory for
individuals according to the view of Ahmad. Whoever abandons Jumu’ah prayer and
prayer in congregation behind an imam who is an evildoer is an innovator
according to Imam Ahmad and other imams of al-Sunnah.
The
correct view is that he should pray and not repeat the prayers. The Sahaabah
used to offer Jumu’ah prayers and prayers in congregation behind imams who were
evildoers, and they did not repeat the prayers. Ibn ‘Umar used to pray behind
al-Hajjaaj, and Ibn Mas’ood and others prayed behind al-Waleed ibn ‘Uqbah, who
used to drink wine. The prayer of an evildoer or innovator is valid in and of
itself, so if a person prays behind him, his prayer is not invalid.
But
with regard to those who disliked the idea of praying behind one who is an
evildoer, they based their view on the fact that enjoining what is good and
forbidding what is evil is obligatory. So one who openly commits bid’ah or evil
should not be appointed as the regular imam for the Muslims. He deserves to be
rebuked until he repents, and if it is possible to shun him until he repents,
then that is good. If some of the people stop praying behind him and pray
behind someone else, that may affect him and make him repent or withdraw or
make the people stop committing sins like his. Stopping praying behind such a
man may serve a purpose so long as people do not miss out on praying Jumu’ah or
other prayers in congregation. But if stopping praying behind him means that
people will miss out on praying Jumu’ah or other prayers in congregation, then
in this case no one will stop praying behind him but one who is an innovator
and who goes against the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them). End quote
from Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 23/351- 356
It also says (7/353): With regard to
praying behind an innovator, if their bid’ah involves shirk such as calling
upon anyone other than Allaah, making vows to anyone other than Allaah, or
believing that their shaykhs possess qualities that belong only to Allaah, such
as complete knowledge or knowledge of the unseen or the ability to influence
events, then it is not valid to pray behind them.
But
if their bid’ah does not involve shirk, such as reciting dhikrs that have been
narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) but in
unison and swaying, then it is valid to pray behind them, but the Muslim should
try to find an imam who does not follow innovation, because that will bring a
greater reward and be further removed from evil. End quote.
Shaykh
Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on one
who lives in a city whose people adhere to bid’ah? Is it valid for him to offer
Jumu’ah and prayers in congregation with him, or should he pray on his own, or
is the obligation of Jumu’ah waived for him? If there are less than twelve of
ahl al-sunnah in a city, is Jumu’ah valid for them or not?
He
replied: It is obligatory to establish Jumu’ah prayer behind any imam,
righteous or otherwise. If the bid’ah of the imam for Jumu’ah does not put him
beyond the pale of Islam, then he should pray behind him. Imam Abu Ja’far
al-Tahhaawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his famous book al-‘Aqeedah:
We think that prayer should be offered behind any imam, righteous or otherwise,
among the people of the qiblah, and (the funeral prayer) should be offered for
those of them who die. End quote. Then he quoted the words of the former Shaykh
of Islam: … as for the second question, the answer is: There is a well-known
dispute among the scholars concerning this issue, but the correct view is that
it is permissible to establish Jumu’ah prayer with three or more, if they are
residents of a village in which Jumu’ah prayers are not held. As for the
stipulation that there be forty or twelve or less or more in order to hold
Jumu’ah prayers, there is no reliable evidence for that as far as we know.
Rather what must be done is to establish prayers in congregation and the
smallest number for that is three. This is the view of a number of scholars,
and is the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy
on him), and this is the correct view, as stated above. End quote from Majmoo’
Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 4/303
6.0 IS IT PERMISSIBLE TO REMOVE THE INNOVATORS
FROM THE MOSQUE?
It
is not permissible to expel a Muslim from the houses of Allaah, even if he is
an innovator, because they are houses that are built to establish the
remembrance and worship of Allaah. The innovator is to be appreciated for his
worship and will be rewarded for all the good that he does for the sake of
Allaah, but he incurs sin for his innovation. So it is not permissible for
anyone to prevent him from worshipping and obeying Allaah, rather we should
help him in that and encourage him to attend the congregational prayers of the
Muslims, in the hope that he may learn the Sunnah from the people of knowledge,
and give up innovated matters of religion.
The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) even gave permission to some
of the mushrikeen to enter the mosque, as in the story of Thumaamah ibn Athaal
(may Allaah be pleased with him), when the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) ordered that he be tied to one of the pillars of the
mosque. That was before he became Muslim, and he became Muslim on the third
day. He said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “I
bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that
Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. O Muhammad, by Allaah, there was no face
on earth that was more hateful to me than your face, but now your face has
become the dearest of all faces to me. By Allaah, there was no religion on
earth that was more hateful to me than your religion, but now your religion has
become the dearest of all religions to me. By Allaah, there was no city on
earth that was more hateful to me than your city, but now your city has become
the dearest of all cities to me” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (462) and Muslim
(1764).
Look
at how his staying in the mosque became a cause of his being guided to Islam.
How about the Muslims who take care of the maintenance of the mosque, give the
adhaan, deliver the khutbah and so on?
When
Ka’b ibn Maalik stayed behind from the campaign to Tabook, the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ordered that he be shunned and forbade the
people to talk to him, and he even ordered him to stay away from his wife, but
he did not forbid him to attend the prayers in congregation with the Muslims.
He
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade the Muslims to speak to us three among
those who had stayed behind. So the people shunned us, or their attitude
towards us changed, until it seemed to me that the land itself had turned
hostile towards me and was no longer the land that I knew. We stayed like that
for fifty days. As for my two companions, they stayed in their houses weeping,
but I was the youngest and strongest of them. I would go out and attend the
prayer, and go around in the marketplaces, and no one would speak to me. I
would go to the Messenger of Allaah (Saw) and greet him with salaam, when he
was sitting with the people after prayer, and I would say to myself: Did his
lips move in response or not? Then I would pray close to him, stealing glances
at him. When I focused on my prayer, he would look at me, then when I looked at
him he would turn away. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2757) and Muslim (2769).
When
the Khawaarij manifested their bid’ah (innovation) and separated from the main
body of the Muslims because of the idea and innovations they introduced, none
of the Sahaabah ordered that they be removed or expelled from the mosques,
because they are houses which Allaah has given permission to be built and His
name mentioned in them. So it is not right for anyone to forbid that for which
Allaah has given permission.
‘Ali
ibn Abi Taalib said concerning the Khawaarij: “They have three rights over us:
that we should not initiate fighting with them so long as they do not fight us;
that we should not prevent them from entering the mosques of Allaah to mention
His name therein; and that we should not deny the booty to them so long as they
have fought alongside us.”Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (7/562)
with a hasan isnaad.
What
is prescribed in your case is to treat them kindly in the house of Allaah, and
to strive to explain the Sunnah to them by all means. If you can prevent them
from establishing their bid’ah, after asking the scholars and making sure that
this particular action is indeed bid’ah, then you may prevent them from doing
this bid’ah only, but you cannot prevent them from entering the mosque
altogether. That is subject to the condition that preventing this bid’ah will
not lead to trouble among the Muslims or to an evil that is greater than the
bid’ah that you want to prevent.
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Based
on this, if the person or group combines good with evil in such a way that they
cannot be separated, rather they will do it all or abandon it all, then it is
not permissible merely to enjoin good or forbid evil, rather you should look
and see. If the good is more prevalent, then it should be enjoined, even if
that will entail a lesser amount of evil, and you should not forbid an evil if
that means that a greater amount of good will be lost. In that case, forbidding
evil would be more akin to blocking the path of Allaah and striving to stop
people from obeying Him and His Messenger, and to stop people doing good. But
if the evil is more prevalent then it should be forbidden, even if that means
that a lesser amount of good will be lost. In that case, enjoining that good
which entails a greater amount of evil is in fact enjoining evil and striving
to disobey Allaah and His Messenger. If the good and evil are equal, then you
should neither enjoin nor forbid, rather in some cases it will be better to
enjoin (the good) and in some cases it will be better to forbid (the evil), and
in some cases neither enjoining good nor forbidding evil will be appropriate,
because the good and evil are so strongly connected.
That
has to do with specific issues. But when speaking about specific actions, then
good should be enjoined in general and evil should be forbidden in general.
With
regard to a single person or group, then its good should be enjoined and its
evil should be forbidden; its praiseworthy actions should be commended and its
blameworthy actions should be criticized, in such a way that enjoining good
will not cause most of the good to be lost or a greater evil to occur, and in
such a way that forbidding evil will not cause a greater evil to occur or a
greater good to be lost. If the matter is unclear then the believer should wait
until the truth is clear to him, so that he will not do an act of obedience
without the proper knowledge and intentions. End quote from Majmoo’ al-Fataawa
(28/129-130); al-Istiqaamah (2/217-218).
Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:
We
have Shi’ah with us at work. Is it permissible for us to return their salaams?
We also see them in the mosque praying on pieces of paper; is it permissible to
expel them from the mosque?
He
replied: I say: treat them as they treat you. If they greet you with salaam,
then return their salaams. It is not good to expel them from the mosque, rather
some of them may be from among the common folk who do not know anything and
have been misled by their scholars. If you are clever and call them in ways
that are better, you may be able to influence them. Using violence is not
something that is narrated in sharee’ah. Allaah loves kindness in all things.
Now if you oppose them and say “Do not prostrate on pieces of paper, do not
prostrate on stones” and the like, if the matter may be settled there and they
will give up these things, that is good. But (the problem is that) they will
persist, and the enmity and hostility between you will increase. What I think
you must do is advise them first, especially the ordinary people. Advising does
not mean attacking their madhhab and false religion. No, advising means
explaining the truth to them and teaching them the Sunnah. Then after that, if
you explain the Sunnah to them, I am absolutely certain that if they have real
faith, they will come back to the Sunnah and give up their falsehood. If that
happens, then that is better. If it does not happen, then you should treat them
as they treat you. As for expelling them from the mosque, you have no right to
do that. Liqaa’aat al-Baab il-Maftooh (no. 80, question no. 4).
We
should point out to you that not everyone who does an act of bid’ah
(innovation) is an innovator, and not everything that you regard as bid’ah is
necessarily an innovation. It is not permissible to take as a reference point
in this issue the junior seekers of knowledge or those who are zealous about
the Sunnah. They themselves need guidance, care and advice. For example, they
may think that clasping the hands to the chest after rukoo’ (bowing) is a
bid’ah. Do they judge the one who does that as an innovator? Do they want to
expel such people from the mosques? Do they know that those who do that –
clasping the hands to the chest after bowing – are among our imams and scholars?
We
appreciate these brothers for their enthusiasm for the Sunnah, but we do not
want them to let their enthusiasm make them pass judgement on people or expel
them from the houses of Allaah. How much we have suffered from categorization
of people; do we want to bring that categorization into the houses of Allaah?
We hope that this will not happen and we hope that they will be sensible and
ask – as they have done in this case. Here the fatwa of the scholars is clear
even with regard to extreme innovators such as the Shi’ah, and we should not
neglect to call them and encourage them to follow the Sunnah in the way that is
best.
7.0 WHO IS MOST ENTITLED TO LEAD THE
PRAYER?
The
one who most deserves to lead the prayer is the one who has most knowledge of
the rulings on prayer and has memorized the most Qur’aan.
It
was narrated that Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The people should be led in prayer
by the one who has most knowledge of the Book of Allaah; if they are equal in
knowledge of the Qur’aan, then by the one who has most knowledge of the
Sunnah.” Narrated by Imam Muslim, 1530.
What
is meant by “the one who has most knowledge of the Qur’aan” is not the one who
can recite it most beautifully, but rather the one who has memorized more of
the Book of Allaah. This is indicated by the hadeeth of ‘Amr ibn Salamah who
said: “I used to memorize those words – meaning the Qur’aan – and it was as if
it took root in my heart. When Makkah was conquered, then every tribe hastened
to embrace Islam, and my father urged our tribe to hasten to embrace Islam.
When my father returned (from the Prophet) to his tribe, he said, ‘By Allah, I
have come to you from the true Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)!’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) afterwards said
to them, ‘Offer such-and-such a prayer at such-and-such a time, and when the
time for the prayer becomes due, then one of you should pronounce the Adhaan
(for the prayer), and let the one amongst you who knows most Qur’aan lead the
prayer.’ So they looked for such a person and found none who knew more Qur'an
than I, because of what I used to learn from the people. So they made me their
imam (to lead the prayer) and at that time I was a boy of six or seven
years.”(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4051)
We
say that it is essential for the imam to know the rulings on prayer, because he
may do something, such as not breaking his wudoo’, or missing out a rak’ah, and
not know what to do about it, in which case he would make a mistake and cause
the prayer of others to be imperfect or invalid altogether.
Based
on the hadeeth quoted above, some of the scholars said that the one who has
more knowledge of fiqh should lead the prayers.
Al-Nawawi
said: Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and their companions said that the one who has more
knowledge of fiqh should take precedence over the one who knows more Qur’aan,
because what he needs of recitation is known but what he needs of fiqh may not
be clear. There may arise during the prayer some matter where only a person who
has complete knowledge of fiqh will be able to know the right thing to do. They
said that this is the reason why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) told Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) to lead the prayer
rather than anyone else, even though he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) had stated that others had more knowledge of Qur’aan than him. But some
refuted this point by quoting the hadeeth that said that the Sahaabah who had
most knowledge of Qur’aan were also those who had most knowledge of fiqh. But
there is another hadeeth according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “If they are equal in knowledge of Qur’aan, then the
one who has most knowledge of the Sunnah,” which indicates that those who have
most knowledge of Qur’aan should be given precedence in all cases. Sharh
Muslim, 5/177
Even
though al-Nawawi differed with his imam al-Shaafa’i with regard to the interpretation
of the hadeeth, their words illustrate the basic principle that there was no
one among the Sahaabah who had a good knowledge of the Qur’aan but was ignorant
of the rulings of sharee’ah, as is the case among many people nowadays.
Ibn
Qudaamah said: If one of them has more knowledge of the rulings on prayer, and
the other has more knowledge of matters other than prayer, then the one who has
more knowledge about prayer should be given precedence. Al-Mughni, 2/19
The
Standing Committee said:
If
this is understood, then it is not permissible for one who is ignorant to lead
the prayer unless he is leading others like him, if there is no one who is
better qualified to lead the prayer. Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/264
8.0 IS THE PRAYER OF THE PERSON PRAYING BEHIND THE IMAM
RENDERED INVALID IF THE IMAM’S PRAYER BECOMES INVALID?
The scholars
differed concerning the relationship between a person’s prayer and the prayer
of the imam. There are three opinions:
(i) That there
is no connection between them and each person is praying on his own account.
This is the prevailing view among the Shafaa‘is.
(ii) That it is
connected to the imam’s prayer and stems from it, so any fault that affects the
imam’s prayer will affect the prayer of the one who is praying behind him. This
is the view of Abu Haneefah and is narrated in one report from Ahmad.
(iii) That it
is connected to the imam’s prayer, but it only affects the prayer of the one
who is praying behind him when there is no excuse on the part of either of
them. But if there is an excuse, a defect in the imam’s prayer does not affect
the prayer of the one who is praying behind him. If the imam believes that he
has wudoo’, then he is excused for leading the people in prayer and the one who
is praying behind him is excused for following him in prayer. This is the view
of Maalik, Ahmad and others and this is what could be understood from the
report narrated from the Sahaabah concerning this issue. And this is the
soundest approach.
Majmoo‘
al-Fataawa by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him),
23/370-371
Thus the prayer
of one who is praying behind an imam is not necessarily invalidated as soon as
the imam’s prayer becomes invalidated, because if the one who is praying behind
him does his prayer properly, fulfilling all its conditions and doing all of
its essential and obligatory parts, it is not permissible to regard it as
invalid except with sound evidence. This is indicated by the report narrated by
al-Bukhaari (694) and Ahmad (8449) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with
him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: “They lead you in prayer; if they do it properly then it is
for you and for them, but if they make a mistake then it is for you and against
them.”
Al-Haafiz Ibn
Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ibn al-Mundhir
said: This hadeeth refutes those who say that if the prayer of the imam is
rendered invalid, the prayer of those praying behind him is also rendered
invalid. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam
Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This is a text
which shows that if the imam makes a mistake it is his responsibility and not
that of those who are praying behind him. End quote. Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 23/372
Al-Sa‘di (may
Allah have mercy on him) said:
The correct
view is that the prayer of the one who is praying behind an imam is not
rendered invalid in all cases if the prayer of his imam becomes invalid, even
if the imam’s prayer became invalid during the prayer and he exited it. The one
who is praying behind the imam may carry on with his prayer, either on his own,
or one of them may lead them in the rest of the prayer. This is a strong report
from Imam Ahmad. End quote. al-Fataawa al-Sa‘diyyah, 7/120
Based on that,
if the prayer of the imam became invalid for some reason which has nothing to
do with the prayer of the one who is praying behind him, then the prayer of the
latter is not rendered invalid, such as if the imam prayed without wudoo’ by
mistake, or he lost his wudoo’ during the prayer.
There are some
cases in which the prayer of the one who is praying behind the imam does become
invalid if the prayer of the imam is rendered invalid. For example:
- If the imam’s
prayer becomes invalid for an obvious reason that could not be hidden from
those who are praying behind him, and they continue following him in prayer,
such as if he did not face the qiblah or cover his ‘awrah, or he failed to say
takbeerat al-ihram (the opening takbeer) or to recite al-Faatihah in a prayer in
which Qur’aan is to be recited out loud.
Ibn Qudaamah
(may Allah have mercy on him) said: If other conditions are not met by the
imam, such as covering (his ‘awrah) and facing the qiblah, the one who is
praying behind him cannot be excused, because such things usually cannot be
hidden, unlike minor impurity (losing one’s wudoo’) and najaasah (impurity,
i.e., on his clothes). End quote. Al-Mughni, 1/420
The prayer of
the imam and the one who is following him is rendered invalid if there passes
between the imam and his sutrah anything that interrupts the prayer, such as a
woman, a donkey or a black dog. If a woman walks in between the imam and his
sutrah, his prayer is rendered invalid, as is the prayer of those who are
praying behind him, because the sutrah of the imam is the sutrah of those who
are praying behind him, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: “When one of you stands to pray, he will be screened if he has
something in front of him that is like the back of a saddle. If he does not
have something in front of him that is like the back of a saddle, then his
prayer will be interrupted if a donkey, a woman or a black dog passes in front
of him.” Narrated by Muslim, 510.
9.0 SUMMARY: MOSQUE COMMITTEE OR JAMMAA OR
ELDERS OF THE MOSQUE
You
should cooperate with the community that is in that land, and call them to
Allaah, and correct their ‘Aqeedah, teaching those who have gone astray, with
wisdom and beautiful preaching, so that the prayers will be led by the best and
most pious of them.
The
committee is vested to understudy and advise the imam on the following:
1.
On following Islamic guidelines and traditions
2.
Imam reciting very lengthy surah (leading people even vomiting while standing)
3.
Mocking or rejecting one VERSE of the QURAN or Hadith quotes put one out of
ISLAM
4.
Imam stop talking to Muslims and he even stop saying Salam to Ummah.
5.
Arrogant is a major sin in Islam
The
mosque committee or elders or Jammaa would appoint spokesman to
give him the imam the required Hadith quotes to finally test him out to accept
the Sunnah and Ummah.
With
regard to replacing him, if you are able to replace him with another imam who
is more religiously committed and doing so will not result in a greater evil,
then it is better to do that, otherwise it is better to leave him.
If
the bid’ah does not involve shirk, such as reciting dhikrs that have been
narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in unison
and swaying, then it is valid to pray behind them, but the Muslim should try to
find an imam who does not follow innovation, because that will bring a greater
reward and be further removed from evil.
Says
Ibn 'Abdul-Barr, "It is a must that every imam should be easy (by not
making the prayers too long) as has been ordered by the Prophet, even if he
knows that those behind him are strong, because he does not know what may have
happened to them and what needs they may have to tend to."
And
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever
introduces something into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have
it rejected.”Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2697; Muslim, 1718.
“Verily,
the most honourable of you with Allaah is that (believer) who has al-Taqwaa (is
one of the pious)…” [al-Hujuraat 49:13].
Shaykh
‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz was also asked: Should the imam pay attention to the
situation of the weak such as the elderly etc when praying Taraweeh?
He
replied: ‘’This is something which is required in all the prayers, in Taraweeh
and in the obligatory prayers, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you leads the people in prayer, let
him make it short, because among them are the weak, the young and those who
have needs.” So the imam should pay attention to the congregation and be kind
to them with regard to praying qiyaam in Ramadaan and during the last ten
nights. People are not all the same, rather they vary. So he should pay
attention to their different situations and encourage them to come. When he
makes the prayer too lengthy, he makes it difficult for them and puts them off
from attending. He should pay attention to that which will encourage them to
attend and pray, even if that is by making it short and not making it long. If
the people concentrate during the prayer and find peace in it only for a short
time, that is better than a long prayer in which there is no concentration and
people only feel bored and tired.’’Fataawa al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz,
11/336, 337
We ask Allaah to help and
guide us and you the reader.
And Allaah knows best.
SOURCES
Islam Q&A, 72441
Islam Q&A, 46557:
Islam Q&A, 145834:
Islam Q&A,
0219
Islam Q&A, 112062
Islam Q&A,
0219
Islam Q&A, 112062
