The Imam with a Lisan al-Ma'wuj (Crooked Tongue)
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Q: Our father, may Allah protect you, one of the teachers, whom we consider to be among the righteous—though we do not declare anyone righteous before Allah—said: If the imam prays and recites al-Fatihah but does not distinguish between the ghayn and the qaf in (al-maghdoobi 'alayhim), making it (al-maqdoobi 'alayhim), then his prayer is invalid, and the prayer of all the worshippers behind him is invalid. I asked him: Does the prayer of the ma'mums become invalid? He said: Yes. I said: We have been praying behind this imam for more than ten years. He said: Your prayer is invalid; this imam does not distinguish between the two letters due to the influence of his environment. He added: Do not pray behind him. He said: This is what Shaykh Muhammad al-Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) told him before he died. I asked him: Should I leave
the congregation and pray alone? He said: Go to any mosque. I said: There is no mosque near me, because I am in a village. He insisted that I not pray with him. Your Eminence: I ask Allah, then you, to answer my question in a detailed and clear manner. What should we do if our prayer has been invalid for all these years? I mentioned to him the man who came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: I do not know how to recite al-Fatihah, and he said: Recite whatever of the Qur'an is easy for you... or as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said. He said: This is not an imam.
A: This imam must be replaced by an imam with a sound tongue who can pronounce the letters according to their original form; because reciting al-Fatihah is a pillar of the prayer in every rak'ah, and whoever omits a letter from it and substitutes it with another has not recited it correctly. It is obligatory for him to learn al-Fatihah so that he can recite it in the correct manner, and it is not permissible for him to continue in this state while he is able to correct it. As for your prayer behind him in the past, you are not required to repeat it; because you did not know the legal ruling in that matter, and due to the length of the period and the hardship in making up the prayers that were performed behind him.
the congregation and pray alone? He said: Go to any mosque. I said: There is no mosque near me, because I am in a village. He insisted that I not pray with him. Your Eminence: I ask Allah, then you, to answer my question in a detailed and clear manner. What should we do if our prayer has been invalid for all these years? I mentioned to him the man who came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: I do not know how to recite al-Fatihah, and he said: Recite whatever of the Qur'an is easy for you... or as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said. He said: This is not an imam.
A: This imam must be replaced by an imam with a sound tongue who can pronounce the letters according to their original form; because reciting al-Fatihah is a pillar of the prayer in every rak'ah, and whoever omits a letter from it and substitutes it with another has not recited it correctly. It is obligatory for him to learn al-Fatihah so that he can recite it in the correct manner, and it is not permissible for him to continue in this state while he is able to correct it. As for your prayer behind him in the past, you are not required to repeat it; because you did not know the legal ruling in that matter, and due to the length of the period and the hardship in making up the prayers that were performed behind him.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.