The ruling on an imam appointing someone else in Ramadan to go perform 'Umrah

Question:
May Allah reward you with good. Some imams leave their mosques in Ramadan to perform 'Umrah. If an imam appoints another imam of the same level, is there any harm in that?

Answer:
If he appoints someone to take over the work who is competent, there is no harm in that. However, it is better for him to remain in the mosque, because staying in the mosque is better than going to perform 'Umrah. This is because he is performing a task he has been entrusted with, and because he leads the Muslims in prayer. He benefits himself, and he benefits the Muslims who pray behind him. He also keeps his mosque active with prayer and enlivens the nights of Ramadan. This is better than his going to perform 'Umrah. As for if he leaves the mosque and does not appoint a competent person to take over for him, then this is not permissible. It is forbidden for him, because he is leaving his obligatory work to perform a recommended practice (sunnah). There is no doubt that the obligatory takes precedence over the recommended practice. Yes.