The Imamate of the Unmarried Man
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Fatwa No. ( 14835 )
Q: As I am the imam of a mosque in one of the Moroccan villages, I ask you, O scholars, for a general definition of the imamate; because I am not married, is my imamate deficient or not? And is it permissible for me to lead the people in the Friday prayer?
A : It is permissible for an unmarried man to be an imam, and his prayer is not deficient. Likewise, it is permissible for him to lead the Friday prayer and deliver its sermon; for what was narrated by Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 673a This hadith was narrated by Muslim and Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: As I am the imam of a mosque in one of the Moroccan villages, I ask you, O scholars, for a general definition of the imamate; because I am not married, is my imamate deficient or not? And is it permissible for me to lead the people in the Friday prayer?
A : It is permissible for an unmarried man to be an imam, and his prayer is not deficient. Likewise, it is permissible for him to lead the Friday prayer and deliver its sermon; for what was narrated by Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The one who is most versed in Allah's Book should act as Imam for the people, but If they are equally versed in reciting it, then the one who has most knowledge regarding Sunnah if they are equal regarding the Sunnah, then the earliest one to emigrate; it they emigrated at the same time, then the earliest one to embrace Islam.
يؤم القوم أقرؤهم لكتاب الله تعالى، فإن كانوا في القراءة سواء فأعلمهم بالسنة، فإن كانوا في السنة سواء فأقدمهم هجرة، فإن كانوا في الهجرة سواء فأقدمهم سلمًا - أي: إسلامًا، وفي رواية: ( سنًّا )
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.