Is it permissible for the imam to be higher than the ma'mum?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is it permissible for the imam to be higher than the ma'mum?
The Shaykh : Yes, it is permissible, but this is disliked.
The questioner : Whether the elevation is slight or great. If it is less than a cubit, it is not forbidden, okay? And if it is more than a cubit, it is not forbidden.
The Shaykh : It is disliked. What is your evidence for this distinction?
The questioner : A hadith narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: from him.
The Shaykh : Higher than him. What is the matter with you? Okay, this is a general prohibition.
The questioner : They said the prohibition is understood as a dislike.
The Shaykh : No, the general prohibition does not specify whether it is slight or great.
The questioner : Yes, because of the coming of another hadith, which is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed on his minbar. And they said, reconciling the reports, that generally a minbar is one step, which is less than a cubit, and this serves as a specification.
The Shaykh : A specification for the generality of this hadith. Okay. The second opinion in the issue is... Yes. Did you not attend? Yes.
The questioner : The opinion in the issue was that it is not disliked.
The Shaykh : It is not disliked, even if his elevation exceeds a cubit, as long as it is possible to follow him. How do we answer regarding the hadith?
The questioner : The answer regarding the hadith is that it is not established.
The Shaykh : That the hadith is weak. Yes, the answer to this is that it is a weak hadith, so it does not serve as a proof.
The questioner : Yes, what is it?
The Shaykh : This is what we are discussing here. No, this is the first one, yes.
The questioner : It can be said that it is not permissible, taking the hadith and directing the easier action to his prayer on the minbar, and he said, "I did it". Can we say it is forbidden?
The Shaykh : No, no, we do not say it is forbidden. We say this hadith is weak; the hadith of prohibition is weak. And it remains without doubt that it is better for the imam to be level with the ma'mum, neither the imam being higher nor the ma'mum being higher.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is permissible, but this is disliked.
The questioner : Whether the elevation is slight or great. If it is less than a cubit, it is not forbidden, okay? And if it is more than a cubit, it is not forbidden.
The Shaykh : It is disliked. What is your evidence for this distinction?
The questioner : A hadith narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
If a man leads a group, let them not stand in a place higher
إذا أمر الرجل القوم فلا يقومن في مكان أرفعThe Shaykh : Higher than him. What is the matter with you? Okay, this is a general prohibition.
The questioner : They said the prohibition is understood as a dislike.
The Shaykh : No, the general prohibition does not specify whether it is slight or great.
The questioner : Yes, because of the coming of another hadith, which is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed on his minbar. And they said, reconciling the reports, that generally a minbar is one step, which is less than a cubit, and this serves as a specification.
The Shaykh : A specification for the generality of this hadith. Okay. The second opinion in the issue is... Yes. Did you not attend? Yes.
The questioner : The opinion in the issue was that it is not disliked.
The Shaykh : It is not disliked, even if his elevation exceeds a cubit, as long as it is possible to follow him. How do we answer regarding the hadith?
The questioner : The answer regarding the hadith is that it is not established.
The Shaykh : That the hadith is weak. Yes, the answer to this is that it is a weak hadith, so it does not serve as a proof.
The questioner : Yes, what is it?
The Shaykh : This is what we are discussing here. No, this is the first one, yes.
The questioner : It can be said that it is not permissible, taking the hadith and directing the easier action to his prayer on the minbar, and he said, "I did it"
This is so that you may follow him and so that you may learn my prayer
هذا لتأتموا به ولتعلموا صلاتيThe Shaykh : No, no, we do not say it is forbidden. We say this hadith is weak; the hadith of prohibition is weak. And it remains without doubt that it is better for the imam to be level with the ma'mum, neither the imam being higher nor the ma'mum being higher.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 3502هل يجوز أن يكون الإمام أعلى من المأموم؟📔 الشرح الممتع على زاد المستقنع - ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.