The prayer of an imam who does not pronounce the takbirs of transition
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner says: An imam of a mosque, when he prays with the people, does not pronounce the takbirs of transition; he is content with saying "Allah" without saying "Akbar." Is it permissible to pray behind him? And is his prayer valid?
Answer:
His prayer is not valid, and it is not permissible to pray behind him, because he left out an obligatory part of the prayer, which is the takbirs of transition. Saying "Allah" is not sufficient; one must say "Allahu Akbar," as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say that. This is by consensus. The name of Allah alone is not sufficient; one must say "Allahu Akbar" in the transitions. As for the takbir of ihram, it is a pillar of the prayer, a pillar, not merely an obligation; it is a pillar of the prayer. Yes.
And he must say "Allahu Akbar"; he must not limit himself to the name of Allah. So alert him to this. Yes. And if he is not able to say "Allahu Akbar" properly, he should not be an imam; he should be replaced by someone else. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
The questioner says: An imam of a mosque, when he prays with the people, does not pronounce the takbirs of transition; he is content with saying "Allah" without saying "Akbar." Is it permissible to pray behind him? And is his prayer valid?
Answer:
His prayer is not valid, and it is not permissible to pray behind him, because he left out an obligatory part of the prayer, which is the takbirs of transition. Saying "Allah" is not sufficient; one must say "Allahu Akbar," as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say that. This is by consensus. The name of Allah alone is not sufficient; one must say "Allahu Akbar" in the transitions. As for the takbir of ihram, it is a pillar of the prayer, a pillar, not merely an obligation; it is a pillar of the prayer. Yes.
And he must say "Allahu Akbar"; he must not limit himself to the name of Allah. So alert him to this. Yes. And if he is not able to say "Allahu Akbar" properly, he should not be an imam; he should be replaced by someone else. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
بلوغ المرام 07-07-1435هـ — af.org.sa (1:06:10)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.