What is the ruling on praying behind an imam who does not settle in his prayer?
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The questioner : We have a mosque where the prayer is held, and my uncle leads us in it, but he is ignorant of the rulings of prayer, so he does not settle in the bowing or the prostration. We have advised him many times, but he has not responded to the advice. What should we do with him? And is it permissible to pray behind him?
The Shaykh : If the imam does not settle in his prayer with the obligatory settling, then his prayer is invalid, because settling is a pillar of the prayer. It is established in the two Sahihs and others from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: that a man came and prayed a prayer in which he did not settle, then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and greeted him, and he returned the greeting and said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2692Sahih (Darussalam). He did this with him three times and did not establish the prayer. Then the man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "By Him who sent you with the truth, I do not know how to do anything other than this, so teach me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Bulugh al-Maram 2:139. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it clear that this man has no prayer because he did not settle, and he repeated it three times so that it would be firmly established in his mind that his prayer is not sufficient, and so that he would be fully prepared to receive what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was teaching him. If that is the case, then this imam who does not settle in his prayer has an invalid prayer, and it is not valid to follow him. He should fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) regarding himself and the Muslims behind him, so that he does not lead them into a prayer that does not benefit them. If you enter the prayer with an imam and then you see that he does not settle, then it is obligatory for you to separate from him and complete the prayer for yourself with settling, so that your prayer is valid.
And this issue, which I mean the lack of settling, has afflicted many people in this time, especially in the two pillars after the bowing and between the two prostrations. Many people, as soon as they rise from the bowing, they prostrate, and as soon as they rise from the first prostration, they prostrate the second one without settling. This is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and contrary to what he commanded the man when he said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1060Sahih (Darussalam) and he said: Sahih Muslim 397a. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray and settle in these two pillars until the one who sees him would say: "He has forgotten because of the length of his settling in them," which is the opposite of what people are doing today. We ask Allah for guidance for us and for them.
The Shaykh : If the imam does not settle in his prayer with the obligatory settling, then his prayer is invalid, because settling is a pillar of the prayer. It is established in the two Sahihs and others from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: that a man came and prayed a prayer in which he did not settle, then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and greeted him, and he returned the greeting and said:
go back and pray for indeed you have not prayed.
ارجع فصلِّ فإنك لم تصلّWhen you get up to pray, perform ablution perfectly, then face the Qiblah and say: 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Most Great). Then recite a convenient portion of the Qur'an; then bow and remain calmly in that position for a moment, then rise up and stand erect; then prostrate and remain calmly in that position for a moment, then rise up and sit calmly, then prostrate and remain calmly in that position for a moment; then do that throughout your prayer.
إذا قمت إلى الصلاة فأسبغ الوضوء ثم استقبل القبلة فكبر، ثم اقرأ ما تيسر معك من القرآن، ثم اركع حتى تطمئن راكعاً، ثم ارفع حتى تطمئن قائماً، ثم اسجد حتى تطمئن ساجداً، ثم ارفع حتى تطمئن جالساً، ثم اسجد حتى تطمئن ساجداً، وافعل ذلك في صلاتك كلهاAnd this issue, which I mean the lack of settling, has afflicted many people in this time, especially in the two pillars after the bowing and between the two prostrations. Many people, as soon as they rise from the bowing, they prostrate, and as soon as they rise from the first prostration, they prostrate the second one without settling. This is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and contrary to what he commanded the man when he said: