The Ruling on Following the Imam Who Is Sitting in Prayer

The questioner : For those who hold that it is obligatory to follow the imam and not to differ from him, is it required in the following to have a banner, or is it sufficient that one has prior knowledge of it?

The Shaykh : People of the princess.

The questioner : It is required in the following, meaning placing a banner in front of the imam.

The Shaykh : In most cases.

The questioner : Um. An idea? No.

The Shaykh : What do you mean by opinion?

The questioner : That he knows the thing that was. The opinion, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that the first row is followed, and the second row follows the first, and according to the view of al-Humaydi, it is established that there was disagreement in the last of his life (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : And what about that?

The questioner : Of the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam) to the imam.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : So that obligation is dropped; because they differed from him (peace and blessings be upon him). And likewise, if we say that it is obligatory, it becomes a recommended practice (sunnah), and the recommended becomes obligatory for the ma'mum; because it is not permissible for him to differ in it.

The Shaykh : The question is understood in general.

The questioner : But the word "ra'iyah" (banner) confused us in understanding.

The Shaykh : So this is not clear, neither for us nor for you. As for our view regarding the following, it is undoubtedly obligatory. It is obligatory for the one following to follow the imam in everything he does, believing it to be correct. This naturally requires some detail, but the important thing in the matter is answering the difficulty raised by the writer, quoting al-Humaydi, where he indicated that the Companions differed from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He means by this that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Abu Bakr al-Siddiq to lead the people in prayer as imam during his illness of death, then he felt some vigor in himself (peace and blessings be upon him). So he went out to the mosque and led the people in prayer while sitting, and they were standing behind him. This incident is what the questioner is referring to. He says that since the Companions differed from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and did not sit with him when he prayed sitting, then following is not obligatory. The answer to this incident is from three angles. The first angle: This incident, as you know, was started by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq as imam, then the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came and took the imamate from him. This situation is different from the situation where the imam starts the prayer sitting. This situation represents an imam who starts the prayer standing, then something happens that forces him to sit. This is one situation, and the other situation is starting the prayer sitting. In the first situation, which happened from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), considering he was entrusted with it.

The questioner : Yes, so it is a reality.

The Shaykh : Voluntary prayers in this case, it is not obligatory for the followers to follow the imam, because the imam is still in the status of the standing one, because he started the prayer standing. And this is the opinion of Imam Ahmad in the way of reconciling this specific incident, which has no generality, with the verbal text, which is an eternal law until the Day of Resurrection, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the well-known hadith: "When he bows, [you bow], until he said (peace and blessings be upon him) So it is not permissible to nullify this verbal text with the actual incident, which has no generality in legislation. Rather, it is necessary to reconcile the verbal text with the actual incident. It is said, as Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If the imam starts the prayer standing and then is forced to sit, the people following him continue to pray standing, implementing this incident. As for reversing the reality and making the incident like a general verbal text and nullifying the general verbal text, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) This is contrary to what the people of knowledge are upon in reconciling the actual incident with the verbal law. This is answer number one, and its conclusion is the reconciliation between the verbal rule and this actual incident. Answer number two: The actual incident, if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was the one who started the prayer sitting, it is not suitable to abrogate his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) Rather, it is suitable to lift the obligation that is implied by the apparent text: "Pray sitting, all of you." So it is derived from the incident at that time that the command is shifted from obligation to recommendation. And this is if we assume that the incident was after the saying. Because at that time, there is no way except to say that this action abrogated the saying absolutely, and this is not permissible scientifically. Rather, it is said between the action and the saying that the intention is not obligation, but recommendation. And saying that such a saying is abrogated is very far from the scientific rules, especially since the command of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to the followers to pray sitting behind the sitting imam has a legal cause. And if it were permissible to abrogate the ruling connected to the legal cause, it would not be permissible in any way to abrogate the legal cause. This legal cause is, as came in Sahih Muslim from the hadith of Jabir, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed one day sitting, they prayed behind him standing, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to them to sit. Then after the prayer, he said to them: "You were just now doing what the Persians do with their great ones, standing over their kings." The imam is made to be followed, and the hadith was mentioned. So a ruling is explained by a cause, and this cause continues until the Day of Resurrection, and it is not permissible to abrogate it because the cause is present. And as the jurists say, the ruling revolves with the cause in existence and absence. So as long as the cause is present, the ruling is present. Therefore, if it is established that the prayer of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) leading the people came after his saying "Pray sitting, all of you," it is not permissible to abrogate the saying with the action, for what we mentioned earlier. Rather, it is said the command is not by obligation, but by recommendation. So it is permissible for the followers to pray standing and to pray sitting, and the latter is better to implement the command, the least of whose ranks here is recommendation, and holding to the cause of imitating the Persians. However, saying that this actual incident happened after his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) "Pray sitting, all of you," without establishing that, is like spinning the gourd, as they say. Rather, it came with a sound chain from one of the trustworthy Tabi'un, and I think it was Tawus, that he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this actual incident said to them: "And when he prays sitting, pray sitting, all of you." So if it is necessary to say that the action preceded the saying or the reverse, saying that the saying is later than the action is closer to the truth, due to the coming of such a hadith, even if it is mursal (missing the Companion link). But this mursal is in the way of preserving the established verbal principle from many paths, and in the two Sahihs and others, or not nullifying and abolishing it. And here comes the wisdom that we mentioned in some recent occasions, the fruits of which you know. Yes. Perhaps the answer is clear. Yes.

The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And you.

The presenter : Okay.

The Shaykh : Okay, anything else.