The Obligation of Authorities and Imams to Acquire Knowledge of the Rulings of Prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
It is observed that many imams commit errors like this one, Shaykh Salih. Is there any guidance, or any word for those responsible for the imams, or for the imams themselves, so that they may acquire knowledge of the religion and not become a subject of criticism?
Answer:
It is obligatory for the authority responsible for appointing imams not to appoint anyone except one who meets the conditions of imamate, including knowledge of the matters of prayer, such that if a problem arises, he is able to handle it properly. Therefore, it is obligatory for the responsible authority not to appoint anyone to the imamate except one who knows the jurisprudence of his prayer, after he has mastered the recitation of the Qur'an.
It is obligatory for the imams to acquire knowledge of the matters of their prayer, to ask questions, to study under the scholars, and to read the books, so that they are well-informed about the matters and rulings of their prayer. If they do not do this, and the responsible authority does not care about selecting the imams, then this error and this confusion occur. In addition, some of the young people, may Allah guide them, due to their youth, rush into some matters. Many of them may claim to be a scholar, or a student of knowledge, or that he understands, so he rushes into matters where he commits great errors and causes others in the mosque congregation to commit them as well. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, and may Allah reward you.
It is observed that many imams commit errors like this one, Shaykh Salih. Is there any guidance, or any word for those responsible for the imams, or for the imams themselves, so that they may acquire knowledge of the religion and not become a subject of criticism?
Answer:
It is obligatory for the authority responsible for appointing imams not to appoint anyone except one who meets the conditions of imamate, including knowledge of the matters of prayer, such that if a problem arises, he is able to handle it properly. Therefore, it is obligatory for the responsible authority not to appoint anyone to the imamate except one who knows the jurisprudence of his prayer, after he has mastered the recitation of the Qur'an.
It is obligatory for the imams to acquire knowledge of the matters of their prayer, to ask questions, to study under the scholars, and to read the books, so that they are well-informed about the matters and rulings of their prayer. If they do not do this, and the responsible authority does not care about selecting the imams, then this error and this confusion occur. In addition, some of the young people, may Allah guide them, due to their youth, rush into some matters. Many of them may claim to be a scholar, or a student of knowledge, or that he understands, so he rushes into matters where he commits great errors and causes others in the mosque congregation to commit them as well. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, and may Allah reward you.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 01/297 — archive.org (8:13)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.