What are the conditions for the imam, and is it permissible for me to be the imam for the praying people, given that they do not know how to read or write, and their imam is illiterate, while I am educated?
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The questioner : What are the conditions for the imam, and is it permissible for me to be the imam for the praying people, given that they do not know how to read or write, and their usual imam is often illiterate, while I am educated and studying in the first year of secondary school? And is it obligatory for the imam to be married, meaning to have a wife? And does a boy like me have the right to call the adhan if there is no one who masters it well?
The Shaykh : The imam, the more he reads the Book of Allah and the more he understands the religion of Allah, the more preferred he is over others, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 673a Unless a person is in a mosque that has a regular imam, in which case the regular imam has more right than others, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 673a, and the more the imam fears Allah (Mighty and Majestic), the more preferred the prayer behind him is.
The scholars of knowledge (may Allah have mercy on them) differed: Is it a condition for the imam to be just, meaning: one who fulfills the obligatory duties and avoids the forbidden things, such that he does not commit a major sin and does not persist in a minor one? The scholars differed on this, and there is no doubt that justice is better than others, more complete, and more preferred, but making justice a condition such that the prayer behind an open sinner is invalid is questionable. The stronger opinion in this issue is that the prayer is valid behind an open sinner, but he should not be appointed as an imam over the Muslims while he is an open sinner. And your leading your people when the imam is absent because you are the best reader among them and they are illiterate, knowing nothing of writing or reading, is an action for which you will be thanked and rewarded, if Allah wills, with good intention and purpose. And there is no blame on you for calling the adhan if the mu'adhdhin is absent and has delegated you to do so in his absence, even if you are a minor who has not reached puberty, for your adhan is valid and your imamate is also valid, because 'Amr ibn Salama al-Jarmi led his people and he was six or seven years old, as established in *Sahih al-Bukhari*. This is an indication that it is not a condition for the imam to be an adult, but rather, whenever he is the best reader among the people, he is more preferred for the imamate, even if he is a minor and they are adults. There is no difference in this between the obligatory and the voluntary, based on the hadith we mentioned.
The questioner : May Allah thank you and magnify your reward.
The Shaykh : The imam, the more he reads the Book of Allah and the more he understands the religion of Allah, the more preferred he is over others, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The one who is most versed in Allah's Book should act as Imam for the people, but If they are equally versed in reciting it, then the one who has most knowledge regarding Sunnah if they are equal regarding the Sunnah, then the earliest one to emigrate; it they emigrated at the same time, then the earliest one to embrace Islam.
يؤم القوم أقرؤهم لكتاب الله، فإن كانوا في القراءة سواء فأعلمهم بالسنة، فإن كانوا في السنة سواء فأقدمهم هجرة، فإن كانوا في الهجرة سواء فأقدمهم سلماً أو قال: سناًNo man must lead another in prayer where (the latter) has authority
ولا يؤمّنّ الرجل الرجل في سلطانهThe scholars of knowledge (may Allah have mercy on them) differed: Is it a condition for the imam to be just, meaning: one who fulfills the obligatory duties and avoids the forbidden things, such that he does not commit a major sin and does not persist in a minor one? The scholars differed on this, and there is no doubt that justice is better than others, more complete, and more preferred, but making justice a condition such that the prayer behind an open sinner is invalid is questionable. The stronger opinion in this issue is that the prayer is valid behind an open sinner, but he should not be appointed as an imam over the Muslims while he is an open sinner. And your leading your people when the imam is absent because you are the best reader among them and they are illiterate, knowing nothing of writing or reading, is an action for which you will be thanked and rewarded, if Allah wills, with good intention and purpose. And there is no blame on you for calling the adhan if the mu'adhdhin is absent and has delegated you to do so in his absence, even if you are a minor who has not reached puberty, for your adhan is valid and your imamate is also valid, because 'Amr ibn Salama al-Jarmi led his people and he was six or seven years old, as established in *Sahih al-Bukhari*. This is an indication that it is not a condition for the imam to be an adult, but rather, whenever he is the best reader among the people, he is more preferred for the imamate, even if he is a minor and they are adults. There is no difference in this between the obligatory and the voluntary, based on the hadith we mentioned.
The questioner : May Allah thank you and magnify your reward.