The Ruling on Teaching al-Fatihah and the Short Surahs to Non-Specialists

The questioner:
I came from the Hail region to work here. I said, “Peace be upon you,” and I have a question. Yes, for the past two years, we have been going out to some groups. We encountered a man, a brother of ours, an old man who was seventy-five years old. He said, “Please, I love you, come into my house.” We sat with him for a day. He saw us talking, wanting to talk about religion and such. He said, “By Allah, with praise and thanks to Allah, I have performed Hajj seven times, praise and thanks to Allah.” We told him to recite al-Fatihah. He recited al-Fatihah but made mistakes in three verses and omitted a verse. We told him, “May Allah reward you with good, you have performed Hajj seven times and you are seventy-five years old, but your prayer, I mean, is it…?”

The Shaykh:
Is it correct?

The questioner:
It is not correct as long as you do not master al-Fatihah. His son was sitting there, and we told him to recite al-Fatihah. His son recited al-Fatihah correctly. So we established a teaching circle in the house

The Shaykh:
Yes, yes.

The questioner:
for them to master al-Fatihah and the short surahs. Something happened after that, in Ramadan, after Ramadan. We were fasting, gathered together, wanting to break our fast together as a group. So I said, “My brothers need us. There are people who have experienced this and that and that. So, my brothers, please, if you make the effort, go out to them and teach them these things, and establish teaching circles in the houses.” One of the brothers stood up and said to me, “You are wrong in this action because you are not qualified. It is not obligatory for you to go, and it is not obligatory except that you must graduate and learn, and then you go out.” My job is as a teacher; for about two years, I have been doing this with my relatives and those around us in the villages in this effort. So he said this is a mistake.

The Shaykh:
No, it is not a mistake. Everyone teaches according to his capacity. He teaches al-Fatihah, and he teaches the surahs from the Qur'an.

The questioner:
But he said this is a mistake, and this group that does this work is called the Tabligh group, and it has such and such and such and such.

The Shaykh:
In the safe tongue.

The questioner:
This practical matter is a mistake, so the person teaches.

The Shaykh:
Also, every tongue teaches his capacity. Every tongue teaches his capacity. Everyone who knows al-Fatihah teaches the one who does not know it. Everyone who knows some of the surahs teaches the one who does not know them. And so on. Allah says , but he does not speak about Allah with knowledge. He points to what he knows; he does not speak about Allah.

The questioner:
The fiqh issues. Yes. If there is nothing else.

The Shaykh:
He teaches what he knows, but that is it.

The questioner:
If there is nothing else, I mean we accept. No, no, you are rewarded, you are rewarded.

The Shaykh:
You are rewarded.

The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh:
The surahs that he taught him, along with things for his understanding of the religion, praise be to Allah. This is from cooperation in righteousness and piety.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you.