The Ruling on Praying Behind a Smoker
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
What is the ruling on praying behind a smoker if he is appointed as the imam?
The Shaykh:
The prayer is valid behind every open sinner. The correct view is that the prayer is valid behind every open sinner; this is the preferred position. However, it is not recommended to appoint him as imam. That is, if it is possible for someone else to be the imam, one should strive for that. Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed behind al-Hajjaj, who was among the most sinful of people, and a large group of righteous people and their like prayed behind him. The point is that the correct view is that the prayer is valid behind an open sinner who is not a disbeliever. But it is recommended for the one in authority not to appoint as imam anyone other than the pious and the righteous.
What is the ruling on praying behind a smoker if he is appointed as the imam?
The Shaykh:
The prayer is valid behind every open sinner. The correct view is that the prayer is valid behind every open sinner; this is the preferred position. However, it is not recommended to appoint him as imam. That is, if it is possible for someone else to be the imam, one should strive for that. Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed behind al-Hajjaj, who was among the most sinful of people, and a large group of righteous people and their like prayed behind him. The point is that the correct view is that the prayer is valid behind an open sinner who is not a disbeliever. But it is recommended for the one in authority not to appoint as imam anyone other than the pious and the righteous.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام [ ابن باز ] [ الشرح القديم ]، بداية من باب حد السرقة — islamhouse.com (59:40)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.