The Imam Turning Toward the Congregation After the Closing Salam
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The questioner asks: Is it obligatory for the imam to turn toward the congregation after the salam, or is it permissible for him to remain facing the qiblah?
Answer:
Remaining facing the qiblah without turning is contrary to the Sunnah. No Muslim is pleased to go against the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger would turn his noble face toward his Companions. This is a Prophetic Sunnah; how can one go against it? Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The questioner asks: Is it obligatory for the imam to turn toward the congregation after the salam, or is it permissible for him to remain facing the qiblah?
Answer:
Remaining facing the qiblah without turning is contrary to the Sunnah. No Muslim is pleased to go against the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger would turn his noble face toward his Companions. This is a Prophetic Sunnah; how can one go against it? Yes.
Source
شرح إغاثة اللهفان من مصائد الشيطان لابن القيم، بداية من قول المُصَنِّف : ومن علامات صحة القلب — islamhouse.com (1:14:53)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.