The ruling on praying behind an imam who makes mistakes in al-Fatihah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, the questioner asks: What is the ruling on praying behind an imam who is a layman and makes both major and minor errors in reciting Surat al-Fatihah? Does he have to repeat the prayer?
The Shaykh:
My brother, if he does not make an error that changes the meaning, the prayer is valid, even if he makes an error that does not change the meaning. For example, if he says "Alhamdulillah" (Praise be to Allah) with the verb in the accusative case, that is an error, but it does not change the meaning. Or if he says "Alhamdulillah Rabb al-Alameen" (Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds) with a kasrah on the lam of "al-Alameen," that changes the meaning. It changes the meaning because it restricts the Lordship to the scholars only, since "al-Alameen" is the plural of "scholar." This changes the meaning. The prayer of those behind him is not valid except for one who is like him. So, there are two types of error: an error that does not change the meaning, which does not prevent the validity of the prayer, and it is better that they appoint someone who recites well and does not make any error, whether one that changes the meaning or one that does not. This is the detail of the matter. Yes.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
"Sirat al-ladhina an'amta 'alayhim" (the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor) changes the meaning because it shifts the object of the address. It changes the one being addressed into the one speaking, changing the one being asked into the one asking. This changes the meaning, so the prayer behind such a person is not valid except for one who is like him. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, the questioner asks: What is the ruling on praying behind an imam who is a layman and makes both major and minor errors in reciting Surat al-Fatihah? Does he have to repeat the prayer?
The Shaykh:
My brother, if he does not make an error that changes the meaning, the prayer is valid, even if he makes an error that does not change the meaning. For example, if he says "Alhamdulillah" (Praise be to Allah) with the verb in the accusative case, that is an error, but it does not change the meaning. Or if he says "Alhamdulillah Rabb al-Alameen" (Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds) with a kasrah on the lam of "al-Alameen," that changes the meaning. It changes the meaning because it restricts the Lordship to the scholars only, since "al-Alameen" is the plural of "scholar." This changes the meaning. The prayer of those behind him is not valid except for one who is like him. So, there are two types of error: an error that does not change the meaning, which does not prevent the validity of the prayer, and it is better that they appoint someone who recites well and does not make any error, whether one that changes the meaning or one that does not. This is the detail of the matter. Yes.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
"Sirat al-ladhina an'amta 'alayhim" (the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor) changes the meaning because it shifts the object of the address. It changes the one being addressed into the one speaking, changing the one being asked into the one asking. This changes the meaning, so the prayer behind such a person is not valid except for one who is like him. Yes.
Source
شرح عمدة الأحكام، باب المواقيت — islamhouse.com (57:41)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.