The ruling on the prayer of the one praying behind the imam if the imam breaks his ritual purity during the prayer

Question : If the imam breaks his ritual purity during the prayer. Is it possible or not? It is possible. Abu al-Hars stole.

Answer : In this case, some scholars said that the prayer of the followers is invalid. How? Rather, because the imam's prayer is invalid, and if the imam's prayer is invalid, the followers' prayer is invalid, because it is connected to it. This is the well-known position in the school of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. The second opinion in the school is that the followers' prayer is not invalid, because it is connected to the imam's prayer as long as the imam's prayer is valid. If it becomes invalid, it becomes separate, and nothing has occurred to invalidate his prayer. Evidence for this is that 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed with his companions while in a state of major ritual impurity, so he repeated the prayer, but they did not repeat it. So the correct view is that if he breaks his ritual purity during the prayer, his prayer is invalid due to the presence of what invalidates it, which is the state of impurity. As for the followers' prayer, it is not invalid because there is no invalidator for it. The claim that the followers' prayer is invalid because of the imam's prayer is a claim, and you know that every claim requires proof. The proof is on the claimant, and they have no evidence other than their statement that the followers' prayer is connected to the imam's prayer.
Our answer to this cause is that it is connected to it as long as it is valid. As long as it is valid, you are bound to him; you must follow him and not lag behind him, and so on. But if it becomes invalid, the connection ceases, because it is no longer suitable for the followers' prayer to be connected to it. Therefore, the followers' prayer is not invalid due to the imam's prayer. In that case, if the imam breaks his ritual purity during the prayer, let him do what we said earlier. What does he do? One person or not? Either he appoints one person, which is better, or he leaves and they appoint one person, or they complete the prayer. Good.