The ruling on the imam's prayer if he remains with the intention of leading while praying alone

Question : Is the imam's prayer valid or not?

Answer : We say that if the imam remains with the intention of leading, his prayer is not valid, because he intended to lead while he was alone. He intended to be the imam while alone. However, if he had intended to pray alone, his prayer is valid. In that case, we say that the prayer of the ma'mum to his left is not valid. There is a distinction regarding the imam's prayer. What is the distinction? If he began with the intention of leading, his prayer is invalid because he intended to lead and had no ma'mum with him. This is contrary to reality. If he intended to pray alone, his prayer is valid.