When does the imam move forward if he is with a child in prayer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : And this person says: If two men are with a child, when does one of them move forward? Does the child have a specific age, for example, five years old?
The Shaykh : And what does this mean? Move forward to where?
Another questioner : In front of the target.
The Shaykh : Move forward in front of what? In the prayer, you mean?
Another questioner : The prayer.
The Shaykh : Hmm?
Another questioner : I mean, a man prayed with a child. Definitely. And another man. Okay, one of them moves forward.
The Shaykh : The imam moves forward.
Another questioner : But does this boy have a specific age?
The Shaykh : Yes, as long as his prayer is valid, his following is valid. It looks like it. The rule is that whoever’s prayer is valid, his following is valid. A boy’s prayer is valid if he distinguishes right from wrong, and the general rule is that he distinguishes at the age of seven.
The Shaykh : And what does this mean? Move forward to where?
Another questioner : In front of the target.
The Shaykh : Move forward in front of what? In the prayer, you mean?
Another questioner : The prayer.
The Shaykh : Hmm?
Another questioner : I mean, a man prayed with a child. Definitely. And another man. Okay, one of them moves forward.
The Shaykh : The imam moves forward.
Another questioner : But does this boy have a specific age?
The Shaykh : Yes, as long as his prayer is valid, his following is valid. It looks like it. The rule is that whoever’s prayer is valid, his following is valid. A boy’s prayer is valid if he distinguishes right from wrong, and the general rule is that he distinguishes at the age of seven.
Source
الفتاوى الثلاثية (3) - 2 — binothaimeen.net (25:05)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.