I led the people in prayer, and during the prayer I remembered that I was not in a state of ritual purity, so I left and appointed someone to lead them. Is my action valid?

Question:
The questioner: I led the people in the 'Isha' prayer as imam, and during the first tashahhud I remembered that I was not in a state of ritual purity, so I left the prayer and appointed one of the worshippers to complete the prayer after me. What is the ruling on the prayer of the ma'mum (those praying behind the imam), and is my action valid?

Answer:
This is like the disagreement among scholars. If you had ordered them to wait for you to perform wudu' and return to them, or if you had told the one behind you to start the prayer anew, that would have been more cautious. If you had ordered them to wait until you purified yourself, or if you had brought forward one person to resume the prayer from the beginning, that would certainly be more cautious and a way to avoid the disagreement. Yes.