Some non-Arabs memorize the Qur'an but do not understand it; should they be preferred for leading the prayer when there is someone who understands the Qur'an but has less memorization?

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : If the one who has memorized it is a non-Arab, is he preferred over the one who understands the Qur'an, even if his memorization is less? Because some non-Arab memorizers do not truly understand the Qur'an, do they?

The Shaykh : No, there is no difference between an Arab and a non-Arab as long as the quality by which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established preference is present in him: So if the non-Arab is more proficient in reciting the Book of Allah than the Arab, and the Arab is less proficient in recitation, it is very clear that the non-Arab is the one who is preferred, not the Arab. As for the fact that he personally does not understand what he is reciting, this is a matter that relates to culture, and the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not say that culture should also be combined with the best recitation. Therefore, he said: After that, he descended to what relates to culture when he said: This non-Arab.

The questioner : A regular imam.

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : He is a regular imam.

The Shaykh : A regular imam?

The questioner : He is to be a regular imam, yes.

The Shaykh : No, the question is not specific to the regular imam.

The questioner : No, that is not what I intended.

The Shaykh : Huh?

The questioner : In all cases.

The Shaykh : This is the case, so when the question is directed to the regular imam, the subject changes completely. The regular imam is the one appointed by the ruler responsible for organizing the imams in the mosques. In that case, no one takes precedence over him, even if he is actually distinguished over him in recitation and in knowledge of the Sunnah. But what I understood from the question was the general case, without restriction.
The point is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This clarifies for us that the intended meaning of "the best reciter" is not "the most knowledgeable," because knowledge came in the second rank, which is his saying (peace be upon him): And what confirms this meaning is what came in *Sunan Abu Dawud* with a sound chain from the narration of 'Amr ibn Abi Salamah al-Ansari al-Madani. He was in Madinah, a young boy picking up the news that came to them from the news of the Messenger (peace be upon him), who was at that time in Makkah before he migrated to Madinah. This boy had been granted an extraordinary memory, so whenever he heard something from the Qur'an, he would memorize it until he surpassed the men in that. It happened that his father traveled in a delegation from the people of Madinah to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Makkah before the migration. When the delegation returned, they came back with a new ruling, which is the aforementioned hadith: The boy said: So they looked, and they did not find in Madinah anyone who memorized the Qur'an better than me, so they made me lead them in prayer as an imam. The narrator says that his age was seven years or nine years, meaning at most his age was nine years. So he led them in the first prayer where the men prayed behind him and the women behind the men. When the boy finished the prayer with the taslim, one of the women from the rows of women called out: How is that? He was wearing a shamlah, a thick garment that does not fold but remains like a rigid piece. So when he prostrated, the garment rose, and it was short and then rigid. It appears that the eye of some women fell upon the 'awrah (nakedness). So, with their known frankness, she called out: Do you not cover your imam's back from us? The boy said: So they bought me a garment, and I did not rejoice in anything as much as I rejoiced in this garment. Does this person understand the Qur'an? It is not possible that he understands the Qur'an while he is rejoicing because a gift was presented to him.
The point is: the hadith is like this: to the end of it, and others.