What is the stronger position regarding the story of al-Walid ibn 'Uqbah ibn Ma'it drinking intoxicants? Is the story authentic as Ibn Hajar stated, or is it weak as al-Muhibb al-Din al-Khatib stated?

The questioner : He says:The questioner : Al-Walid ibn 'Uqbah ibn Ma'it: It is mentioned in his biography that he drank intoxicants. Ibn Hajar mentioned this in *Al-Isabah*, and al-Dhahabi in *Siyar A'lam al-Nubala*, and they did not weaken the narration. As for al-Muhibb al-Din al-Khatib, he weakened the story. What is the stronger position in your opinion?

The Shaykh : The stronger position: There is no doubt that the story is authentic because it is established in *Sahih al-Bukhari*. It is one of the matters that obligates Muslims to pray behind every imam. And no wonder that it was part of the Salafi creed inherited by the later generations from the earlier generations: praying behind every righteous and every open sinner, praying behind every righteous and every open sinner. This man was an open sinner who prayed while intoxicated with intoxicants. The evidence is that he prayed four rak'ahs for Fajr; he prayed it as four rak'ahs. And not only that, but he said afterwards: "Shall I add to you?" Pray behind him. Why? Because of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in two hadiths. The first is in *Sahih al-Bukhari*, where he said (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the imams: , . The other hadith is in *Sahih Muslim*: . Therefore, it is not befitting to be strict in the issue of following one who differs in school of jurisprudence, as long as this person remains within the circle of Islam. But if he exits from it, then the prayer behind him is not valid. This is the criterion for the ruling on the validity or invalidity of the prayer. It is a Muslim; the prayer behind him is valid, whether he agrees with your school of jurisprudence or differs from it. You are praying for Allah, and he is praying for Allah. If he errs, the error is upon him, and the correctness is for you. And to confirm this meaning, he said (peace and blessings be upon him) in the authentic hadith: . The imam is a guarantor for the validity of the prayer of those who follow behind him. Therefore, here there are two matters. The first: The follower does not concern himself with looking at the perfection of the imam in knowledge, righteousness, or mindfulness of Allah. Just as the opposite is obligatory upon the imam: he must concern himself with the responsibility of his leadership and the people following him, for he is a guarantor for the validity of their prayer. If he corrupts it for them, then the sin of this corruption is upon him; he bears the responsibility of everyone. For this reason, he said (peace and blessings be upon him): . Yes.