If I am a regular imam in a mosque, and someone comes who has a better memory of the Qur'an than I do, am I required to step down from the imamate for this newcomer?

The questioner : The question asks: If I am a regular imam in a mosque, and someone comes who has a better memory of the Qur'an than I do, am I required to step down from the imamate for this newcomer?

The Shaykh : The answer is: Jurisprudentially, he should prefer the one who is more proficient in recitation and more knowledgeable in jurisprudence than he is. However, this is not a mandatory duty; in other words, when a Muslim ruler appoints a person to lead the prayer, it is for the public benefit he sees in it. And this is, of course, a statement made when there is a Muslim ruler; meaning, one who places things in their appropriate positions. But when the situation is as it is in reality today, where those who are not qualified for authority are appointed, in this case, it is obligatory for the regular imam to give preference to the one who is more proficient in recitation and more knowledgeable than he is, provided there is no obstacle from the state that employed him, so that certain fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and certain dangers do not occur. And if the matter is free from any of these dangers, the imam is expected to be, before any other person, well-versed in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): to the end of the hadith.