What is the ruling on a follower taking the mushaf in his hand to open it for the imam if he makes a mistake in his recitation?

The Shaykh : I have been asked this more than once: What is the ruling on a follower taking the mushaf in his hand, for the same reason as the previous question, to open it for the imam if he makes a mistake in his recitation? We say the same answer: First, it is an innovation that did not exist in the time of the righteous Salaf. Second, it implies that the one who relies on the mushaf, whether he is an imam or a follower, does not care about studying the Qur'an, reviewing it, and keeping up with its memorization.

The questioner : There are some shaykhs who come with a narration.

The Shaykh : You got ahead of me, be patient. This is the ruling. As for what I intended to say, and my brother here got ahead of me by presenting the question, which naturally comes to mind as they say, there is a narration that says: "Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) had a slave who led her in prayer, and he would read from the mushaf This is a narration that leaves us no choice but to state the truth regarding its authenticity: it is established with a sound chain of narration, and there is no room for a scholar to deny it. However, this is regarding the narration itself. What is its ruling from the perspective of understanding, or from the jurisprudential standpoint? First, we say that this incident has no general application, because it took place in the house, in the residence. We are talking about the imams of mosques who are obligated to lead people, and to lead them with knowledge, not ignorance. Second, this was a slave, and he was not free. The rulings for slaves differ completely from the rulings for free people. Therefore, it is not permissible for a free person to lower himself to the status of a slave or to give himself the ruling of a slave. A slave is a slave to the slave who is a slave to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). Therefore, he has rulings in the Shari'ah—for example, you may know the common saying "the slave and what his hand possesses belongs to his master." This is a common expression, but it is a legal ruling. A slave does not own wealth; everything he earns belongs to his master. So, do we lower ourselves to this specific ruling because we find it pleasing in our souls? The answer is no. Note, then, the two issues: the first issue took place within four walls, not in front of the public, and not with imams of mosques who receive salaries to fulfill the rights of these positions. It is not like that. This was a slave who led Lady Aisha, so he would read from the mushaf. If we imagine this phenomenon recurring now, and we ask Allah to restore it to us, because unfortunately Muslims have become slaves, as you hear about the tragedies occurring not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in other Islamic lands, where there are Muslim prisoners and Muslim captives whose honor is violated, and so on. But when true jihad in the path of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is established, and Muslims prepare for it spiritually first, then materially second, then the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah, and then history will repeat itself, and the matter will become a reality, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said in the Noble Qur'an Then there will be free Muslims, and slaves who may be Muslims or may remain in their old misguidance. This is the answer to this issue, and perhaps this is sufficient, and we will stand to pray, if Allah wills.
The student : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : Yes, and may Allah do the same for you, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : No Muslim says this.

The questioner : They have three questions.

The Shaykh : No Muslim says this.

The questioner : He is a Muslim and an imam, but they have questions. Please send them to us. We will answer these questions and send them to the people of China. They say, "We are Salafis." So I said, "Has anyone preceded you?"

The Shaykh : My brother, no one says this. Do not believe it.

The questioner : For example, he said, "It is mentioned in the Qur'an: La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah), alone." He wants to reach the two testimonies. He says, "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." Is that correct? He says, "Do you not say 'La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'?" This is not correct; it is shirk (associating partners with Allah). They are not Arabs; they are non-Arabs, Chinese, who do not know Arabic. So we told them, "Let a scholar from among you come."

The Shaykh : For the first time I hear of this misguidance. Allah is the Helper.

The questioner : We want a written response from you to send to them.

The Shaykh : By Allah, my brother, writing is difficult because I do not have this free time. But any one of you can call me on the phone every night, praise be to Allah, in Ramadan from nine to ten, one hour. Before Ramadan and after Ramadan, two hours every night. Any question can be recorded: the questioner records the question, and the answer is recorded at the same time. This is possible. But for me to devote myself to writing...

The questioner : We write.

The Shaykh : I have no objection.