The ruling on the prayer of an imam who remembers that he is not in a state of ablution, and the ruling on the prayer of the congregation
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We are young men from Rafah who have come to visit some of the shaykhs. We convey to you that the people of Rafah send their greetings to you and to all the young men, and we inform you that the call to Islam is continuing.And they say: We love you for the sake of Allah and draw near to Allah through our love for you. The question, O Shaykh! If a man leads a congregation in prayer and remembers during the prayer that he is not in a state of ablution, but his ablution was not broken during the prayer, does his prayer become invalid for him alone, or for the congregation?
First, we would like to convey our greetings to our brothers in Rafah and inform them that we ask Allah for steadfastness for them in the uprightness and calling to Islam that you have described to us. I advise them, first, to fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic, to be sincere in their intentions, to be patient and steady, and not to grow weary of doing good deeds or of calling to Allah, even if they suffer harm. However, let this be done with gentleness, an open heart, and a pleasant face. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that “Allah gives through gentleness what He does not give through harshness”. This is something conveyed by the Infallible (peace and blessings be upon him), and reality has confirmed it. Many of the young men whom Allah has blessed with guidance and uprightness want people to become upright overnight! You find their chests constrict when they see that people do not accept, and they may become angry with those they call, or even curse them or describe them as misguided or the like. All of this is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
You know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained in Mecca for thirteen years while revelation was being sent down to him, and he did not find complete response. In fact, he was compelled to leave Mecca and migrate to Madinah. So they should fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic, be patient in matters, be steadfast, wait for relief, and seek reward from Allah the Mighty and Majestic. They should increase in seeking forgiveness, advising one another to truth, advising one another to patience, and advising one another to mercy, so that their affairs may be completed. And they should always ask Allah for steadfastness, for the hearts are between two fingers of the Merciful, and He turns them as He wills. If He wills, He turns the heart away, and if He wills, He makes it steadfast. We ask Allah the Mighty and Majestic to make us and you steadfast with the firm word in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.
They should strive to receive knowledge from the people of knowledge and not read every book that falls into their hands. This is because we observe in the present time a proliferation of writings by people who are not known for knowledge, and this is a great danger. A person should not be a follower who follows every caller. Rather, they should rely only on books whose authors are known for knowledge, advice, and righteousness.
As for your question about the imam who remembers during the prayer that he is not in a state of ablution, we say: It is obligatory for him to leave his prayer, and it is not permissible for him to continue, worshipping Allah in a manner not prescribed and drawing near to Allah the Exalted in a way that angers Allah. Indeed, Allah is not pleased with a servant praying without ablution, or rather, without purity. He should leave and then say to one of the congregation behind him: “O so-and-so! Complete the prayer for them.” If he leaves without appointing someone to complete the prayer, the congregation has a choice between two things: either they complete the prayer individually, or they appoint one of them to lead them in prayer.
As for the one praying behind the imam, his prayer is valid and there is no harm in it. There is no difference between the imam remembering that he is not in a state of ablution or him becoming ritually impure during the prayer. There is no difference between these two cases. The one praying behind the imam is excused in any case, because the one praying behind the imam does not know about the imam’s ritual impurity, and if he had known that his imam was ritually impure, he would not have prayed behind him.
First, we would like to convey our greetings to our brothers in Rafah and inform them that we ask Allah for steadfastness for them in the uprightness and calling to Islam that you have described to us. I advise them, first, to fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic, to be sincere in their intentions, to be patient and steady, and not to grow weary of doing good deeds or of calling to Allah, even if they suffer harm. However, let this be done with gentleness, an open heart, and a pleasant face. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that “Allah gives through gentleness what He does not give through harshness”. This is something conveyed by the Infallible (peace and blessings be upon him), and reality has confirmed it. Many of the young men whom Allah has blessed with guidance and uprightness want people to become upright overnight! You find their chests constrict when they see that people do not accept, and they may become angry with those they call, or even curse them or describe them as misguided or the like. All of this is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
You know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained in Mecca for thirteen years while revelation was being sent down to him, and he did not find complete response. In fact, he was compelled to leave Mecca and migrate to Madinah. So they should fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic, be patient in matters, be steadfast, wait for relief, and seek reward from Allah the Mighty and Majestic. They should increase in seeking forgiveness, advising one another to truth, advising one another to patience, and advising one another to mercy, so that their affairs may be completed. And they should always ask Allah for steadfastness, for the hearts are between two fingers of the Merciful, and He turns them as He wills. If He wills, He turns the heart away, and if He wills, He makes it steadfast. We ask Allah the Mighty and Majestic to make us and you steadfast with the firm word in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.
They should strive to receive knowledge from the people of knowledge and not read every book that falls into their hands. This is because we observe in the present time a proliferation of writings by people who are not known for knowledge, and this is a great danger. A person should not be a follower who follows every caller. Rather, they should rely only on books whose authors are known for knowledge, advice, and righteousness.
As for your question about the imam who remembers during the prayer that he is not in a state of ablution, we say: It is obligatory for him to leave his prayer, and it is not permissible for him to continue, worshipping Allah in a manner not prescribed and drawing near to Allah the Exalted in a way that angers Allah. Indeed, Allah is not pleased with a servant praying without ablution, or rather, without purity. He should leave and then say to one of the congregation behind him: “O so-and-so! Complete the prayer for them.” If he leaves without appointing someone to complete the prayer, the congregation has a choice between two things: either they complete the prayer individually, or they appoint one of them to lead them in prayer.
As for the one praying behind the imam, his prayer is valid and there is no harm in it. There is no difference between the imam remembering that he is not in a state of ablution or him becoming ritually impure during the prayer. There is no difference between these two cases. The one praying behind the imam is excused in any case, because the one praying behind the imam does not know about the imam’s ritual impurity, and if he had known that his imam was ritually impure, he would not have prayed behind him.