Is it permissible for one who stutters in his recitation of the Qur'an to lead the prayer?
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The questioner : Is it permissible for one who stutters in his recitation of the Qur'an to lead the prayer?
The Shaykh : It is permissible for one who stutters in the Qur'an to lead the prayer, as long as he articulates the letters, words, and vowel movements correctly. Some people have a heavy tongue and stutter, but some scholars have said that it is disliked for the one who repeats the letter fā' (al-fā'fā') or the one who repeats the letter tā' (al-tamtam) to lead the prayer, and likewise for one who repeats any other letter. They said that it is disliked for him to lead. There is no doubt that the more proficient a person is in recitation—meaning the better his recitation and the more he has memorized of the Qur'an—the more suitable he is to lead the prayer, provided he is pious and righteous. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 2:318.
As for the one who stutters in his recitation, if he has been appointed by the authorities, he should first be taught. If he is able to achieve correct recitation, that is fine; otherwise, his case should be referred to the authorities so that they may replace him with someone who is more upright in leading the prayer. However, if he has not been appointed by the authorities, the people of the neighborhood should teach him, and if he does not improve, they should replace him with someone better than him.
The Shaykh : It is permissible for one who stutters in the Qur'an to lead the prayer, as long as he articulates the letters, words, and vowel movements correctly. Some people have a heavy tongue and stutter, but some scholars have said that it is disliked for the one who repeats the letter fā' (al-fā'fā') or the one who repeats the letter tā' (al-tamtam) to lead the prayer, and likewise for one who repeats any other letter. They said that it is disliked for him to lead. There is no doubt that the more proficient a person is in recitation—meaning the better his recitation and the more he has memorized of the Qur'an—the more suitable he is to lead the prayer, provided he is pious and righteous. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The one who knows [by recitation and memorization] the Book of Allah most should be the Imam of the people. If they are equal in the recitation, then the one who knows the Sunnah most and if they are equal in the Sunnah then the earliest of them to emigrate (to al-Madinah) and if they are equal in the emigration then the oldest among them in Islam. In another narration it has "agewise".
يؤم القوم أقرأهم لكتاب الله فإن كانوا في القراءة سواء فأعلمهم بالسنة فإن كانوا في السنة سواء فأقدهم هجرة فإن كانوا فأقدهم سلماً أو قال سناًAs for the one who stutters in his recitation, if he has been appointed by the authorities, he should first be taught. If he is able to achieve correct recitation, that is fine; otherwise, his case should be referred to the authorities so that they may replace him with someone who is more upright in leading the prayer. However, if he has not been appointed by the authorities, the people of the neighborhood should teach him, and if he does not improve, they should replace him with someone better than him.