Is it valid to cite the hadith of Abu (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the follower not correcting the imam if the imam makes a mistake in a specific place in the recitation?
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The questioner : Is it valid to cite the hadith of Abu (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the follower not correcting the imam if the imam makes a mistake in a specific place in the recitation? The hadith says: "until it reached seven letters," then he said: "None of them is anything but a sufficient expiation. If you say 'Hearing and Knowing' and if you say 'Mighty and Wise,' as long as you do not replace a verse of punishment with mercy, or a verse of mercy with punishment?"
The Shaykh : ... The understanding of the question, after correcting the heart, is this: This means if the follower moves ahead of the imam and the imam lags behind. The questioner intends that if the imam makes a mistake during his recitation of the Qur'an, and his mistake does not fit the meaning of the verse—meaning he did not place a verse of mercy in place of a verse of punishment, or place 'Hearing and Seeing' in place of 'Knowing and Hearing,' or the like—then in this case, does he correct him or not? The answer is... If the recitation that the imam recited is from the established recitations from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then naturally he does not correct him. But if it was a slip of the tongue or a mistake, then he corrects him. This is what we see, and Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : ... The understanding of the question, after correcting the heart, is this: This means if the follower moves ahead of the imam and the imam lags behind. The questioner intends that if the imam makes a mistake during his recitation of the Qur'an, and his mistake does not fit the meaning of the verse—meaning he did not place a verse of mercy in place of a verse of punishment, or place 'Hearing and Seeing' in place of 'Knowing and Hearing,' or the like—then in this case, does he correct him or not? The answer is... If the recitation that the imam recited is from the established recitations from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then naturally he does not correct him. But if it was a slip of the tongue or a mistake, then he corrects him. This is what we see, and Allah knows best.