What is the meaning of the hadith: “Whoever leads the people and hits the time, it is for him and for them…”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Well, there is a hadith, O Shaykh, that says: Sunan Abi Dawud 580Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani) and so on. Do we understand from this hadith that if one prays with an imam who brings the prayer forward before its time, the follower does not repeat the prayer?
The Shaykh : This is if the follower does not know. But if he knows, then the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) applies here:.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This hadith is like the other hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari:. However, if we know that a man is praying without ritual purity, we do not say that his prayer is valid, because we know that he did not fulfill the condition. Likewise, the time is one of the conditions of prayer, as you know.
The questioner : Well, O Shaykh, what about the person who prays behind an imam who hurries through his prayer and does not complete the pillars, especially the rising from bowing and the sitting between the two prostrations? Does this not apply to the hadith in al-Bukhari?
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : Is that so?
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : Well, how do we reconcile this with the fact that it is required if one prays outside the time?
The Shaykh : The matter differs, may Allah bless you. Because regarding tranquility in prayer, you know that there are many, and very many, opinions. Some say it is a pillar, which is the position we adopt; some say it is an obligation; some say it is obligatory; and some say it is merely a recommended practice. Therefore, it is not correct to treat a ruling on which there is disagreement among scholars, both past and present, in the same way as a matter on which there is no disagreement and on which there is consensus that it is a condition or a pillar.
The questioner: All right.
He who leads the people in prayer, and he does so at the right time, will receive, as well as those who are led (in prayer) will get (the reward).
من أم الناس فأصاب الوقت فله ولهم ...The Shaykh : This is if the follower does not know. But if he knows, then the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) applies here:
Rulers will come after me who will delay the prayer from its time. So pray it in its time, then pray it with them, and it will be a voluntary prayer for you.
سيليكم أمراء يؤخرون الصلاة عن وقتها فصلوها أنتم في وقتها ثم صلوها معهم تكون لكم نافلةThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This hadith is like the other hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari:
They will lead you in prayer. If they hit the time, it is for you and for them. If they err, it is for you and upon them.
يصلون بكم فإن أصابوا فلكم ولهم وإن أخطؤوا فلكم و عليهمThe questioner : Well, O Shaykh, what about the person who prays behind an imam who hurries through his prayer and does not complete the pillars, especially the rising from bowing and the sitting between the two prostrations? Does this not apply to the hadith in al-Bukhari?
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : Is that so?
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : Well, how do we reconcile this with the fact that it is required if one prays outside the time?
The Shaykh : The matter differs, may Allah bless you. Because regarding tranquility in prayer, you know that there are many, and very many, opinions. Some say it is a pillar, which is the position we adopt; some say it is an obligation; some say it is obligatory; and some say it is merely a recommended practice. Therefore, it is not correct to treat a ruling on which there is disagreement among scholars, both past and present, in the same way as a matter on which there is no disagreement and on which there is consensus that it is a condition or a pillar.
The questioner: All right.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.