There is an imam in the same mosque, and he is a regular imam, but he does not read the Qur'an well and is not proficient in the rulings. Is it permissible to pray behind someone like this?
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The questioner : There is an imam in the same mosque, and he is a regular imam, but he does not read the Qur'an well and is not proficient in the rulings. Is it permissible to pray behind someone like this?
The Shaykh : The phrase "does not read well" is not clear or detailed. We do not know if he makes errors that change the meaning, or errors that do not change the meaning, or if he makes no errors at all, but his recitation is not according to the well-known rules of tajwid. As for the third case, where his recitation is not according to the well-known rules of tajwid, there is no blame on him whatsoever. This is because reciting with tajwid according to the well-known rules, meaning the well-known principles, is not obligatory. Tajwid is not obligatory for recitation. The view held by some scholars that it is obligatory to recite with tajwid is a weak opinion. What is obligatory is not to omit any of the letters, whether in a doubled word or a standalone letter. As for elongations and similar matters that only improve the wording, these are not obligatory. If this imam's error changes the wording but does not change the meaning, then the prayer behind him is valid, but someone else is more preferable than him. However, if his error changes the meaning in al-Fatihah or elsewhere, then it is not permissible to pray behind him. But it is obligatory for the people of the mosque to raise the matter to those responsible for the mosques so that this imam is corrected or replaced. As for his being an imam for the Muslims in the greatest pillar of Islam after the testimonies, while he does not do what is obligatory in recitation, it is not permissible for him to be an imam. And whoever appointed him as an imam is sinful. He is sinful in the right of Allah because he appointed someone who is not qualified, and he is sinful in the right of the worshippers because he either puts them in difficulty in praying behind him, or forces them to seek another mosque farther away, which would be burdensome for them.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : The phrase "does not read well" is not clear or detailed. We do not know if he makes errors that change the meaning, or errors that do not change the meaning, or if he makes no errors at all, but his recitation is not according to the well-known rules of tajwid. As for the third case, where his recitation is not according to the well-known rules of tajwid, there is no blame on him whatsoever. This is because reciting with tajwid according to the well-known rules, meaning the well-known principles, is not obligatory. Tajwid is not obligatory for recitation. The view held by some scholars that it is obligatory to recite with tajwid is a weak opinion. What is obligatory is not to omit any of the letters, whether in a doubled word or a standalone letter. As for elongations and similar matters that only improve the wording, these are not obligatory. If this imam's error changes the wording but does not change the meaning, then the prayer behind him is valid, but someone else is more preferable than him. However, if his error changes the meaning in al-Fatihah or elsewhere, then it is not permissible to pray behind him. But it is obligatory for the people of the mosque to raise the matter to those responsible for the mosques so that this imam is corrected or replaced. As for his being an imam for the Muslims in the greatest pillar of Islam after the testimonies, while he does not do what is obligatory in recitation, it is not permissible for him to be an imam. And whoever appointed him as an imam is sinful. He is sinful in the right of Allah because he appointed someone who is not qualified, and he is sinful in the right of the worshippers because he either puts them in difficulty in praying behind him, or forces them to seek another mosque farther away, which would be burdensome for them.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.