The Meaning of the Hadith: (The imam is appointed to be followed, so do not differ with him)

The Shaykh : This is practical evidence that the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): is a general text. Then, this same hadith in its entirety contains a very great indication that following is general, and here in there is the dropping of a pillar of the prayer. For what reason?

The questioner : Following.

The Shaykh : Following.

The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: Here comes what the jurists, as is well known, call the stronger analogy (qiyas awla). When the Exalted said: , it is even more so that you do not strike them with your hand. This is a stronger analogy. If the command of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is that the followers, if they see the imam sit, should sit with him, then where is ? Ah, that is in a case different from this one. Here, the pillar is omitted to achieve following. If the pillar is omitted, do you see that the sitting for rest (jalsat al-istirahah) is not omitted?

The questioner : It is omitted.

The Shaykh : It is omitted. Here, this hadith leads us to some detail required by the previous generalization. So I say, and before I say it, I remind you that this hadith came in a correct wording that is more eloquent in its indication. He said: Do not differ with him. If the imam does not raise his hands, and I raise my hands, that is differing with him. If the imam does not sit for the sitting for rest, and I sit and delay behind him, and so on, so infer from that. If the imam places his hands here, and I am of the school that places them here, and I reverse it, I say: The Hanafi imam places them here, and I will follow him, and so on. This is the rule. But I said I would say something that clarifies what I generalized previously. So I say: The original rule is this. I entered a mosque and did not know its imam, but it became clear to me, either at that moment or before, that he contradicts the Sunnah by which I worship Allah. For example, as was the case in the discussion, he does not sit for the sitting for rest. But I know that this imam is one of two men: an excellent imam who loves the Sunnah, but he was not convinced, like most of the Hanbalis among you, that this Sunnah is a Sunnah of prayer. Rather, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in *Zad al-Ma'ad*, that this was for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) because he became heavy. This is one of the worst things said, that he was heavy, even though the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he walked, it was as if he was being lowered from a slope. So they attributed the sitting for rest, which has no room for rejection, to the fact that it is not from the Sunnahs of prayer. But when the (peace and blessings be upon him) became heavy and his body became heavy, that is why he would lean and stand up like this. The imam Ibn al-Qayyim was convinced. What do we say about him? Ignorant? May Allah protect us! But this is his personal conviction. And there are scholars who follow him in this. So this is the one who follows and does not contradict. As for a man who is stubborn about his school, and the Sunnah became clear to him, and this Sunnah became clear to him, and he is stubborn about the school against the Sunnah, he does not say, "By Allah, this did not appear to me, and I see as Ibn al-Qayyim and others said," and so on. So here, if we know that he is convinced like this, we follow him, even if this follower considers this action wrong. If we know that he is stubborn against the Sunnah and contrary to the Sunnah, we give him no weight; we contradict him and give him no weight. I imagine an imam from these four imams, and they differ, of course, even in prayer. Imam Abu Hanifah stands to pray as an imam and places his hands below the navel. So I cannot say about him that he is ignorant, and I cannot say about him that he is stubborn. And Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan and Imam Zufar, and count as many as you wish, until we reach this time. So if a man is a scholar and convinced that this is the Sunnah, we follow him. But if it becomes clear to us, as we see in some imams of mosques, that they are stubborn against the Sunnah, then these have no sanctity, because we have given them sanctity by following their imams. But if it becomes clear that they follow them, preferring their following over the Sunnah, then they have no value. I mention, and you know without doubt, that I said in the description of prayer that placing the hands after standing is a religious innovation (bid'ah).

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Placing the hands is a religious innovation (bid'ah). But I remember once I prayed behind Ibn Baz, or more than once, but I remember once. So I placed my hand after standing, even though I stated that this is not from the Sunnah, because I looked at the one in front of me and he was not like these imitators and ignorant and stubborn people, and so on. So I did like his action, and I do so. But these are rare. Give me your attention.

The questioner : Glory be to Allah.

The Shaykh : These are rare, because most imams are ignorant and stubborn, and so on. So, we take this as a rule that we follow the imam in his prayer, even if he is wrong in my opinion, but he is excused. He is excused in my view for this error. But if he is stubborn against the Sunnah, I give him no weight.

The questioner : How does this become clear to us?

The Shaykh : This is by experience.

The questioner : You establish the proof against him.

The Shaykh : Yes, this is by experience. Yes.

The questioner : And if he is, for example, an imitator of one of the imams, what do we say in this matter?

The Shaykh : You follow him, out of respect for the imam, because this one is excused. Do I consider him excused or not excused? And the excuse differs from person to person.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : I told you just now regarding the learned imam, he is excused, and I gave you an example with Abu Hanifah and the students, and then I reversed that with some of the stubborn ones. Now, regarding the common people, these are also excused, because we cannot say to them, "Be scholars, know the Sunnah, and the Sunnah is like this," because no matter how much of a scholar you are in your scholarship, this man does not know you. And therefore, he is excused in following his imam. The important thing is that the issue revolves, as is said in the principles, "the ruling revolves with the cause in existence and absence." So the cause here is the excuse. His excuse may be that he is a scholar who was not convinced by your point of view, or his excuse may be that he is not a scholar, but he is a follower of an imam and was not convinced by your point of view. So this and that, we follow him in prayer, unlike what we mentioned just now. And this also.

Another questioner : And if he knows the Sunnah but does not act upon it out of respect for Zayd of the people or 'Umar of the people?

The Shaykh : He has no respect, meaning, as is narrated from Imam al-Shafi'i that he came and prayed in the mosque of Abu Hanifah, so he did not recite the qunut.

Another questioner : Out of respect for him.

The Shaykh : Out of respect for him. A false story, a false story.

Another questioner : In Sahih Muslim, that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the 'Asr or the Dhuhr three rak'ahs, and entered the house, then was reminded, then came out and prayed.

The Shaykh : Prayed the Dhuhr three rak'ahs?

Another questioner : The Dhuhr or the 'Asr. The four-rak'ah prayer, we will see it.

The Shaykh : According to Abu Ahmad's saying, oh Allah, this.

Another questioner : Hehehe.

The questioner : This is like the qunut in the Fajr prayer. On this rule, they follow.

The Shaykh : Yes, I am the first of the followers.

The questioner : By Allah, O Shaykh, we contradict them. We ask Allah to forgive us, because the Sunnah, in our view, is hidden from the people, and we cannot, for example, explain it to the people, and especially in what is most important of matters, which is prayer. There is no doubt that prayer is important in this matter. So I ask that He guide us and you.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. I start with myself. Do you think that most of my obligatory prayers, leaving aside the voluntary prayers which do not have congregation, are more as an imam or as a follower?

The questioner : As an imam.

The Shaykh : No, I am not like that.