A man who holds a major religious innovation and follows a scholar in it: Is it permissible to pray behind him?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, may Allah reward you. A man is an innovator who commits a major religious innovation, but he does not know that this innovation is shirk (associating partners with Allah); he is merely following the scholars of this innovation. Is it permissible to pray behind him?
The Shaykh : Regarding the person you mentioned who is an innovator with a major religious innovation but is following a scholar, one must look at whether he was told that this innovation is kufr (disbelief) and he defied it. One must look: if he said, "Yes, I know it is kufr, but we found our fathers upon a nation, and we are following in their footsteps," then he is a disbeliever. But if he said, "No, this is not an innovation, and this is the truth," and he says, "I know my Shaykh is a knowledgeable man," then this is a matter of consideration. Yes, three.
The Shaykh : Regarding the person you mentioned who is an innovator with a major religious innovation but is following a scholar, one must look at whether he was told that this innovation is kufr (disbelief) and he defied it. One must look: if he said, "Yes, I know it is kufr, but we found our fathers upon a nation, and we are following in their footsteps," then he is a disbeliever. But if he said, "No, this is not an innovation, and this is the truth," and he says, "I know my Shaykh is a knowledgeable man," then this is a matter of consideration. Yes, three.