A man entered the mosque and found two men praying, so he brought the follower forward and put the imam back; what is the ruling on their prayer?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. A man followed another in prayer, and a third man entered, pulled the imam back, and brought the follower forward to follow him. What is the validity of this action?
The Shaykh : How is that? Perhaps it is the other way around!
The questioner : He is.
The Shaykh : Read the question a second time.
The questioner : I say a man.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Followed another.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : So a third man entered.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And pulled the imam back and brought the follower forward.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the other way around, men!
The questioner : This happened, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Okay, when he pulled the imam back and brought the follower forward, what did the follower become now?
The questioner : He became the imam.
The Shaykh : He became the imam.
The questioner : And the follower!
The Shaykh : Why does this entrant pull the imam back, cancel his imamate, and appoint someone else?
The questioner : Perhaps he is ignorant, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And that follower, meaning, did he not verify the report? He immediately became the imam?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, if Allah wills, the prayer is valid, because it is permissible for the imam to become a follower, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when he left his house and found Abu Bakr praying with the people as imam. He moved forward and sat to the left of Abu Bakr, so Abu Bakr became a follower after being the imam. So there is no harm.
But this is a strange matter from the strangeness of the world!
The questioner : Do they repeat it?
The Shaykh : In any case, if Allah wills, their prayer is valid, yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. Does anything result from it?
The Shaykh : Huh?
The questioner : Does anything result from it, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, no, their prayer is valid, there is nothing wrong with it, yes.
The Shaykh : How is that? Perhaps it is the other way around!
The questioner : He is.
The Shaykh : Read the question a second time.
The questioner : I say a man.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Followed another.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : So a third man entered.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And pulled the imam back and brought the follower forward.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the other way around, men!
The questioner : This happened, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Okay, when he pulled the imam back and brought the follower forward, what did the follower become now?
The questioner : He became the imam.
The Shaykh : He became the imam.
The questioner : And the follower!
The Shaykh : Why does this entrant pull the imam back, cancel his imamate, and appoint someone else?
The questioner : Perhaps he is ignorant, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And that follower, meaning, did he not verify the report? He immediately became the imam?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, if Allah wills, the prayer is valid, because it is permissible for the imam to become a follower, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when he left his house and found Abu Bakr praying with the people as imam. He moved forward and sat to the left of Abu Bakr, so Abu Bakr became a follower after being the imam. So there is no harm.
But this is a strange matter from the strangeness of the world!
The questioner : Do they repeat it?
The Shaykh : In any case, if Allah wills, their prayer is valid, yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. Does anything result from it?
The Shaykh : Huh?
The questioner : Does anything result from it, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, no, their prayer is valid, there is nothing wrong with it, yes.