What is the ruling on leading the prayer for one who wears an amulet on his hand?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. We have a colleague at work who sometimes leads the worshippers in prayer at the workplace, and he has an amulet attached to him.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : He has an amulet attached to him.
The Shaykh : Meaning, he prays with you.
The questioner : Yes, that is right.
The Shaykh : He leads, he prays with you, okay.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh, what is the ruling on this man leading the prayer? If the answer, O Shaykh, is that it is not permissible, then what should we do?
The Shaykh : Is it this man who prays with you, and you say: he has an amulet attached to him, is he the one who prays with you, because the person in charge of this department appointed him, or did you elect him?
The questioner : No, O Shaykh, there is an imam who prays with us, there is an imam, meaning one who is consistent in leading the worshippers in prayer at the workplace. There is no one, meaning, authorized by the administration or such, but an imam came and was consistent in leading the prayer, but sometimes this imam is absent due to, for example, work or a job outside the workplace, so this person is put forward?
The Shaykh : Meaning, does this mean he acts as a substitute for the regular imam?
The questioner : He acts as a substitute, but it is an unofficial substitution; he is put forward by the worshippers.
The Shaykh : Okay, if he was elected by the worshippers and he is a substitute for the regular imam, and he has this amulet on his hand, then the obligatory thing for you, first, is to advise him and to make it clear to him that this amulet has no good in it and that it is a type of shirk (associating partners with Allah), especially if it contains symbols or forbidden invocations or the like. If he stops doing it, then Allah has guided him through your hands, and you have a reward for this. If he does not stop, then it is obligatory that the matter be raised to the imam whom he is substituting for, and it should be said: We are not satisfied that this man substitutes for you, and you should choose a person in his place who is upright.
The questioner : Okay, O Shaykh, in the case where a person enters and finds this person leading the worshippers in prayer?
The Shaykh : He prays with them and there is no blame on him. If he enters and this imam is the one who is praying, he prays and there is no blame on him. Yes.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : He has an amulet attached to him.
The Shaykh : Meaning, he prays with you.
The questioner : Yes, that is right.
The Shaykh : He leads, he prays with you, okay.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh, what is the ruling on this man leading the prayer? If the answer, O Shaykh, is that it is not permissible, then what should we do?
The Shaykh : Is it this man who prays with you, and you say: he has an amulet attached to him, is he the one who prays with you, because the person in charge of this department appointed him, or did you elect him?
The questioner : No, O Shaykh, there is an imam who prays with us, there is an imam, meaning one who is consistent in leading the worshippers in prayer at the workplace. There is no one, meaning, authorized by the administration or such, but an imam came and was consistent in leading the prayer, but sometimes this imam is absent due to, for example, work or a job outside the workplace, so this person is put forward?
The Shaykh : Meaning, does this mean he acts as a substitute for the regular imam?
The questioner : He acts as a substitute, but it is an unofficial substitution; he is put forward by the worshippers.
The Shaykh : Okay, if he was elected by the worshippers and he is a substitute for the regular imam, and he has this amulet on his hand, then the obligatory thing for you, first, is to advise him and to make it clear to him that this amulet has no good in it and that it is a type of shirk (associating partners with Allah), especially if it contains symbols or forbidden invocations or the like. If he stops doing it, then Allah has guided him through your hands, and you have a reward for this. If he does not stop, then it is obligatory that the matter be raised to the imam whom he is substituting for, and it should be said: We are not satisfied that this man substitutes for you, and you should choose a person in his place who is upright.
The questioner : Okay, O Shaykh, in the case where a person enters and finds this person leading the worshippers in prayer?
The Shaykh : He prays with them and there is no blame on him. If he enters and this imam is the one who is praying, he prays and there is no blame on him. Yes.