The Obligation of Imams to Be Calm and Humble in Prayer
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Question:
Due to the excessive speed with which some imams perform the prayer, a person praying with them is often forced to not recite the surah after al-Fatihah in the quiet prayers. Do I have to repeat the prayer after such imams, since the prayer with them lacks humility and calmness?
Answer:
It is obligatory for imams to fear Allah, to be calm in their prayer, in their bowing, and in their prostration, and to recite the Quran with proper recitation and to beautify their voices with it, so that they deliver the words of the Lord with good recitation and clear reading that causes hearts to be humbled.
This is the obligation of imams: to strive for calmness and humility in the prayer so that they benefit and those behind them benefit, and so that they perform it as Allah has prescribed. And Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Mu'minun 23:1] al-Ladhina Hum fi Salatihim Khashi'un [Al-Mu'minun:1-2]. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the one who performed his prayer poorly to be calm, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Bulugh al-Maram 2:139 the hadith.
So it is obligatory for imams to pay attention to this matter, and to be calm in their bowing and prostration, after bowing, and between the two prostrations. They should also pay attention to the recitation, reading with a clear and distinct recitation that has no obscurity or dropping of any letters. They should enable those behind them to recite after al-Fatihah, even though it is not obligatory, but the best in the quiet prayer is for the follower to recite al-Fatihah and whatever is easy for him with it along with his imam.
The imam also recites a surah after al-Fatihah or verses in the quiet and loud prayers in the first and second rak'ahs. But in the quiet prayer, the follower recites in addition to al-Fatihah, and in the loud prayer, al-Fatihah is sufficient for him and he listens to the imam. If the follower is unable to recite anything with al-Fatihah because the imam hastened, that does not harm him, because the obligation is al-Fatihah, and what is added to it is not obligatory, so leaving it does not harm and does not invalidate the prayer. But he must pay attention to bowing and prostration in terms of calmness, and between the two prostrations and after bowing as well. These are great matters and an obligation that is necessary for everyone: the imam, the follower, and the one praying alone. And Allah is the guarantor of success.
Due to the excessive speed with which some imams perform the prayer, a person praying with them is often forced to not recite the surah after al-Fatihah in the quiet prayers. Do I have to repeat the prayer after such imams, since the prayer with them lacks humility and calmness?
Answer:
It is obligatory for imams to fear Allah, to be calm in their prayer, in their bowing, and in their prostration, and to recite the Quran with proper recitation and to beautify their voices with it, so that they deliver the words of the Lord with good recitation and clear reading that causes hearts to be humbled.
This is the obligation of imams: to strive for calmness and humility in the prayer so that they benefit and those behind them benefit, and so that they perform it as Allah has prescribed. And Allah the Exalted said:
Certainly will the believers have succeeded:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ When you get up to pray, perform ablution perfectly, then face the Qiblah and say: 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Most Great). Then recite a convenient portion of the Qur'an; then bow and remain calmly in that position for a moment, then rise up and stand erect; then prostrate and remain calmly in that position for a moment
إذا قمت إلى الصلاة فأسبغ الوضوء ثم استقبل القبلة فكبر ثم اقرأ ما تيسر معك من القرآن ثم اركع حتى تطمئن راكعًا ثم ارفع حتى تعتدل قائمًا ثم اسجد حتى تطمئن ساجدًا...So it is obligatory for imams to pay attention to this matter, and to be calm in their bowing and prostration, after bowing, and between the two prostrations. They should also pay attention to the recitation, reading with a clear and distinct recitation that has no obscurity or dropping of any letters. They should enable those behind them to recite after al-Fatihah, even though it is not obligatory, but the best in the quiet prayer is for the follower to recite al-Fatihah and whatever is easy for him with it along with his imam.
The imam also recites a surah after al-Fatihah or verses in the quiet and loud prayers in the first and second rak'ahs. But in the quiet prayer, the follower recites in addition to al-Fatihah, and in the loud prayer, al-Fatihah is sufficient for him and he listens to the imam. If the follower is unable to recite anything with al-Fatihah because the imam hastened, that does not harm him, because the obligation is al-Fatihah, and what is added to it is not obligatory, so leaving it does not harm and does not invalidate the prayer. But he must pay attention to bowing and prostration in terms of calmness, and between the two prostrations and after bowing as well. These are great matters and an obligation that is necessary for everyone: the imam, the follower, and the one praying alone. And Allah is the guarantor of success.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.