The Ruling on One Who Is Too Shy to Step Forward to Lead the Prayer or Answer Questioners
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Q: The questioner says: He is very shy and cannot lead people in prayer, even though in some cases he is the most proficient reader among those present. When a question is directed to him, he trembles, as he says, and he asks for your guidance and advice.
A: It is obligatory for the believer and the student of knowledge to have high ambition, strength, and energy in conveying good, calling to good, teaching the ignorant, guiding the lost, enjoining good and forbidding evil. This is the obligation, and this is what the believer should do. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 4168Sahih (Darussalam).
The strong believer is the one who teaches people, leads them in prayer when they need it, reads knowledge to them, guides them, commands them to do good, and forbids them from doing evil. He is better than the weak, incapable believer who cannot exert himself to do what benefits them.
My advice to this questioner is to fear Allah, to have high ambition, and to lead the prayer if he is the best among those present. He should lead the people and take the initiative in doing so. He should display his knowledge if he has knowledge, and issue rulings to questioners based on the knowledge he has from Allah or from His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He should not be shy, for this is not a place for shyness. Shyness is for the ignorant or for one who commits sin. As for one who teaches people good, issues rulings in Islamic jurisprudence, and strives for their interests, it is not befitting for him to be shy, nor should he be cowardly, nor should he lag behind. Rather, he should step forward and be in the forefront in everything so that he may benefit people, guide them, and be a leader in good. And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
A: It is obligatory for the believer and the student of knowledge to have high ambition, strength, and energy in conveying good, calling to good, teaching the ignorant, guiding the lost, enjoining good and forbidding evil. This is the obligation, and this is what the believer should do. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The stronger believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good.
المؤمن القوي خير وأحب إلى الله من المؤمن الضعيف وفي كل خيرThe strong believer is the one who teaches people, leads them in prayer when they need it, reads knowledge to them, guides them, commands them to do good, and forbids them from doing evil. He is better than the weak, incapable believer who cannot exert himself to do what benefits them.
My advice to this questioner is to fear Allah, to have high ambition, and to lead the prayer if he is the best among those present. He should lead the people and take the initiative in doing so. He should display his knowledge if he has knowledge, and issue rulings to questioners based on the knowledge he has from Allah or from His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He should not be shy, for this is not a place for shyness. Shyness is for the ignorant or for one who commits sin. As for one who teaches people good, issues rulings in Islamic jurisprudence, and strives for their interests, it is not befitting for him to be shy, nor should he be cowardly, nor should he lag behind. Rather, he should step forward and be in the forefront in everything so that he may benefit people, guide them, and be a leader in good. And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.