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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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The obligation of imams to pray as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed

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Question:
Some imams have the following characteristics: When one of them recites in the loud prayers, he lengthens his recitation and gives it its due in the parts of the prayer where recitation is loud. As for the rest of the prayer, meaning the part where recitation is quiet, and likewise all the quiet prayers, if you want to give the recitation its due as described in the description of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) prayer, you cannot complete the al-Fatihah, especially in the last two rak'ahs?

Answer:
It is obligatory for imams to pray as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
offer your prayers in the way you saw me offering my prayersصلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي
Sahih al-Bukhari 6008
Therefore, they must be at ease and take care of the recitation, and clarify the recitation, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught the one who prayed incorrectly. When he saw that he had not completed his prayer, he said to him:
When you stand for the prayer, say Takbir and then recite from the Qur'an what you know and then bow with calmness till you feel at ease, then rise from bowing till you stand straight. Afterwards prostrate calmly till you feel at ease and then raise (your head) and sit with Calmness till you feel at ease and then prostrate with calmness till you feel at ease in prostration and do the same in the whole of your prayer.إذا قمت إلى الصلاة فأسبغ الوضوء، ثم استقبل القبلة وكبر، ثم اقرأ ما تيسر معك من القرآن، ثم اركع حتى تطمئن راكعًا، ثم ارفع حتى تعتدل قائمًا، ثم اسجد حتى تطمئن ساجدًا، ثم ارفع حتى تطمئن جالسًا، ثم اسجد حتى تطمئن ساجدًا، ثم افعل ذلك في صلاتك كلها
Sahih al-Bukhari 793
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So it is obligatory for imams to take care of the prayer, to complete it, and to clarify the recitation. The recitation should be clear, with no deficiency and no dropping of letters. Rather, he should recite clearly so that those behind him benefit from it. In the first and second rak'ahs of Maghrib and 'Isha', and in the Fajr and Jumu'ah prayers, he should recite loudly in a way that benefits the worshippers, and he should not rush. The best is to recite with tartil (measured recitation); it is best that he recite with tartil and pause at the ends of verses, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to do, so that the worshippers benefit from his recitation. The ma'mum (one praying behind the imam) listens and pays attention, except that he recites al-Fatihah. The ma'mum recites al-Fatihah, even if his imam is reciting; he does not remain silent, but recites it and then listens, because he is commanded to do so. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Perhaps you recite behind your imam?لعلكم تقرؤون خلف إمامكم؟
Sunan Abi Dawud 823Da'if (Al-Albani)
We said: Yes. He said:
Do not do so except when it is Fatihat al-Kitab, for he who does not recite it is not credited with having prayed.لا تفعلوا إلا بفاتحة الكتاب، فإنه لا صلاة لمن لم يقرأ بها
Sunan Abi Dawud 823Da'if (Al-Albani)
This applies generally to both loud and quiet prayers; the ma'mum must recite.
But if the ma'mum arrives and the imam is already bowing, his bowing suffices for him, and the recitation is dropped from him. Or if he forgot and did not recite, or if he was ignorant and did not know the legal ruling, thinking that the ma'mum is not required to recite, his prayer is valid. This is unlike the imam and the one praying alone, for whom reciting al-Fatihah is an obligatory pillar that must not be dropped, whether due to ignorance or forgetfulness. Rather, they must recite al-Fatihah.
As for the ma'mum, his case is broader. It is obligatory for him to recite, but if he leaves it out due to ignorance, forgetfulness, or if he only caught the bowing, the rak'ah suffices for him, praise be to Allah. And the imam also, in the third and fourth rak'ahs of 'Isha', and of Zuhr and 'Asr, and the third rak'ah of Maghrib, must also be at ease and not rush until the ma'mum has recited al-Fatihah. He should not rush; he must recite with measured, deliberate recitation so that those behind him are able to recite. Because people are of different categories, differing in the speed of their recitation and the lack of speed. So the imam considers the ma'mums and is gentle with them and does not rush. And the ma'mum must also take care of the recitation so that he recites a complete, connected recitation, so that al-Fatihah does not slip away from him. Some people may recite in a fragmented way, stopping and remaining silent for long pauses. This has no basis, and he must recite in a connected manner so that he is able to recite before the imam bows.
Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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