Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Some of my friends who refuse to pray behind a sunni. ? What should be done?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Refuse to pray behind a Sunni Imam

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

This issue of a believer refusing to pray behind another believer, did not happen at the times of the Prophet (saws). This arose only when some of the muslims created and invented sects in the Ummah of Islam, each refusing to pray behind the other… for no other reason, than arrogance and pride, and the feeling of their own superiority and righteousness compared to the one who is leading the prayer in congregation.

Allah did not name the believers Sunnis, or Shias, or Ismailis, or Bohris, or Shafeis, or Malekis, etc. He has chosen to name the believers as ‘muslims’… and all the other names of sects are nothing but the mere invention of man himself, and have absolutely no basis in the deen of Islam!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 77-78:O you who have believed, do ‘rukooh’ (bow down) and do ‘sajdah’ (prostration), and worship your Lord Allah Alone, and do righteous deeds: it may be that you attain true success! Exert your utmost for the cause of Allah, as one should. He has chosen you for His service, and has not laid on you any hardship in your religion. Therefore, be steadfast in the religion of your father Abraham. Allah had named you ‘muslims’ before this, and has named you (muslims) in this Quran also, so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you, and you may be witnesses in regard to the rest of mankind.

Allah Subhanah clearly dislikes those who have believed to break themselves from the Ummah of Islam, and form their own sects and creeds…

Allah says in Chapter 30 Surah Rum aayat 31-32:"This (Islam) is the right and true faith, but most people do not know. (Be steadfast on this) turning wholly and sincerely towards Allah Alone, and fear Him, and establish the Salat, and do not be like the mushriks, who have set up their separate creeds and divided themselves into sects, each sect rejoicing in what it has."

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Surah Mu’minoon verse 52-54:And you all belong to one and the same ummah, and I (Allah) am your Lord; so fear Me Alone! Yet afterwards the people divided themselves into different sects, and each sect rejoicing in what it has. Well, leave them deeply involved in their heedlessness up to an appointed time.

Any person who refuses to pray behind an appointed imam, does no harm to anyone except himself! This person who refuses to pray behind the imam in congregation, will obviously not get the reward of praying in congregation; and has thus harmed no one but himself, and lost the opportunity to earn a multi-fold reward for his prayers. These people who refuse to pray behind the appointed imam, are more interested in following sects and creeds, rather than following the commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws)!

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (saws) said: "The prayer of a man in congregation is twenty-five times more superior (in reward) to his prayer in his house or market.”

Abu ad-Darda' narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "If there are three men in a village or desert and salah is not established (in congregation) among them, then the Satan takes mastery over them. So be with the congregation since the wolf devours the remote (stray) sheep."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan