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:

Please tell me that if an immam misses his fajar prayers, can he stand for Immat in other prayers or not? 

(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:

Imam misses prayers

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.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2527 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘Striving in the Path of Allah (jihad) is incumbent on you along with every ruler, whether he is pious or impious; the prayer is obligatory on you behind every believer, pious or impious, even if he commits grave sins; the (funeral) prayer is incumbent upon every Muslim, pious and impious, even if he commits major sins.”

If an ‘Imam’ has been appointed by the Islamic State, or the governing body of the mosque, or even if an ‘Imam’ is chosen amongst the believers to lead the prayers, it is absolutely incumbent upon the believers to offer their prayers behind the ‘imam’, regardless of whether the ‘Imam’ is pious or impious or even if he commits major sins!

If the ‘Imam’ has missed his obligatory prayers or committed any sin whatsoever, the burden of his deed is upon him alone and his leading a prayer does not effect the validity or reward of the prayers of the believers praying behind him in any way whatsoever.

Your Question: Please tell me that if an immam misses his fajar prayers, can he stand for Immat in other prayers or not? 

Regardless of whether an appointed or chosen ‘Imam’ has missed one (or more) of his obligatory prayers intentionally or unintentionally, it does not disqualify him from leading the believers in their other prayers. The burden of the any sin the ‘Imam’ might have committed is on him alone, and does not in any way effect the validity or rewards of the believers praying behind him.

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan