Can My Brother Lead the Prayers Despite His Poor Tajwid?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I’m a girl from the subcontinent. A year ago, my family members (excluding my sister and father) would offer salah together, with my brother leading us in prayer. I was the one who insisted on it.
I developed OCD over my pronunciation after discovering that our Makharij on certain letters was incorrect (for example, the saad and the daad). I also developed OCD on various other things, and our practice was gradually discontinued. Meanwhile, I enrolled in a class and began learning Makharij. I am concerned that my brother does not pray.
Can I ask him to lead prayers again to get him to pray and strengthen family ties, and will it be valid even though he gets some letters wrong and I know how to pronounce them: he is unlikely to show interest in learning.?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. May Allah Most High reward you for your efforts to accurately recite the Quran, to pray, and to make sure that all of your siblings offer their prayers.
Yes, you may ask him to lead the prayer, even though his pronunciation of some letters may be wrong. This is a very effective way of getting him and all to join in the prayer. It will strengthen family ties, and you can all learn from each other too.
Although, it is a personal obligation (fard ‘Ayn) to correctly recite the pronunciation of letters for each Muslim, male and female. In the meantime, while praying together, you can correct his pronunciation of the letters in your sisterly way with love and wisdom.
To learn how to pray correctly, sign up for one of our free prayer courses: Shurunbulali’s Ascent to Felicity.
Related:
Tajweed Archives
Prayer Reader: The Ultimate Guide To Prayer in Islam
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
