Who Should Lead the Prayer?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

I often find myself praying in a congregation outside a mosque with family or friends and need guidance on who should lead.

As far as I know, the one with the most knowledge of Sunna should lead, but what if he doesn’t know tajweed and doesn’t pronounce some letters correctly? What if a hafiz is present who pronounces correctly but doesn’t know as much Sunna?

What if one with the most knowledge is a traveler while the rest are residents?

What if the one with the most knowledge doesn’t have a beard, hence a fassiq in the Hanafi school?

What if the one with the most knowledge is sick (sore throat)?

What if the one with the most knowledge prays sitting?

I’ve also heard some say that the house’s owner should lead. Is it true?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

One, the person who has priority in leading the prayer is the person who is the most knowledgeable in the rulings attached to the validity and invalidity of the prayer. This person will have the priority to lead the prayer even if someone more knowledgeable in other areas of the Islamic sciences is present. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

This person who is more knowledgeable in the rulings of the prayer will have priority over anyone else (including someone with better pronunciation and Tajwid or even a Hafiz) as long he is not openly corrupt and as long as he has memorized the obligatory amount of Quran for a prayer free of any dislikedness. [ibid]

The Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon him) has said: “The best of you should lead the prayer.” [Hakim, Mustadrak]

Two, the person more knowledgeable about the rulings of the prayer will have the priority to lead over anyone else, even if he is traveling and the rest of the believers are residents. [ibid]

Three, even without excuse, shaving one’s beard does not make someone a corrupt person (fasiq), even according to the Hanafi school. Shaving the beard is not sinful, according to the Shafi’i school.

Please see:
What is the Ruling of Shaving and Shortening the Beard in the Shafi’i School?

Respecting differences of opinion, when it is based on sound scholarship, is a strong trait of the Hanafi school.

When it comes to leading the prayer, a person is deemed corrupt in the Hanafi school when this person is known to commit major sins, such as drinking wine, fornicating, earning money through interest, and so on.[Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Four, if the person who is the most knowledgeable about the prayer’s rulings is too weak to lead the prayer, then one should not force him to, and this group of believers is excused for choosing someone less deserving.

Five, the most knowledgeable person will retain the priority to lead the prayer even if he prays sitting, as long as he performs real bowings and prostrations. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

This is because the Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon him) would lead the last prayers of his life while he was sitting. [Muslim]

Six, indeed the house’s owner (or renter) has priority when it comes to leading the prayer in his own home, even if he is not the most knowledgeable. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

Finally and in short, if the owner of the place you are praying in, the appointed Imam of the place, or someone in authority (ruler, judge…) is present, then this person should lead the prayer.

If not, then the one who knows the most about the rulings of the prayer should lead, followed by the one who knows the Quran best, the most God-fearing, the eldest, the one with the best character, the one with the most radiant appearance, the one with the highest lineage, the one with the best voice, and the one with the cleanest clothes. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al Falah].

And Allah knows best.

[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani