Praying Behind Someone of Another School of Thought (Madhab)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is highly unlikely that the Imam’s prayer would be invalid according to the Hanafi school. If his prayer fulfills the basic integrals and conditions of the prayer, the prayer is valid and not in any way disliked.

If however, one has reasonable doubt that (a) the integrals and conditions were not fulfilled or (b) one is sure that the Imam’s wudu is not valid according to the Hanafi school – then one should resort to the secondary position in the Hanafi school.

The Secondary Position Regarding Following an Imam of Another Legal School

The secondary position is that the validity of the follower’s prayer depends on the validity of the Imam’s prayer in accordance with the Imam’s legal school of thought [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar].

Moving Forward

If one is at work and has the choice between praying behind a follower of another school or praying alone, it would be advisable to take the secondary opinion and pray in the congregation.

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a graduate from Tarim; a student of Habib Umar and other luminaries; and authorized teachers of the Qur’an and the Islamic sciences