JUG-2026-5K2BA3SYS7
Should the congregation wait for a qualified imam, and is it wrong to bypass one for an unqualified leader
Question
If an unqualified individual was instructed by the imam that he should lead the salah (rather than an available qualified scholar) whenever the imam is absent, what injustice is he doing to himself and to the qualified scholar's knowledge?
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Answer
If the prayer time will not end, and the wait is not overly long or harmful, it is better to wait for the imam or a qualified person to lead. However, if someone else leads and does not commit anything invalidating the prayer, the congregational prayer remains valid. That said, if those entrusted with managing the masjid's affairs have explicitly asked that a particular person not lead, or that qualified people be given precedence, going against that is inappropriate. Placing oneself ahead of the people of knowledge in matters of religion is, first, an injustice against one's own self, before it is an injustice to them -- such a person must refrain from this.
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