What is the ruling on the prayer of one who led the prayer as an imam while being plagued by doubt, and the prayer of those who followed him without being aware of his doubt?
The correct view according to us is that whoever's prayer is valid for himself, his imamate (leading of prayer) is valid for others. The one afflicted with whisperings (waswas) is commanded to disregard these whisperings and to pray, no matter how numerous his doubts; because he is not capable of anything else. If we rule his prayer to be valid, then it is permissible for him to lead the prayer, and there is no blame upon him or upon those who pray behind him, and he is not required to repeat his prayers. Likewise, whoever prays behind him is not required to do anything. However, it is better for the one afflicted with whisperings to avoid leading the prayer, to avoid scholarly disagreement. It has also been said that his imamate is disliked so that a common person does not imitate him.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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