What is the ruling on the imam being 40 minutes late for the prayer, and what is the ruling on the muezzin's statement "Patience, and speak to the imam" to those who criticize that?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The basic principle is that the prayer is conditioned upon the Imam's permission. The muezzin has authority over the (call to prayer), and the Imam has authority over the (call to commence prayer). The muezzin does not call the iqamah except with the Imam's signal. The Imam should not burden the congregants by delaying, and should hasten to prayer with tranquility and dignity. This applies to both the Imam and the congregants.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/58486
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 58486
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy