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Is it permissible to pray behind someone who has lost a hand or a foot, given the availability of someone better at recitation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The prayer led by a handless imam is valid, and the prayer of those behind him is also valid if he is able to perform the pillars of prayer. Priority for leading prayer is given to the one who is best in recitation and memorization, whether he is handless or not. However, if his disability prevents him from performing the pillars, then a sound person should be given precedence over him. The preference for the one best in recitation does not mean that it is forbidden to pray behind someone else when a better reciter is present, nor does it mean he should be given precedence over the regular imam.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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