What is the ruling on the prayer of one who prays behind an imam with a child, but they do not form a row, and is his prayer considered as if he prayed alone? And what is the appropriate age for a child to lead people in prayer as an imam?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If a boy stands in the row with a praying man, the man is not considered to be praying alone behind the row. As for a boy leading an adult in prayer, the majority of scholars believe it is impermissible, contrary to the Shafi'is who hold that the imamate of a discerning boy for adults is valid. They cite as evidence the imamate of Amr ibn Salamah when he was six or seven years old.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/176199
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 176199
- 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