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Is prayer valid behind an imam who does not pronounce the letter 'H' clearly in Al-Fatiha (for example, saying "ʻaleem" instead of "ʻalayhim")?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Reciting Al-Fatihah is a fundamental pillar of prayer. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah)." Therefore, if someone prays behind an imam who does not recite Al-Fatihah well, or makes a clear grammatical error (lahn jali) that alters the meaning, then their prayer is invalid and must be repeated. However, if the follower is like their imam and does not recite well, then both their prayers are valid, and they must correct their recitation. It is not permissible for someone who does not recite well to lead people in prayer in a mosque where there are others (who recite well). The muezzin must prioritize someone who recites well, and the questioner should bring this to the muezzin's attention.

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

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