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Is it permissible to stop praying if it becomes clear that the Imam belongs to a specific tribe or holds racist views?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Bigotry based on falsehoods related to race, gender, or nationality is one of the reproachable calls of Jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic era of ignorance). The proof for this is the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Whoever claims a claim of Jahiliyyah, he is among the heaps of Hell." A man then asked, "O Messenger of Allah, even if he prays and fasts?" He replied, "Even if he prays and fasts. So call to the call of Allah, who named you Muslims, believers, servants of Allah." As for affiliation with a tribe, group, or nation merely for acquaintance and cooperation, not for boasting and quarreling, there is no objection to it. Although blameworthy bigotry is forbidden, prayer behind its proponent is not invalidated.

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

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