Is a silent prayer behind an imam whose recitation of Al-Fatiha is suspected to be erroneous due to him being non-Arab valid, and is it obligatory to re-perform previous prayers if his error, which invalidates the prayer, becomes apparent later?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The prevalent view is that whoever takes the position of Imam is qualified for it and does not commit a linguistic error (laḥn) that invalidates the prayer. Therefore, praying behind such a person should not be prevented merely due to suspicion about his condition. If it later becomes apparent that he commits a laḥn that invalidates the prayer, then it is not permissible to follow him. As for the previous prayers that were performed behind him, they are not invalidated as long as his condition was unknown. The prayer of the congregants is valid if they were unaware of the invalidity of their Imam's prayer.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/145167
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 145167
- 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