What is the ruling on a mosque imam who believes that Imam Al-Shafi'i presented everything that is correct, that he is the sole mufti in the village, and that the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, are not a proof against what Al-Shafi'i brought forth; and he obliges worshippers to perform twenty rak'ahs in Tarawih prayer, and excommunicates whoever prays eight rak'ahs; and narrates weak and fabricated hadiths, and criticizes hadith scholars? And what is the ruling on the prayer of the doctor who swore not to pray behind this imam? And what is the ruling on congregational prayer behind this imam who makes mistakes in reciting the Qur'an and whose tajweed is weak? And how should we advise him?

Imam Al-Shafi'i is among the people of absolute ijtihad, and his قول (saying/opinion) is resorted to in cases of disagreement, for he said: "There is no one but that a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, eludes him and becomes distant from him," and "If a hadith is authentic, then that is my madhhab (school of thought)."

The fiqh (jurisprudence) of the Imams is based on exalting the texts and referring back to them, and this is a point of agreement. The Imams all agreed on the obligation of following the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and that everyone's saying can be taken or left, except for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

The issue of the Imam of the mosque declaring someone who prays Tarawih eight rak'ahs a disbeliever is an act of recklessness, ignorance, and bigotry. Tarawih prayer is not obligatory by consensus, and declaring someone a disbeliever regarding it is dangerous. Slandering and insulting scholars are disgraceful acts, and one must observe proper etiquette with them. Spreading fabricated ahadith is among the greatest slanders, and one must verify what is attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him.

If there is no mosque other than the mosque of this Imam, then one must exercise patience and wisdom in dealing with him, and not abandon the mosque. The Imam and the people of the mosque should be advised with wisdom and good admonition.