Are the three congregants standing behind the Imam required to be capable of leading the congregants, and is there any evidence for this in the Qur’an and Sunnah?
It is not a condition that those behind the Imam be capable of leading the prayer in his stead. Rather, it is preferable that they be people of maturity and knowledge of the rulings of prayer and the proper recitation of the Quran. However, if this is not available, the prayer of those standing behind the Imam is valid. Scholars have agreed on the validity of the prayer of a discerning and ritually pure boy if he prays in the first row, though they differed on his place within the row. The most preponderant opinion is that he should not be delayed from the first row if he precedes others to it. The ("Let those of you who are mature and wise stand closest to me...") encourages adults to come forward, not to delay the young.
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