What is the Shar'i solution to the problem of praying behind imams who mispronounce the recitation of Al-Fatiha by substituting, adding, or omitting letters, taking into consideration the weakening of Khushu' due to frequent repetition, the difficulty of verifying the correctness of the imam's recitation, and the desire to achieve both Khushu' and the correctness of the prayer?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
We fear that you may be afflicted with waswasa (whispers/obsessive thoughts) concerning this matter, and the statement that 95% of imams recite with errors is a great exaggeration. Many jurists have made concessions regarding letters with close points of articulation due to the difficulty of distinguishing between them, and if the matter is very difficult for you, you may act according to this opinion. If the imam makes a clear error in recitation that jurists do not make concessions for, it is sufficient for you to intend to separate from him and pray individually. We warn against waswasa in this regard.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/156972
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 156972
- 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