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Is it permissible for someone afflicted with urinary incontinence to lead congregational prayers, and what is the ruling on repeating his prayer after leading, out of fear that it might not be accepted? And should someone with urinary incontinence be preferred to lead prayers over someone who does not recite well, or over someone who is tired or ill?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

There is a difference of opinion regarding the imamate of a person afflicted with سلس (incontinence). The fatwa given is that his imamate is valid, though it is preferable for him to refrain from leading the prayer. His imamate for others is valid, according to the more preponderant opinion. His prayer is valid and does not need to be repeated, nor do the prayers of those led by him need to be repeated. The imamate of a person afflicted with سلس takes precedence over the imamate of someone who makes a grammatical error in Al-Fatiha that alters its meaning, whose imamate for others is not valid, according to the more preponderant opinion. A person afflicted with سلس may lead the people in prayer if the one who is qualified to lead would be harmed by doing so, or if his illness would worsen, because detestability is lifted due to necessity. However, if there is someone else available who is qualified to lead and would not be harmed by leading the people in prayer, then giving him precedence is preferable.

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

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