Leadership in Prayers
Provided hereunder is a selection of ahadith from the Ma’ariful Hadith by Mawlana Manzoor No’mani as translated by Muhammad Asif Kidwai under the title Meaning and Message of the Traditions
[1] It is related on the authority of Abu Mas’ud Ansari that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “He should lead the congregation who reads the Book of Allah (i.e., the Qur’an) much among them, and if all of them be equal then he who possesses a great knowledge of the Sunnah and the Shari’ah, and if all be equal in this respect too, then he who may have been the first to Migrate (among them), and if all be equal in it as well (i.e., the time of their Migration is the same) then he who is senior in age, and no one should act as anyone’s Imam in his area (or territory) of leadership and authority or sit, without his permission, in his special place of sitting in his house.” – Muslim
Commentary
The third was precedence in Hijrah, i.e., Migration from Makkah to Madinah. But it was peculiar to the circumstances prevailing at that time. Later, it ceased to operate and the legists of Islam correctly prescribed piety and doing good in its place.
[2] It is related by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Make them the Imam (leader) who are the best and worthiest of you because they are your representatives in the august presence of your Lord and Master. – Dar Qutni and Baihaqi
[3] It is related by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Whoever acts as the Imam of the congregation should fear God and believe that he is responsible also, for the Salah (of the Muqtadis i.e., those praying behind the leader) and will be questioned about it. If he has led well, he will get the reward equal to the total rewards of the Muqtadis and no reduction will be made in their reward, and should there be a fault in the service, he alone, will be called to account.” – Tabrani
[4] It is related by Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “When anyone of you leads the service, he should keep it light (i.e., avoid making it too long) because there are sick and old and infirm people too among the Muqtadis (for whom a prolonged service can be a source of hardship), and when anyone of you prays singly, he can lengthen it as much as he likes.” – Bukhari and Muslim
[5] Qaus bin Abi Hazin related to us saying, “Abu Masud Ansari told me that (once) a person said to the Prophet, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I swear by the Lord that I do not attend the morning service because of such-and-such a man (and am compelled to offer up Salah alone). He leads a very long prayer-service (which is beyond my endurance)…” The narrator of the Tradition, Abu Mas’ud Ansari, went on to tell that “(Upon it), the Prophet, peace be upon him, delivered a sermon, and I have never seen him more angry while delivering a sermon than on that day. The Prophet, peace be upon him, in the course of the sermon, said, ‘There are some among you who drive (the bondsmen of the Lord) away (by their wrongful behaviour). It is incumbent upon whoever of you became the Imam of the people and led them in Salah to make it short (i.e., refrain from prolonging it excessively) because among them there are the sick and the aged and those who have some business to attend.” – Bukhari and Muslim
[6] It is related by Abu Qatadah Ansari that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Sometimes it happens that I begin the Salah and I have the intention of prolonging it to some extent, but, then, I hear a child crying and cut short the service for I know how worried the mother would be on hearing it crying.” – Bukhari
[7] 1t is related by Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “O people! Do not try to excel (or outdo) the Imam. (On the other hand, follow him closely and carefully). Say ‘Allahu Akbar‘ when he says ‘Allahu Akbar‘, and say Walaz-zalleen‘ when he says ‘Walazzalleen‘, and perform Ruku’ when he performs Ruku’, and say ‘Allahumma Rabbana lakal Hamd‘ when he says ‘Sami Allahu liman Hamida.’” – Bukhari
[8] It is related by Ali bin Mu’adh bin Jabal that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “When anyone of you comes for Salah and no matter in what state the Imam is (i.e., whether he is in the state of Qiyam [Standing], Ruku’ [Bowing] or Sajdah [Prostrating]), he should do what the Imam is doing.” – Tirmidhi
[9] It is related by Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “When you come for Salah and find me in Sajdah, join in the Sajdah and make no count of it, and whoever gained the Ruku’ with the Imam, gained the Salah (i.e., that Rak’ah [Cycle] of it).” – Abu Dawood
