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Chapter
08:
The Imam (Hadith -- The
Traditions):
(Note:
The superscript-numbers [e.g., intention2]
that
appear in the text [in
pink]
refer to the numbers of the explanatory footnotes that
appear at the end of each Hadith
[Tradition].)
1
Abu Musa said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, fell
ill and his illness became severe; so he said:
"Tell Abu Bakr that he should
lead the prayer for the people." 1
. . . So the messenger came to him, and he (Abu Bakr) led
the prayer for the people in the lifetime of the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be on him. (B. 10 :
46.)
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1
While alive, the Holy Prophet himself acted as imam
and led the prayers. During his last illness he
became too weak to leave his bed and to go out to
pray in congregation; so he directed that Abu Bakr
should lead the prayers. This hadith, along with
the Holy Prophet's practice, is conclusive proof
that the man who held the highest place of honour
in the community on account of his righteousness
acted as imam, for after the Holy Prophet Abu Bakr
was admittedly the most excellent of his
followers.
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2
Abu Mas`ud said,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, said:
"The man who knows most the
Book of Allah shall act as imam of a people;
2
and if there are
persons equal in their knowledge of the Qur'an, then he
who has greater knowledge of the Sunnah; and if they are
equal in their knowledge of the Sunnah, then he who is
first in hijrah; and if they are equal in
hijrah,3
then he who is older in years; and a man shall not lead
another in prayer in the place where he (the latter) is
in authority,4
and no one shall occupy the place of honour in another
man's house except with his permission." (M-Msh. 4 : 26.)
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2
Evidently what is meant is excellence in knowledge
of the Holy Qur'an, not merely its
recitation.
3
Precedence in hijrah was an indication of
precedence in sacrifices for Islam.
4
Thus the master of the house or the imam of a
particular mosque has a greater right to lead the
prayers there that a mere visitor.
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3
Ibn `Abbas said,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, said:
"The most virtuous among you
shall deliver the adhan, and those having most knowledge
of the Qur'an shall act as imams."5
(AD-Msh. 4 : 26.)
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5
The mu'adhdhin and the imam, the two office-bearers
of the mosque, are thus to be chosen for their
moral excellence and knowledge of the
Qur'an.
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4
Ibn `Umar said,
When the first emigrants came to `Usbah, a place in Quba,
before the coming of the Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings of Allah be on him, Salim, the slave of Abu
Hudhaifah, used to act as their imam, and he had the
greatest knowledge of the Qur'an. 6
(B. 10 : 54)
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6
A slave became the imam because he excelled others
in knowledge.
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5
`Ubaid Allah reported that,
He entered upon `Uthman ibn `Affan and he was then besieged
(by the rebels). He said, Thou art the imam of the people
and to thee has happened what thou seest, and the rebel imam
leads our prayers and we consider this to be a sin. He said,
Prayer is the best of things which people do; so when people
do a good work, do thou also do the good with them, and when
they do evil, do thou shun their evil.
(B. 10 : 56.)
6
Abu Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, said:
"Jihad is incumbent on you
under every commander whether he is virtuous or wicked,
even though he be guilty of heinous sins; and prayer is
incumbent on you behind every Muslim whether he is
virtuous or wicked, even though he be guilty of heinous
sins;7
and the holding of a (funeral) service on every Muslim is
incumbent whether he is virtuous or wicked, even though
he be guilty of heinous sins." (AD-Msh. 4 : 26.)
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7
No one can be chosen as imam for carrying on jihad
or for leading prayers unless he possesses the
requisite qualifications, and, therefore, a man who
is guilty of heinous sins cannot be chosen for
either purpose. But if such a man is chosen by
mistake or if he commits such a sin after he has
been chosen, he must be followed so long as he is
not removed from that office, as no organization
can be maintained otherwise.
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7
Anas reported that,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, left
Ibn Umm Maktum after him to act as imam of the people, and
he was a blind man. (AD. 2 : 64.)
8
It is reported about Umm Waraqah who had learned the Qur'an
by heart that,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him,
commanded her that she should act as imam of the people of
her house, and she had a mu'adhdhin and she used to act as
imam of the people of her house. 8
(Ah. VI, 405.)
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8
This shows that a woman may act as imam. There is
nothing to show that there were no males among the
people of her house; on the other hand, it is
clearly stated that she had a mu'adhdhin who was
evidently a male.
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9
Abu Hurairah reported that,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, said:
"When one of you leads the
prayer for the people, he should lighten it, for among
them is the weak one and sick one and the old one; and
when one of you prays alone, he may lengthen (it) as he
likes." (B. 10 : 62.)
10
Bara' said,
It was the practice that when the Messenger of Allah, peace
and blessings of Allah be on him, said sami`Allahu li-man
hamida-hu, none of us bent down his back (for falling
down in prostration) until the Prophet, peace and blessings
of Allah be on him, fell down in prostration, and then we
fell down in prostration after him." (B.
10 : 52.)
11
Abu Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, said:
"When you come to prayer, and
we have fallen down in prostration, fall down in
prostration and do not count it as anything, and whoever
joins in one rak`ah joins the prayer."
9
(AD-Msh. 4 :
28.)
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9
If a man joins the congregational service in
sajdah, it should not be counted as a rak`ah, from
which it follows that if he joins it in ruku`, it
shall be counted as a rak`ah.
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12
Samurah said,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, commanded us that when we were three, one of us should
stand in the front. (Tr-Msh. 4 : 25.)
13
Abu Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, said:
"Keep the imam in the middle
and close the openings." 10
(AD-Msh. 4 :
24.)
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10
Hh. 12, 13 give the position of the imam. He should
stand in the front, forming a row by himself, and
he should also be in the middle, so that the rows
behind him should have an equal number of men on
his right and left.
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14
Ibn `Abbas said,
I said my prayers with the Prophet, peace and blessings of
Allah be on him, on a certain night and I stood on his left,
and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be
on him, took hold of my head from behind me and placed me on
his right hand, then he said prayers. 11
(B. 10 : 77.)
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11
If there are only two men in a congregational
service, they should stand in the same row, the
imam standing on the left. If, however, a third man
joins later, either the imam should go forward and
stand in front, or the first follower should step
behind, forming with the new-comer a row behind the
imam.
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15
`A'ishah said,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, used to say his prayers at night in his enclosure, and
the wall of the enclosure was low, so the people saw the
person of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, (standing in prayers), and some people got up and
followed him in his prayers. 12
(B. 10 : 80.)
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12
This was the Holy Prophet's tahajjud prayer in the
mosque during Ramadzan. The enclosure was made of
mats. The hadith shows that there is no harm if
anything intervenes between the imam and the
congregation.
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Top
Hadith
Section
> A
Manual of Hadith
> Chapter 08: The Imam (Hadith -- The Traditions)
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