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Fatwa CenterPraying behind Hanafees
Question
I am staying in Bombay, India and there are many almost 95% Hanafee sect followers. I was also Hanafee but Allah gave guidance and I was converted to Salafee/Ahle Hadith just 1 1/2 years ago. My question is can I pray Salah behind Hanafee Aalim (scholars)? Will my Salah be accepted? Some of the Salafee Ulama says it is OK, but some strictly says NO. Your Answer is anticipated in this regard in the light of Qur'an and Sunnah.
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
Since you were a Hanafi yourself, so you know this Madhab better than others. Being Hanafi is not synonymous of being wrong. We would like here to clarify for you the characters of the different Imams regardless of their Madhab i.e., Hanafi or others.
First, any Muslim who has good knowledge of the Qur'an and Sunnah, not showing any innovation or immorality, deserves to be Imam of Muslims and you can pray behind him regardless of his Madhab because he is a just Muslim who can serve as Imam according to the consensus of the Muslim Ummah.
Second it is unlawful to pray behind an Imam who shows an innovation that leads to disbelief like seeking help from any source other than Allah or sacrificing to other than Allah, a Hanafi or other.
Third, a person who shows a form of Bidah or who is not moralistic, the prayer behind such a person is valid according to most scholars. But he should let another person, better than himself lead the prayer.
Fourth, a person whom we do not know and we find leading people in prayer, the prayer behind him is valid. Imam Ali Ibn Abbi Al Izz Al Hanafi said: 'Know may Allah bless us and you that it is lawful to pray behind any man who is not known to be an innovator or a dissolute. There is a consensus of scholars over this issue and it is not a condition for the Mamoum (the one who is praying behind an Imam) to know his Imam's beliefs or test him by saying for instance: What are your beliefs? In fact, the Muslim should pray behind any Imam whose wrong beliefs or innovations are not known to him'. He also said: 'If the person prays behind an Imam who is known to preach his innovations, or known to be dissolute, but who is the appointed Imam of Friday prayer or who prays the feasts prayers or who is the Imam of Hajj prayer in Arafat, his prayer is valid, according to all scholars. Anybody who gives up praying Friday prayer or congretional prayers behind an Imam who is known to be dissolute, anybody who does that, is an innovator according to the majority of the scholars. The companions of the Prophet prayed Friday prayer and other congretional prayers behind dissolute Imams and did not repeat those prayers. Abdullah Ibn Omar prayed behind Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf.
Some scholars disliked praying behind the dissolute and the innovator because they say that enjoining the right and forbidding the evil is an obligation….."
What is meant by the innovator is the one whose innovation is not Kufr driving the person to disbelief. To conclude, we advise you to learn the good knowledge and to be kind to others regardless of the wrong they do. Call them with wisdom and show the truth to them in a kind way as this is the true path of the Salaf rightly guided predecessors.
Allah knows best.
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