سنن ابن ماجه
Ibn Majah
كتاب إقامة الصلاة والسنةEstablishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them
بَابُ : مَا يَجِبُ عَلَى الإِمَامِChapter: What is incumbent upon the Imam
Hadith 981
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ أَخُو فُلَيْحٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو حَازِمٍ ، قَالَ : كَانَ سَهْلُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيُّ يُقَدِّمُ فِتْيَانَ قَوْمِهِ يُصَلُّونَ بِهِمْ ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ : تَفْعَلُ وَلَكَ مِنَ الْقِدَمِ مَا لَكَ ، قَالَ : إِنِّي سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ : " الْإِمَامُ ضَامِنٌ ، فَإِنْ أَحْسَنَ فَلَهُ وَلَهُمْ ، وَإِنْ أَسَاءَ ، يَعْنِي : فَعَلَيْهِ ، وَلَا عَلَيْهِمْ " .
´Abu Hazim said:` “Sahl bin Sa’d As-Sa’idi used to give preference to the young to lead his people in prayer. It was said to him: “Do you do that, when you have such seniority (in Islam)?” He said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘The Imam is responsible. If he does well, then he will have the reward and so will they, but if he does badly, then that will be counted against him but not against them.’”
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊
Leadership (imamate) is a heavy responsibility.
The imam should be conscious of this.
➋
For the purpose of training, young people can be appointed as imam.
➌
In the presence of a more virtuous individual, it is valid to pray behind someone less virtuous.
➍
If a person, despite being qualified for a responsibility, refrains from taking it out of humility,
while there are other individuals present who are also qualified for the task, then this is permissible.
➎
The responsibility for the imam’s mistake does not fall upon the followers (muqtadis).
However, if they knowingly appoint someone unqualified as imam, leaving aside a qualified person,
then the responsibility for appointing an unqualified imam will be upon them.
➏
The aforementioned narration is weak in its chain of transmission (isnad),
as our esteemed researcher has written.
However, based on other supporting evidences, it is authentic in text and meaning.
Most likely for this reason, Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah and Dr. Bashar Awwad have declared it authentic.
For details, see: (al-Sahihah, no. 1767 and Sunan Ibn Majah, edited by Dr. Bashar Awwad, no. 981)
➊
Leadership (imamate) is a heavy responsibility.
The imam should be conscious of this.
➋
For the purpose of training, young people can be appointed as imam.
➌
In the presence of a more virtuous individual, it is valid to pray behind someone less virtuous.
➍
If a person, despite being qualified for a responsibility, refrains from taking it out of humility,
while there are other individuals present who are also qualified for the task, then this is permissible.
➎
The responsibility for the imam’s mistake does not fall upon the followers (muqtadis).
However, if they knowingly appoint someone unqualified as imam, leaving aside a qualified person,
then the responsibility for appointing an unqualified imam will be upon them.
➏
The aforementioned narration is weak in its chain of transmission (isnad),
as our esteemed researcher has written.
However, based on other supporting evidences, it is authentic in text and meaning.
Most likely for this reason, Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah and Dr. Bashar Awwad have declared it authentic.
For details, see: (al-Sahihah, no. 1767 and Sunan Ibn Majah, edited by Dr. Bashar Awwad, no. 981)
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 981
