Source:
Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, Page 559
Question:
Can every Muslim lead the five daily prayers and the funeral (Janāzah) prayer?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Yes, every Muslim may lead the five daily prayers and the funeral prayer — provided that he is religiously upright (dīn-dār) and possesses basic knowledge of the essential rulings of prayer.
As mentioned in the Qur’ān:
﴿قالَ إِنّى جاعِلُكَ لِلنّاسِ إِمامًا قالَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتى قالَ لا يَنالُ عَهدِى الظّـلِمينَ﴾
“Allah said: Indeed, I will make you a leader (Imām) for the people. [Ibrāhīm] said: And from among my offspring? He said: My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.”
[Surah al-Baqarah, 2:124]
And also:
﴿وَالَّذينَ يَقولونَ رَبَّنا هَب لَنا مِن أَزوجِنا وَذُرِّيّـتِنا قُرَّةَ أَعيُنٍ وَاجعَلنا لِلمُتَّقينَ إِمامًا﴾
“And those who say: Our Lord! Grant us from our spouses and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us leaders for the righteous.”
[Surah al-Furqān, 25:74]
Derivation from the Verses
❀ From the general meaning of these verses, it is understood that any person who is not a wrongdoer (ẓālim)—that is, one who obeys the Sharīʿah—is eligible to lead the prayer.
❀ The first verse implies that except for wrongdoers, every believer may be an Imām.
❀ The second verse shows that a believer may pray to become an Imām; and if he may supplicate for it, he is also permitted to perform it.
Prophetic Ḥadīth
عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«يَؤُمُّ الْقَوْمَ أَقْرَؤُهُمْ لِكِتَابِ اللهِ، فَإِنْ كَانُوا فِي الْقِرَاءَةِ سَوَاءً، فَأَعْلَمُهُمْ بِالسُّنَّةِ، فَإِنْ كَانُوا فِي السُّنَّةِ سَوَاءً، فَأَقْدَمُهُمْ هِجْرَةً، فَإِنْ كَانُوا فِي الْهِجْرَةِ سَوَاءً، فَأَقْدَمُهُمْ إِسْلَامًا.»
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Vol. 1, p. 236, Bāb: Man Aḥaqq bil-Imāmah)
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The one who knows the Qur’an best should lead the people in prayer. If they are equal in recitation, then the one who has more knowledge of the Sunnah; if equal in Sunnah, then the one who migrated earlier; and if equal in migration, then the one who embraced Islam first.”
Explanation
❀ In this authentic ḥadīth, priority and superiority in Imāmah are explained on the basis of knowledge, not lineage, status, or certification.
❀ The Prophet ﷺ did not require any special authorization or formal appointment for a person to lead prayer.
❀ Therefore, it is clear that any Muslim may lawfully lead the prayer when needed, as long as he fulfills the basic conditions of being religiously observant and knowledgeable.
Additional References
For further details, refer to:
❀ Fiqh al-Sunnah by Shaykh Muḥammad al-Sābiq al-Miṣrī, Vol. 1, p. 199
❀ Sharḥ al-Sunnah, Vol. 2, p. 396
Summary
In the light of the Qur’an and Ḥadīth:
① Any Muslim who adheres to Sharīʿah and has basic knowledge of prayer may lead the five daily prayers and the funeral prayer.
② The Sharīʿah does not require any formal certificate or special permission for leading prayers.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I hold to be correct, and Allah knows best what is right.
