Leading Prayer by a Blind Person: Permissibility in Islamic Law

Original Article by: Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri ḥafiẓahullāh
Edited with structured headings for clarity and ease of reading

❖ Introduction: Permissibility Without Dislike​

From the perspective of Islamic jurisprudence, it is permissible without any karāhah (dislike) for a blind person to lead the prayer (imāmah).

❖ Scholarly Consensus​

➊ Imām Ibn al-Mundhir (242–319 AH):
“The permissibility of a blind person leading prayer is almost a matter of consensus among the scholars.”
(al-Awsat fī al-Sunan: 4/154)

❖ Prophetic Evidence​

➋ Ḥadīth of ʿItbān ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه:
Narrated by Maqhūd ibn Rabiʿ رضي الله عنه:
“ʿItbān ibn Mālik, who was blind, used to lead his people in prayer. He once said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
O Messenger of Allah, between my house and the mosque are darkness and streams, and I am blind. I request that you come to my house and pray in a place that I can designate for prayer.
The Prophet ﷺ then came and asked: Where would you like me to pray? He pointed to a corner of his house, and the Prophet ﷺ prayed there.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 667)

❖ Statements from Early Scholars​

➌ Imām Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (368–463 AH):
“This ḥadīth proves the permissibility of a blind person leading prayer. To our knowledge, there is no scholarly disagreement on this.”
(al-Istidhkār: 2/361)

❖ Additional Prophetic Era Precedents​

➍ Ḥadīth of Ibn Umm Maktūm رضي الله عنه:
Narrated by ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها:
“The Prophet ﷺ appointed Ibn Umm Maktūm as his deputy in Madinah, and he led the people in prayer.”
(Musnad Abī Yaʿlā: 7/434, Ḥadīth: 4456 – Ḥasan chain)

• Verified as ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn Ḥibbān, and its narrators are those found in Bukhārī and Muslim (Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 2/62).
  

➎ Ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmayr رضي الله عنه:
Narrated by ʿUrwah ibn Zubayr:

“ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmayr, though blind, was the imam of Banū Khaṭmah during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
(Jāmiʿ al-Masānīd wa al-Sunan by Ibn Kathīr: 5/365 – Ḥasan chain)

❖ Weak or Unreliable Reports Refuting Blind Imāmah​

✦ Report from Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه:
Responded dismissively to a question about blind imāmah:

“What need do they have for him?”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/214)

❖ Status: Weak, due to the narrator Ziyād ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Namīrī being considered ḍaʿīf (weak).

✦ Report from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
“How can I lead them when they adjust me to face the qiblah?”
(Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 2/396)

❖ Status: Weak due to unreliable narrators and tadlīs (concealment of source).

✦ Report from Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه:
“I do not like that your muʾadhdhin or reciter should be blind.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/214)

❖ Status: Weak due to tadlīs by Sufyān al-Thawrī.

✦ Statement from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr رحمه الله:
“A blind person should not lead the prayer.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/214 – Authentic chain)

❖ Note: Despite its authenticity, it contradicts ṣaḥīḥ aḥādīth and the majority opinion of the Salaf. Thus, it is not a valid basis for legal ruling.

❖ Rebuttal of Hanafī Claim on Karāhah (Dislike)​

Some Ḥanafī texts assert:
“It is disliked for a slave, bedouin, sinner, blind person, or illegitimate child to lead the prayer.”
(al-Qudūrī, p. 20; al-Hidāyah: 1/122)

❖ Refutation:
This claim lacks evidence and contradicts the Sunnah and the consensus of the righteous predecessors.

❖ Conclusion​

✔ The imāmah of a blind person is valid and permissible without any dislike (karāhah).
✔ Supported by authentic aḥādīth, actions of the Prophet ﷺ, and consensus of scholars.
✔ Any contrary views rely on weak or unauthentic reports and are therefore not acceptable.
✔ If a blind person excels in Qur’anic knowledge and piety, he should be prioritized for leading prayer.