The Ruling on a Follower (Muqtadi) Correcting the Imam in Prayer

Written by: Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani (Hafidhahullah)

Question:​

If the Imam makes a mistake during the prayer (Salah), is it permissible for the follower (Muqtadi) to prompt or correct him?

Answer:​

Yes, it is permissible for the follower (Muqtadi) to prompt the Imam in prayer if the Imam makes a mistake in recitation or forgets. The evidence for this is derived from the following Hadiths:

Evidence 1: The Incident of Miswar bin Yazid (رضي الله عنه):​

Miswar bin Yazid Al-Maliki (رضي الله عنه) narrates:

“I was present with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was reciting in prayer. He left out some verses and did not recite them. A man said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! You skipped such and such verse.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, ‘Why did you not remind me?’”

(Sunan Abi Dawood, Kitab al-Salah: Bab al-Fath ‘ala al-Imam fi al-Salah, Hadith No. 907; Ibn Khuzaymah 1648; Ibn Hibban 379)

Evidence 2: The Incident of Abdullah bin Umar (رضي الله عنهما):​

Abdullah bin Umar (رضي الله عنهما) narrates:

“The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) prayed and mixed up the recitation. When he completed the prayer, he asked Ubayy bin Ka’b (رضي الله عنه), ‘Did you pray with us?’ Ubayy replied, ‘Yes.’ The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, ‘What prevented you from reminding me?’”

(Bayhaqi 3/212; Sharh al-Sunnah 1665)

Scholarly Commentary:​

• Imam Al-Khattabi (رحمه الله) comments on this Hadith:
  "In this Hadith, there is evidence for the permissibility of prompting (Talqeen) the Imam in prayer."

Clarification on the Prohibition of Prompting the Imam:​

There is a narration attributed to Ali (رضي الله عنه) that prohibits prompting the Imam during prayer. This narration appears in Sunan Abi Dawood (Hadith No. 908). However, the authenticity of this narration is questionable:

1. Abu Dawood (رحمه الله)himself comments on its weakness, stating:
   • The narrator Abu Ishaq did not hear this narration directly from Harith except for four narrations, and this is not among them (i.e., it is disconnected).
   • Abu Ishaq is also a Mudallis (one who obscures narrators) and this narration is presented with "عن" (an, which weakens its reliability).
   • Harith is an extremely weak narrator.

Conclusion:​

It is permissible for a follower (Muqtadi) to correct the Imam during prayer if the Imam makes an error in recitation. The practice is supported by authentic Hadiths and endorsed by scholars like Imam Al-Khattabi. The narration prohibiting this action is weak and unreliable.