THE PRAYER SECTION · 61 – WHO IS MORE DESERVING OF THE IMAMATE?
From Abu Mesud al-Badri, may Allah be pleased with him, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The best of those who leads in prayer is one who recites the Book of Allah (observing its conditions) and who has learned the Qur’an previously. If the readers are equal in recitation, then he who emigrated [to Medina] first should lead. And if they are equal in emigration, then the eldest should lead. A person cannot be an imam in his own home or in a position of authority without permission. And one may not sit upon his seat of honor without his permission.”
Shu’ba said: I asked Ismail, “What does ‘rekrima’ mean?” He replied, “It is the cushion of a man.” [382]
EXPLANATION
Tekrimetuhu: It means a seat, cushion, and position prepared for honoring him.
The right to lead prayer belongs to the homeowner. If the homeowner desires that a guest leads the prayer and permits it, then the guest may be the imam.
Subh (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated the preceding hadith. And in it, he said, “Let not a person be an imam to another in his place.”
Abu Dawud said: Yahya al-Kattan related from Subh, "Those most senior in recitation [of the Qur’an] are more deserving of being an Imam."
It is narrated from Ayyūb, the son of Damrah al-Hadramī, that he said:
I heard Abū ibn Mas’ūd relating a hadith from the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him. The narrator should be equal in recitation, then most knowledgeable of the sunnah; and if they are equal in knowledge of the sunnah, then the one who emigrated first; and he did not say regarding anyone who is foremost in the Qur’an.
Abū Dāwūd says: This hadith was narrated to me by Ismāʿīl (son of Raja) from Ḥajjāj, the son of ‘Irtāt, with the wording: “Do not sit on someone's bedding without their permission.”
Amr ibn Salama (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
We were in a settlement located on the road that people used to visit the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). As people returned from their visits, they would come to us, and they would relate to us what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said. And I was a boy who memorized the Qur’an, so I memorized many passages. My father had gone as an envoy with a delegation from his tribe to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught them prayer and said, “Let the one among you who knows the Qur’an best be your Imam.” Since I memorized many passages of the Qur'an, I was the one among them who knew the most of the Qur’an. They made me an Imam. I used to lead them in prayer wearing a small, yellow cloak that belonged to me. When I prostrated, my cloak would shift. A woman among them said, “Cover the private parts of your Imam so we do not lose sight of them.” Then they bought for me a shirt made of Oman cloth. After I became Muslim, I never rejoiced in anything as much as I rejoiced in that shirt. That is how I used to lead them in prayer when I was seven or eight years old. [384]
**EXPLANATION:**
The jurists held the following opinions regarding the ruling of this hadith:
According to Imam al-Shafi’i, Malik, Awza'i, and Sufyan al-Thawri: It is disliked for a person who has not reached puberty to be an Imam. Ahmad ibn Hanbal also holds this opinion because he considers the narration weak. In Hanafi jurisprudence, it is not permissible for children who have not reached puberty to be Imams.
According to al-Shafi’i: The prayer of a minor (sabī) is permissible, except that he cannot be an Imam in the Friday Prayer. (Maalim al-Sunnah, vol. 1, p. 305)
Amr ibn Salama, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: Asim al-Ahwal said: I used to lead them in prayer while wearing a patched cloak that had tears in it. When I prostrated, my private parts were exposed.
Amr ibn Salama, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates from his father: They came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. When they were about to leave, they said, “O Messenger of Allah, who will lead us?” He replied, "The one among you who recites the most of the Qur’an or has memorized the most." No one in my tribe had memorized as much of the Qur'an as I had. They appointed me as an imam while I was still a boy. I also wore a cloak. Wherever I found myself amongst a group from my tribe, I would lead them in prayer, and I have been conducting their funeral prayers until this day.
Abu Dawud said: This hadith was narrated to me by Yazid ibn Harun from Misar ibn Habib, who narrated it from Amr ibn Salama, saying: "My people went as envoys to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him." He did not say that he narrates it from his father.
According to the narration of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The first migrants arrived in Medina and before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, they descended at Asba’ (in Kuba). There, Salim, the slave of Abu Huzayfa, led them in prayer because he knew the Qur’an more than anyone among them. Haysem added the phrase: including ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad.
Malik ibn Huwayris, may Allah be pleased with him, relates: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, said to Malik or one of his companions: "When the time for prayer comes, give the adhan, then perform the iqama, then let your eldest among you be the imam."
In the hadith of Muslama, it is stated: “On that day, we were equal in knowledge.” In the hadith of Ismail, Khalid said: “Where is the saying that if the elder is to be the imam, then the one who knows more Quran should be the imam?” Abu Kilaba replied: "They were both equal in knowledge."
From Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, said: “Let those among you who are best make the call to prayer, and let those among you who recite the Qur’an most beautifully lead [the prayer].”