The prayer behind an Imaam who has with him some affairs of Shirk or is a Hizbi
Answered by our Shaykh, the ‘Allaamah, the Sincere Advisor, Abu ‘Abdirrahman Yahya bin ‘Ali Al-Hajoori – may Allaah preserve him –
Question:
What’s the ruling of the prayer behind an Imaam who commits affairs of Shirk?
And what’s the ruling of attending the Khutbah, while bearing in mind that there is another Masjid nearby belonging to Hizbi’s wherein they pray Jum’uah?
Do we pray behind them and attend their Khutbah?
Answer:
If they are able to not pray behind this one nor that one, and to build for themselves a Masjid, and establish their Jum’uah and their congregation upon the Book of Allaah and Sunnah of the Messenger, and teach in this Masjid so they benefit others and benefit themselves.
They shouldn’t pray behind a person who has with him affairs of Shirk, this due to the prayer of the person who perpetrated Major Shirk not being valid, due to the statement of Allaah, the Most High:
(وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا۟ لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ)
“But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them.”
Whoever came to know that the Imaam was a Mushrik and prayed behind him, then his prayer is invalid according to the people of Knowledge.
As for the prayer behind the Hizbi (bigoted partisan) who is not from amongst the disbelieving parties is correct, but if they had capability to pray behind a Sunni then this has more precedence, and the prayer behind the Hizbi is disliked, cited by Ibn Abil ‘Iz in the explanation of Tahaawiyyah at the statement
[We see the prayer to be behind every righteous and sinner from amongst the Muslims].
The summary is:
We advise them with the distancing from the prayer behind the individual who has with him affairs of Shirk, and from he who has with him bigoted partisanship, while clarifying the difference in the condition of the prayer behind the two.
Translated by:
Abu ‘Abdirrahman ‘Abdullaah bin Ahmed Ash-Shingaani
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Original Fatwa:
https://www.sh-yahia.net/show_s_fatawa_330.html