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Jami at-Tirmidhi

Hadith 235

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Jami at-Tirmidhi · Hadith 235

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[What Has Been Related About] Who Is Most Deserving Of Being The Imām

English source

Darussalam · Volume 1

2. The Chapters On Ṣalāt (As Narrated) From Allāh's Messenger ﷺ

Jami at-Tirmidhi Darussalam English translation

Arabic source
Shamela Arabic edition (opens in a new tab)

الجزء: 1 ¦ الصفحة: 274

DarussalamṢaḥīḥAl-AlbaniSahih
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Text and translation

English translation

235. Abū Mas'ūd narrated that Allāh's Messenger ﷺ said: "The one who recites most of the Book of Allāh is to lead the people (in prayers). If they are equal in recitation, then the most knowledgeable in the Sunnah among them. If they are equal regarding the Sunnah, then the earliest of them to emigrate. If they are equal in their emigration then the eldest among them. And a man is not to be led in prayer in the place of his authority, and his spot of esteem in his home is not to be sat on without his permission." (Ṣaḥīḥ) Mahmūd [bin Ghailān] (one of the narrators) said: "In his narration, Ibn Numair said: 'The eldest in years among them.'" [Abū 'Eisā said:] There are narrations on this topic from Abū Sa'eed, Anas bin Mālik, Mālik bin Al-Huwaīrīth, and 'Amr bin Salamah. Abū 'Eisā said: The Hadīth of Abū Mas'ūd is a Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ Hadīth. This is acted upon by the people of knowledge. They say that the most deserving of the postion of Imām among the people is the one who recites the most of the Book of Allāh, and the most knowledgeable among them of the Sunnah. And they say that the owner of the house has the most right to be the Imām (in his own house). Some of them say that when the owner of the house gives permission to someone else then there is no harm if he led him in prayer. But some of them disliked that, and they said that the Sunnah is that the owner of the house leads the prayer. Ahmad bin Hanbal said about the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: "And a man is not to be led in prayer in the place of his authority, and his spot of esteem in his home is not to be sat on without his permission" If he (the owner of house) gives permission, then I hope that permission will apply to both situations.

Arabic text

٢٣٥ - حَدَّثَنَا ‌هَنَّادٌ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا ‌أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ ، عَنِ ‌الْأَعْمَشِ . (ح) وَحَدَّثَنَا ‌مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلَانَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا ‌أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ ‌وَابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ ، عَنِ ‌الْأَعْمَشِ ، عَنْ ‌إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ رَجَاءٍ الزُّبَيْدِيِّ ، عَنْ ‌أَوْسِ بْنِ ضَمْعَجٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ ‌أَبَا مَسْعُودٍ الْأَنْصَارِيَّ يَقُولُ: 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 فَأَكْبَرُهُمْ سِنًّا، وَلَا يُؤَمُّ الرَّجُلُ فِي سُلْطَانِهِ، وَلَا يُجْلَسُ عَلَى تَكْرِمَتِهِ فِي بَيْتِهِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ. قَالَ مَحْمُودٌ: قَالَ ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ فِي حَدِيثِهِ: أَقْدَمُهُمْ سِنًّا. وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، وَأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَمَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ، وَعَمْرِو بْنِ سَلِمَةَ. وَحَدِيثُ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ. وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ، قَالُوا: أَحَقُّ النَّاسِ بِالْإِمَامَةِ أَقْرَؤُهُمْ لِكِتَابِ اللهِ وَأَعْلَمُهُمْ بِالسُّنَّةِ، وَقَالُوا: صَاحِبُ الْمَنْزِلِ أَحَقُّ بِالْإِمَامَةِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: إِذَا أَذِنَ صَاحِبُ الْمَنْزِلِ لَغَيْرِهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ بِهِ، وَكَرِهَهُ بَعْضُهُمْ وَقَالُوا: السُّنَّةُ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ صَاحِبُ الْبَيْتِ. قَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ: وَقَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا يُؤَمُّ الرَّجُلُ فِي سُلْطَانِهِ وَلَا يُجْلَسُ عَلَى تَكْرِمَتِهِ فِي بَيْتِهِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ، فَإِذَا أَذِنَ فَأَرْجُو أَنَّ الْإِذْنَ فِي الْكُلِّ، وَلَمْ يَرَ بِهِ بَأْسًا إِذَا أَذِنَ لَهُ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ بِهِ.

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Commentary

1. "Aqra'u" means a person who loves the Qur'an much and is very keen and dedicated to it; he who loves it more and is dedicated will have more understanding and more knowledge of it. 2. Leading the prayer in the presence of an appointed Imām without his permission is not right.