Dr. Rawaa Mahmoud Hussain
Imam at Islamic Center Masjid Al-Sabereen
Harrisburg, PA

Al-Fath over the Imam is (Correcting his mistake and reminding him of what he forgot during
the recitation or indoctrinating him if he is silent during prayer). It is called: (Feeding the Imam). Sunnah in the Sahih of the sayings of scholars in obligatory and naafil, narrated on the authority of Othman, Ali, and Ibn Omar, may God be pleased with them. And al-Hasan, Ibn Sirin, and a group of the predecessors, Ibn Masoud, Shurayh, al-Shaabi, and al-Thawri, disliked it. Abu Hanifa and Ibn Hazm said that prayer with him is invalidated because it is unnecessary to talk.

Narrated Al-Walled bin Yazid al-Asadi al-Maliki that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him), Yahya said, perhaps he said: He saw the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him read in the prayer. He left something did not read it. A man said to him: O Messenger of God, you left verse, such and such. The Messenger of God, peace be upon him: “Did not you remind me?” 

The fuqaha’ differed regarding the ruling of correcting an imam in the prayer reciting to eight
sayings or opinions:

1. The first saying: It is necessary to correct the imam in Surah Al-Fatihah, and it is desirable in others, which is the Shafi'i's opinion, an expression by the Hanbalis, and the choice of Al
   Shawkani.


2. The second saying is that it is obligatory to correct the imam in Al-Fatihah, and it is
   permissible in other surahs. This is the Maliki school of thought, the most well-known Hanbali school of view. It was said by the followers of Sahaba, like al-Hasan, al-Zuhri, Ataa, and Abd alRahman al-Salami.


3. The third saying is that it is permissible to correct the imam in Al-Fatihah and others, and it is not obligatory. It is the well-known one in the Hanafi school of thought and a narration of the Hanbalis. 


4. The fourth saying: It is permissible to correct the imam in supererogatory prayers, without the obligatory. The Hanbalis narrate it.


5. The fifth saying: It is permissible to correct in the naafil absolutely, and it is not acceptable in the obligatory prayer except in Al-Fatihah.


6. The sixth saying: It is permissible to correct the imam if the silence has prolonged after
   confusion and mistake, and it is not permitted if it does not last. It is a narration, according to the Hanbalis.


7. The seventh saying: It is disliked correcting the imam. It is a saying according to the Hanafis, a view according to the Shafi‘is. It was said by the Hanbalis, Al-Thawri, Al-Shaabi, Al-Nakha’i, and Shurayh.


8. The eighth view: It is permissible to correct the imam in Al-Fatiha, and it is not acceptable in others. This is the view of Ibn Hazm Al Dhaheri, and Ibn Aqeel from the Hanbalis.

Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Mansur says: “I did not find one of the imams who said that it is
obligatory except in Al-Fatihah, but in other than Al-Fatihah, it is not necessary. The imam
unnecessarily and chaotically is considered one of the negative phenomena observed in some
mosques. Their prayers may be subjected to nullity according to the words of Abu Hanifa and Ibn Hazm, not to mention the inconvenience of many imams of this type of people. The public may be asked to excuse ignorance of this knowledge section due to the lack of knowledge. His methods are on the ears and in lessons, so I thought it appropriate to remind my fellow worshipers of what is going on in the minds of the imams and what they like and want to see from the etiquette that the follower should adhere to if he hesitates against the imam and when he can, perhaps God will benefit everyone.” 

Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Mansur mentions the following rules regarding correcting the imam:

• The first: loyalty to God in correcting the imam and correcting the intention. The one who
  corrects the imam must strive to keep the self’s fortunes from hypocrisy and pretend to memorize in front of people and bring their appearance to him.


• The second: Correcting with mercy and compassion because the follower who corrects the imam is a helper. There is no room for healing, revenge, and settling the account, as is done by some of the congregation followers because of the imam’s embarrassment in front of people. 

Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Mansur adds the following:

• Third: Mostly, the imams leave behind them someone correcting them, such as the muezzin. Therefore, the follower should not correct the imam if he knows that his successor has taken care of the conquest over him, which may expose his prayer to deficiency or nullity according to some scholars' opinion.


• Fourth: If the imam’s successor is not appointed the corrector, then the priority is for those
  closest people to the imam. Therefore, the follower on the mosque’s outskirts or backward rows does not need to compete with the closest.


• Fifth: If you think it most likely that the imam will not hear the opening of your distance or the mixing of voices, or because of the loudspeakers, then do not correct Him. He will not benefit from your correcting something. Also, it will be embarrassing himself in front of people. 


• Sixth: It is permissible for the congregation to be corrected at the far end of the mosque or on the upper floor, and the imam is in the lower floor, for example, as is the case in the Two Holy Sanctuaries or large mosques, and this may lead to its owner the wonder, hypocrisy, or the backbiting of people to him.


• The seventh: A large number of correctors over the imam is confusion among the voices, and the imam will not be able to hear one of them often clearly. 

Therefore, we note from the foregoing that several rules must be adopted by everyone who
corrects the reading behind the imam.

Bibliography:
- Abu Dawud, Sunan Abu Dawud, edited by Muhammad Muhi Al-Din Abdul Hameed
(Beirut: Al-Maktaba Al-Asriyah).
- Al-Ghannam, Dr. Zaid bin Saad, Al-Fatḥ fi Al-Ṣalah (Eng. Correcting in Prayer), Majalat
Al-Boḥoth Al-Islamiyah, issue 78 (Riyadh: Al-Lijnah Al-Dai’mah Lil-Iftaa’).
- Al-Mansur, Dr. Abdul Majeed, “Fifteen Literature to Conquer the Imam,” in Al-Muslim,
21/Ramadan/1438 A.H., from https://almoslim.net/node/280076

References: 

1. Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Mansur, “Fifteen Literature to Conquer the Imam,” in Al-Muslim, 21/Ramadan/1438 A.H., from https://almoslim.net/node/280076
   


2. Abu Dawud, Sunan Abu Dawud, edited by Muhammad Muhi Al-Din Abdul Hameed (Beirut: Al-Maktaba AlAsriyah), Vol. 1, p. 238.


3. Dr. Zaid bin Saad Al-Ghannam, Al-Fatḥ fi Al-Ṣalah (Eng. Correcting in Praryer), Majalat Al-Boḥoth Al-Islamiyah, issue 78 (Riyadh: Al-Lijnah Al-Dai’mah Lil-Iftaa’), p. 180.


4. Ibid., p. 181.


5. Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Mansur, “Fifteen Literature to Conquer the Imam,” in Al-Muslim, 21/Ramadan/1438 A.H., from https://almoslim.net/node/280076


6. Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Mansur, “Fifteen Literature to Conquer the Imam,” in Al-Muslim, 21/Ramadan/1438 A.H., from https://almoslim.net/node/280076
   


7. Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Mansur, “Fifteen Literature to Conquer the Imam,” in Al-Muslim, 21/Ramadan/1438 A.H., from https://almoslim.net/node/280076
   


8. Dr. Abdul Majeed Al-Mansur, “Fifteen Literature to Conquer the Imam,” in Al-Muslim, 21/Ramadan/1438 A.H., from https://almoslim.net/node/280076
   

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