Works of Abul Baraa Muhamad Amreeki

All the Praise is for Allah and Peace and Blessing be upon His Messenger.

By Student of Knowledge Shaykh Abdurrahman Murad from Canada.

Question:

What is the ruling for praying behind an Imam who doesn’t have a beard? Is there a difference in opinion across all the Madth’habs?
Answer:

This issue is discussed by the scholars under the segment in Fiqh that deals with ‘إمامة الفاسق’ the ruling of one who is ‘Fasiq’ (i.e. a sinner who openly displays the sin) who leads the prayer.
Let me relate to you what the Imams have said:
a. Imam ash-Shafi’ee, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “I dislike that one who is Fasiq should lead the prayer, and whoever prays behind him, their prayer is correct, and they need not repeat it.” (Al-Umm)
b. Al-Qabab, may Allah have mercy on him, from the Maliki Madth’hab said in At-Taj wal-Ikleel: “The Fasiq should not be pushed forward to lead the prayer, whoever prays behind him need not repeat the prayer.”
c. Ibn Taymiyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “The Imams are all in agreement that it is disliked for a Fasiq to lead the prayer, and they differed in relation to the correctness of the prayer if he does lead. In one of the two views held by Imam Ahmed, he indicates the prayer is not correct behind one who openly displays sin, but the more populous view held by the majority (Abu Hanifah, Ash-Shafi’ee, one view in the Maliki Madth’hab and one view in the Hanbali Madth’hab) indicates that the prayer is correct…although the scholars are in agreement that he should not be pushed forward initially.”

So to sum this up, the prayer is correct if the Imam is clean-shaven, as long as the ore-requisites, pillars, Waajib acts of the prayer are completed and done properly…the sin of shaving off the beard still stands as it is…as sin that one should avoid.

May Allah forgive us all! Ameen