Young Person Leading Prayers, Adil Salahi

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Young Person Leading Prayers

Adil Salahi

Arab News, 3/30/04

Q. A boy of 13 has completed memorizing the Qur’an. His family hold their own congregation to pray Taraweeh, with him leading the prayer. However, they were told that he could not lead the prayer on account of his being a minor. Please comment.

M.M. Ali

A. A young man of this age is perfectly capable of leading the prayer, whether it is obligatory or Sunnah like Taraweeh, if he meets the conditions for leading prayers. These conditions are knowing what invalidates prayer and avoiding them, and being the best reciter of the Qur’an in the group he is leading. Since this young man has completed memorizing the Qur’an, learning good recitation no doubt, then he is capable. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told a delegation of new Muslims that the best among them in reciting the Qur’an should lead them in prayer.

When they went to their people, it was a young man who could read the Qur’an best and he led the prayer. Admittedly, he was older than the boy in this case, but the Prophet’s instruction holds.

It is the best who recites the Qur’an that should lead the congregational prayer. If this boy was 7 or 8 years of age, and his recitation is perfect, we may still not appoint him to lead the prayer on account that he may not be able to look after his purification, or some similar consideration. At 13 a boy is almost a man, so there is no harm in him leading the prayer.

Which Prayer First?

Q. When a traveling person who wishes to combine the two prayers of Zuhr and Asr enters a mosque and finds the congregation offering Asr prayer in progress, what should he do? Should he pray Zuhr on his own before joining the congregation for Asr, or should he join the congregation straightaway?

N. Mirza

A. In this situation, the traveling person should join the congregation straightaway, making his intention clear to offer Zuhr prayer, because he cannot offer Asr first. There is no problem with the fact that the congregation, or the imam, is offering a different prayer. He completes the prayer in 4 rakahs with the imam. When he has finished, he offers his Asr prayer in 2 rakahs only.

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