within his domain.” (1) The imam of the mosque has authority within his mosque. This is why the prayer is not held except in his presence and with his permission. Indeed, some scholars have said that if someone leads the prayer in a mosque without the permission of its imam, the prayer is invalid.

Moreover, if we were to say that the one most proficient in recitation has greater right—even where the mosque has a regular imam—this would result in disorder, and that mosque would have a different imam for every prayer.

His statement, “except in the presence of one vested with authority,” means that one vested with authority takes precedence over the imam of the mosque. The one vested with authority is the supreme imam. Thus, if the supreme imam comes to the mosque, he has greater right than the mosque’s imam to lead the prayer.

They cite as evidence the general wording of the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “A man should not lead another man in prayer within his domain.” (2)

But someone may ask: the imam has authority in his own mosque, and this authority is more specific than that of the supreme imam, is it not?

The answer is that his authority is subordinate to that of the supreme ruler; the authority of the supreme ruler is stronger, as is shown by the fact that the supreme ruler may remove him from his position.

Issue: If the supreme imam attends the Friday prayer in a town other than his own, which of the two is given precedence: the supreme imam or the imam of the congregational mosque?