he would meet the caravans coming from Madinah, take from them whatever new passages they had memorized, and in this way he gathered a great portion of Allah’s Book. Knowledge, therefore, is secured only through seriousness and determined effort.

Scholarly disagreement
• The Hanafis hold that the leadership of a pre-pubescent boy is invalid in both obligatory and supererogatory prayers.
• The Malikis and Hanbalis consider his leadership invalid in obligatory prayers but valid in voluntary ones.
• The Shafiʿis maintain that his leadership is valid in both obligatory and voluntary prayers.

The evidence cited by the first three schools includes the report from Ibn ʿAbbas: “A youth must not lead the prayer until he reaches puberty,” as well as the fact that a child’s prayer counts only as a nafl for him; if he leads worshippers who are performing an obligatory prayer, the imam’s and the congregation’s intentions would differ, whereas the Prophet ﷺ said, “So do not differ with him.” Moreover, one cannot be fully confident that a child will observe all the prerequisites of the prayer.

As for the Shafiʿi proof, they rely on the present hadith and the principle that whoever’s prayer is sound for himself is likewise sound when he leads others. This is also one of the narrations from Imam Ahmad. It is further supported by the general wording of the Prophet’s statement, “The one who knows the most of Allah’s Book should lead the people in prayer” [related by Muslim (673)]. Whoever may rightfully lead a voluntary prayer may also lead an obligatory one. This was the view preferred by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Saʿdi, may Allah have mercy on him.