Part of carrying this out fully is attending to the Muslims’ mosques and their imams, and instructing them to lead the people in prayer in the manner of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: “Pray as you have seen me pray.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī (1).

On one occasion, he led his Companions in prayer while standing on the edge of the pulpit, and then said: “I did this only so that you might follow my lead and learn how I pray.” (2)

Anyone who leads the people, whether in prayer or in any other matter, must look after their interests and must not cause them to miss any aspect of completeness in their religion that depends upon his actions. Rather, the prayer leader must lead them in a fully performed prayer and, unless there is a valid excuse, may not restrict it to the bare minimum that suffices for someone praying alone [أ/ق 54] (3).

The same duty rests upon their leader during Hajj and their commander in war. Do you not see that an agent or guardian engaged in buying and selling must act in the manner most beneficial to his principal or ward with respect to the latter’s property, whereas he may forgo whatever he wishes when dealing with his own property? The affairs of religion are more important, and the jurists have mentioned this principle.

Whenever those in authority devote themselves to setting the people’s religion aright, the religious and worldly affairs of both rulers and subjects will be set right; otherwise, affairs will become disordered for them. The foundation of all this is having good intentions toward their subjects, devoting the whole of religion sincerely to Allah, and relying upon Him. For sincerity and reliance upon Him are the sum (4) of what sets right both the elite and the general public, as we have been commanded to say in our prayer: “You alone we worship, and You alone