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Among the principles of the people of the Sunnah and the community is that they perform the Friday prayers, the Eid prayers, and the congregational prayers. They do not abandon the Friday and congregational prayers as the people of innovation, such as the Rāfidah and others, have done.

If an imam’s inward condition is unknown, but no innovation or sinful conduct has become apparent in him, one may perform the Friday and congregational prayers behind him, by agreement of the four imams and the other imams of the Muslims. None of the imams has said that prayer is permissible only behind someone whose inward condition is known. Rather, ever since the time of their Prophet, Muslims have continued to pray behind Muslims whose inward condition is unknown.

But if innovation or sinful conduct becomes apparent in the person leading the prayer, and it is possible to pray behind someone known to be an innovator or a sinful person, despite being able to pray behind someone else, most scholars regard the follower’s prayer as valid. This is the position of al-Shāfiʿī and Abū Hanīfah, and one of the two positions within the schools of Mālik and Ahmad.

If, however, it is only possible to pray behind an innovator or a sinful person—as in the case of a Friday prayer whose imam is an innovator or a sinful person, when no other Friday prayer is available—then this prayer is performed behind that innovator or sinful person according to the people of the Sunnah and the community generally. This is the position of al-Shāfiʿī, Abū Hanīfah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and the other imams of the people of the Sunnah, with no disagreement among them.

When deviant views became widespread, some people preferred to pray only behind someone they knew, regarding this as recommended. This has been reported from Ahmad, who mentioned it to someone who asked him. Ahmad did not say: “Prayer is valid only behind someone whose condition I know.”