in that trust or may let it go to waste.

As for the imam, if he makes a mistake or forgets, those praying behind him are not held accountable for it. As recorded in al-Bukhārī and elsewhere, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Your imams pray for you and for themselves. If they do what is right, you and they are rewarded; if they err, you are rewarded, while they bear responsibility.”

Thus, responsibility for the imam’s mistake rests with him, not with those praying behind him. ʿUmar and other Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—led the prayer while in a state of major ritual impurity, having forgotten their condition. They repeated their prayers but did not instruct those who had prayed behind them to repeat theirs. This is the position of the majority of scholars, including Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, and Ahmad, according to the well-known position reported from him.

The same applies if the imam does something he considers permissible but which the follower considers to invalidate the prayer—for example, praying without performing ablution in accordance with his own conviction, touching his private part, or omitting the basmalah (the opening invocation of Allah’s name). The imam believes that his prayer remains valid despite this, whereas the follower believes that it does not. The majority of scholars hold that the follower’s prayer is valid. This is the position of Mālik and of Ahmad according to the stronger of the two reports from him—indeed, the more explicit of them. It is also one of the two positions within the school of al-Shāfiʿī, adopted by al-Qaffāl and others.

Even if the imam deliberately prayed without ablution, and the follower remained unaware of this until his death, Allah would not hold the follower accountable for it, nor would he bear any sin, by agreement of the Muslims. This differs from the case in which he knows that the imam is praying without ablution: he may not pray behind him, for such a person is not praying but merely playing. If, however, he learns after the prayer that the imam prayed without ablution, there is disagreement over whether he must repeat it.

If the follower knows that the imam