is an innovator who calls others to his innovation, or an openly sinful man, and is the appointed imam behind whom alone the prayer can be offered—such as the imam of the Friday and Eid prayers, or the imam leading the prayer at ʿArafah during Hajj—then the follower should pray behind him, according to the generality of earlier and later scholars. This is the position of Ahmad, al-Shāfiʿī, Abū Hanīfah, and others.

For this reason, they state in their creeds that one should offer the Friday and Eid prayers behind every imam, whether righteous or wicked. Likewise, if a village has only one imam, the congregational prayers should be offered behind him, for praying in congregation is better than praying alone, even if the imam is sinful.

This is the position of the vast majority of scholars, including Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Shāfiʿī, and others. Indeed, according to the apparent position of Ahmad’s school, congregational prayer is an individual obligation. Whoever abandons the Friday and congregational prayers because the imam is wicked is himself an innovator according to Imam Ahmad and other imams of the Sunnah, as he stated in the epistles of ʿAbdūs, Ibn Mālik, and al-ʿAttār.

The correct view is that he should offer these prayers without repeating them. The Companions used to offer the Friday and congregational prayers behind wicked imams without repeating them. Ibn ʿUmar prayed behind al-Hajjāj, while Ibn Masʿūd and others prayed behind al-Walīd ibn ʿUqbah, who used to drink wine. On one occasion, he even led them in four units of the dawn prayer, then asked, “Shall I give you more?”

Ibn Masʿūd replied, “You have been giving us extra all day!” For this reason, they reported him to ʿUthmān. In Sahīh al-Bukhārī, it is related that ʿUthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—