for you. If they do so correctly, both you and they receive the reward; if they err, you receive the reward, while they bear the consequences.” This explicitly establishes that when the imam errs, the consequences of his error fall upon him, not upon those praying behind him.

Thus, if someone prays believing himself ritually pure when he is actually in a state of minor or major ritual impurity, or has physical impurity on him—and we hold that physical impurity requires him to repeat the prayer just as ritual impurity does—then this imam is mistaken in his belief. He therefore bears the consequences of his error and must repeat his prayer. As for those praying behind him, their prayer counts for them, and they bear none of the consequences of his error, as the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, explicitly stated.

This explicitly establishes that their prayer fulfils their obligation. The same applies if the imam omits an obligatory element of prayer on the basis of an interpretation that the follower considers mistaken. For example, he may touch his penis and then pray, undergo cupping and then pray, omit reciting “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful,” or pray with physical impurity on him that the follower does not consider excusable, and so forth. At worst, this imam is mistaken, if he is not in fact correct. The follower’s prayer therefore counts for him, and he bears none of the consequences of his imam’s error.

Likewise, Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd narrated from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say:

“Whoever leads the people in prayer, observes its proper time and performs it in full, both he and they receive the reward. Whoever falls short in any of this bears the consequences himself, not they.”

However, Abū Dāwūd did not include the words “and performs it in full.” The first hadith explains that this shortcoming means an error. The implication of his words,

“If he errs, he bears the consequences, not they,”

is that the same does not apply if he acts deliberately. Moreover, Muslims agree that one should not pray behind someone who omits the unanimously agreed-upon pillars of prayer.