the view of Mālik and Abū Hanīfah, and of Ahmad according to the more evident of the two opinions in his school. It is also one of the two opinions within al-Shāfi‘ī’s school, even though most of these scholars require washing a vessel from which a dog has lapped. This is because, when a dog laps, a substantial amount of saliva spreads through the liquid, and avoiding this presents no difficulty. By contrast, the saliva that reaches hunted game is a small amount absorbed into solid flesh, and avoiding it is difficult.

Likewise, most scholars do not hold that lineage gives someone precedence in leading the prayer, and there is no explicit statement from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to that effect. Rather, it is authentically reported that he said:

“The people should be led in prayer by the one most proficient in reciting the Book of Allah. If they are equal in recitation, then by the one most knowledgeable about the Sunnah. If they are equal in knowledge of the Sunnah, then by the one who migrated earliest. If they migrated at the same time, then by the oldest.”

Thus, he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave precedence first on the basis of excellence in knowledge, then on the basis of excellence in deeds. He gave precedence to the one knowledgeable about the Quran over the one knowledgeable about the Sunnah, then to the one whose precedence in religion came through his own choice, and then to the one whose precedence in religion came through his age. He did not mention lineage.

Ahmad and others adopted this approach, ranking those eligible to lead the prayer in the same order as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, without mentioning lineage. Likewise, most scholars, such as Mālik and Abū Hanīfah, did not give preference on the basis of lineage. Al-Shāfi‘ī, however, did so, as did a group of Ahmad’s followers, including al-Khiraqī, Ibn Hāmid, al-Qādī, and others. They cited the statement of Salmān