The prayer as such has extraordinary power to make us attain to greater and greater heights of obedience and worship, which is quite obvious. Consider now how much more enriched it becomes, how greatly its efficacy increases in transforming us, when the prayer is performed in congregation. Indeed, in this one single act of worship, Allah (SWT) has given us His choicest gift.

I. Leadership

Now, remember that we never offer the congregational prayer without an imam leading the congregation. Even when two men pray together, one of them will be the imam and the other a follower. Once the congregation has been formed, it is strictly prohibited to perform the prayer outside it. If you do, your prayer will be invalid. Latecomers must join the congregation behind the same imam. All these teachings are not meant for prayer only. In fact, they impart a very important lesson: if you want to live as Muslims, live as you pray: united and organized. You cannot be an organized community at all unless you have an imam. Once you are organized, to secede from it means that your lives have ceased to be the lives of Muslims.

J. Nature and qualities of leadership

A Muslim’s entire life is a life of prayer; the whole earth for him is a mosque where only Allah is to be worshipped. The relation between the imam and his followers within the congregational prayer has therefore been designed to teach us important lessons about leadership how you should relate to your leaders outside the mosque, what their duties and their rights are; how you should obey them, and in what matters; what you should do if they make mistakes; to what extent you are obliged to follow them when they go wrong; on what occasions you have the right and duty to point out their errors; when you can demand that they correct their mistakes; and at what juncture you can remove them from leadership. How to fashion your organized and communal living is something you can learn about five times a day in any small mosque.

Consider only a few obvious and important principles regarding as Imam and the guidance they provide us in our macro-life.

1. Piety and virtue

An imam must be the best in character, piety, and righteousness than others. He must have greater knowledge of Islam, especially of the Qur’an, than others. He should be of mature years. The Prophet (SAW) has also explained which of these qualities is more important than the other. This tells you, too, which attributes you should keep in mind when choosing a leader for a community of states.

2. Majority representation

An imam should be liked and respected by the majority of the congregation; no one should lead the prayer against their wishes. Here again is an important principle for electing a leader.

3. Sympathy and compassion

An imam should lead the congregation in prayer in such a way that no trouble is caused, even to the old in the congregation. He should not make lengthy recitations nor make long ruku’ and sujud, which may suit only the young, strong, and healthy, and those with plenty of leisure time. He should take note also of those who are old, sick, and weak, and those who are busy with their work. The Prophet (SAW) set an example of such kindness and compassion and love: if he heard children crying while he was leading the congregation in prayer, he would shorten the prayer so that their mothers, if they were behind him, could leave quickly. (Bukhari and Muslim).

4. Vacating office

If an imam meets with an accident while leading the prayer, he must immediately hand over his office to one of the men behind him. This means that it is obligatory on a nation’s leader, too, to resign when he feels unable to carry out his functions. In this, there is no shame, nor should selfishness prevent him from doing so.

5. Obedience to leaders

The actions of an imam should be strictly followed. To make a move before he moves is strictly prohibited, so much so that, according to one Hadith, a person who bends or prostrates himself before the imam does will be raised after death as an ass (Bukhari and Muslim). Here, citizens of a nation have been given a lesson on how they should obey those who govern them

6. Criticizing and correcting mistakes

An imam may make a mistake in Salah. For example, he may rise when he should sit, or sit when he should rise. Such errors must be pointed out to him with the phrase ‘SubhanAllah’ (Glory be to Allah). To say ‘SubhanAllah’ when the imam commits a mistake means Allah alone is pure, holy, and above error; as you are a human being, it is not surprising that you have made a mistake, but correct yourself. Thus warned, it is incumbent on the imam to correct his mistake without any hesitation or discomfort, without any feeling of loss of prestige. If, after this notice of correction, the imam feels confident that what he did was right. He can continue as he thinks fit, and in such an eventuality, the duty of the congregation is to follow him in spite of knowing that he is wrong. After finishing the salah, the followers have the right to try to convince the imam of his mistake and to demand that he conduct the salah afresh.

7. No obedience in sin

This procedure is limited to situations that involve minor mistakes. But if the imam, contrary to the Prophet’s Sunnah, changes the method of the salah, or knowingly recites the Qur’an incorrectly in the salah, or, while conducting it, indulges in acts of kufr or shirk, or commits a clear sin, it is incumbent on the members of the jama’ah immediately to break away from the congregation and discontinue the salah.

In all the above seven points concerning the congregational prayer, striking parallels can be drawn between the relationship of an imam and his followers and a head of state and the citizens of that state. (Ends)

Abul A’la Maududi