Performing salaah behind imaams who shave their beards or wear their pants below the ankles
Q: I am living in Canada and perform salaah in a masjid or musalla where sometimes the salah is led by an Imam whose pants are below his ankle or someone has no beard and I don’t have any other choice. This happened once in a while. Do I have to repeat that salah after the jamaat or will it be okay? If I have to repeat the salah then I can repeat it in the future if this one happens but what about the past salah that I don’t know how many it was.
A: It is not permissible for a male to shave his beard or to wear his pants below his ankles. If a male shaves his beard or wears his pants below his ankles, he will be sinful. Severe warnings have been sounded in the Mubaarak Ahaadith for those who perpetrate these two grave sins.
Hence, appointing such a person who shaves his beard or wears his pants below his ankles as the Imaam to lead people in salaah is not permissible. If such a person is appointed as the Imaam, then the people performing salaah behind him will not be sinful. Rather, the Imaam as well as those who have appointed him as the Imaam will be sinful.
Nevertheless, though performing salaah with one’s pants hanging below the ankles is impermissible, the salaah of the Imaam as well as those following him will be valid.
If you are able to advise the Imaam to wear his clothing according to the Sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and to grow a sunnah beard, then in a polite and gentle manner, you should do so.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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