Can a Hanafi Imam Pause for Shafi‘i Followers’ Recitation of Fatiha?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
As a Hanafi imam leading Shafi‘i followers, is it permissible to pause after reciting Fatiha to allow them time to recite it, or does this violate a wajib in the Hanafi school?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
It will not be permissible for the Hanafi Imam to pause so that the Shafi‘i followers can recite the Fatiha. As you mentioned, this will violate a wajib.
A mandatory requisite is to perform each obligatory (fard) and a mandatory (wajib) element of the prayer in its proper place. If, for example, one finished the recitation and then accidentally remained standing while thinking-not engaged in any sort of remembrance, but rather silent for the length of time it takes to say Subhana’ Llah three times in a measured pace-then he missed this requisite by delaying bowing, and would therefore need to perform a forgetfulness prostration. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
