Is It Permissible for a Child to Lead the Prayer?

Answered by Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Question

Is it permissible for a child to lead the prayer?

Answer

In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, his Family, his Companions, and those who follow him.

Leading the prayer is among the collective obligations, and reaching puberty is not a prerequisite for valid leadership. Rather, it is valid for a discerning child who performs a complete and correct prayer in terms of its pillars.

Rulings

Imam Baghawi stated: “It is permissible to pray behind a child who understands, though an adult is more preferable. However, Ata’, Sha‘bi, Malik, Awza‘i, Thawri, and Abu Hanifa disliked a child leading the prayer. (Similarly, in “Kifayat al-Nabih” by Ibn Rif‘a).” [Baghawi, al-Tahdhib fi Fiqh al-Imam al-Shafi‘i]

Hisni (Allah have mercy on him) summarized the issue of a child’s leadership in (Kifayat al-Akhyar), saying: “As for the permissibility of following a child in prayer, it is because ‘Amr Ibn Salama (Allah be pleased with him) led his people in prayer during the time of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) when he was six or seven years old. [Bukhari]

Indeed, an adult is more suitable than a child to lead, even if the child is more knowledgeable and recites better, due to the consensus on the validity of following the adult, unlike the child. This is because the adult’s prayer is obligatory to him; thus, he is more diligent in maintaining its boundaries. Rafi‘i’s statement suggests there is no dislike in a child leading, but in (al-Buwayti), the dislike is explicitly mentioned. All this applies to a discerning child; as for one who does not discern, his prayer is invalid due to the lack of intention.” [Hisni, Kifayat al-Akhyar]

This ruling in the Shafi‘i school of thought generally applies to all prayers except the Friday prayer, where Damiri in (al-Najm al-Wahaj) reports a consensus on its invalidity. [Damiri, Sharh Minhaj]

Thus, it has been clarified that the leadership of a discerning child in prayer is permissible but disliked according to Imam Shafi‘i, mentioned (Mukhtasar al-Buwayti), who was a direct student of Imam Shafi‘i. This applies to the discerning child; for those who cannot discern, their leadership is invalid. Additionally, it is not permissible for a child to lead the Friday prayer, as it cannot be validly held except by an adult.

Summary

It is preferable not to appoint a child as the imam, especially in mosques. However, some parents may wish to train their children in leadership, which should be done at home or in optional prayers like Tarawih. It has been a custom among the people of Mecca (Allah honor it) to allow children to lead in specific congregations during the nights of Ramadan to practice leadership and strengthen their memorization of the Holy Quran.

Allah is the Bestower of success and the Guide to the right path.

[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Dr Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib is a prominent Islamic scholar from Yemen born in Shibam, Hadhramaut, in 1976. He received his degree in Shari‘a from Al-Ahqaf University, a master’s degree from the Islamic University of Beirut, and a PhD in Usul al-Din from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

He studied under great scholars such as Shaykh al-Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad, Shaykh Fadl Ba‘ fadl, Habib Salim al-Shatiri, Habib Ali Mashhur bin Hafeez, and others. He has served as the Director of Publications at Dar al-Fiqh, the former Deputy Director of Cultural Relations at Al-Ahqaf University, a former Assistant for Employee Affairs at Atiyah Iron Company, a researcher at the Sunna Center affiliated with the Dallah al-Baraka Foundation, and a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch.

Currently, he is a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch, teaches traditionally through the Ijaza system at Dar al-Fuqaha in Turkey, supervises the Arabic department at Nur al-Huda International Institute (SeekersGuidance), and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Manuscript House in Istanbul.

His works include “The Efforts of Hadhramaut Jurists in Serving the Shafi‘i School,” “Contributions of Hadhramaut Scholars in Spreading Islam and its Sciences in India,” “Hada’iq al-Na‘im in Shafi‘i Fiqh,” in addition to verifying several books in Fiqh, history, the art of biographies, and Asanid (chains of narration).