The Ḥanafī jurists agree that a Ḥanafī congregant may pray behind a non-Ḥanafī imam in instances where both the congregant and imam abide by their respective madhhabs in terms of their prayer and wuḍūʾ. However, they do differ on whether one or the other does something that goes against their madhhab, i.e., breaking their wuḍūʾ via a nosebleed or via touching a woman in terms of the validity of their respective ṣalāh. This difference ranges from some jurists proclaiming that the operative factor in determining whether the ṣalāh is valid is the congregant’s, while others, albeit in the minority, say that it is, in fact, the imam’s prayer that determines whether the congregant’s prayer will be valid or not.

Both opinions in the madhhab are critically verified (muṣaḥḥaḥ) by senior jurists in the madhhab. As such, in a society where multiple madhhabs are followed by large swaths of people without even a geographical specification, it is permissible to pray behind a non-Ḥanafī imam whose prayer will be valid according to their own madhhab’s verified legal regulations, although it may not be valid according to the congregant’s. For example, although it is impermissible for a Ḥanafī to wipe over socks that do not meet the conditions set by the Hanafi jurists, they may pray behind a Ḥanbalī imam who wipes over the same socks that do not meet the conditions per the Ḥanafī madhhab. Similarly, if the Ḥanbalī imam wipes over their turban in wuḍūʾ, and it is a verified position in the Ḥanbalī madhhab, the Ḥanafī congregant may pray behind that imam.^[1]

It is however more pertinent that the congregant cordially asks the imam to cater to the multiplicity of the madhhabs in their locality, such that the imam opts to wipe over his head than to wipe over his turban, and to wipe over socks accepted by both madhhabs than to wipe over socks not accepted by one, as that would be valid and commendable per both madhhabs. In turn, where it is possible for a Ḥanafī imam to accommodate for differences without going against their own madhhab, they should do so, as well. For example, if the Shāfiʿīs consider the touching of a woman to break the wuḍūʾ, the Ḥanafī imam should accommodate for that by not committing an action that would nullify his wuḍūʾ, as per the Shāfiʿī madhhab.^[2]

Mufti Farhan ul Haq
Assistant Mufti, Darul Iftaa Chicago

Reviewed and Approved

Mufti Abrar Mirza
Head Mufti, Darul Iftaa Chicago