Title: Who Should be Appointed the Imam Question: In our mosque every thing was going fine when election took place and a new organizing committee was elected, which actively started working on those project, which were lingering on for the last three years like building Islamic based school project with a mosque, which was a need for our growing community. The present mosque never had any permanent Imam and it used to open only 2 or 3 times a day. So a search for new Imam was started and two people were brought in and were evaluated by the committee. These two new Imams had a different back ground. The details are as follows: #1 A young guy from Palestine who knows Arabic and a good knowledge about Hadith and Islam but was not a graduate from any well known institute and is neither a Hafiz [1] . #2 is from Pakistan with a graduation from a well-known institute of Pakistan on Islamic history, Hadith and he is a Hafiz too. He is fluent in English, Urdu and Arabic too. Right now he is teaching Arabic not only to Pakistani students but also to Arabs. The Imam from Palestine only knows Arabic and he cannot express himself in English that well. Any way voting was done on the appointment of Imam . But because the president of the committee was in favor of #1 because of his proficiency in speaking Arabic language, so #1 was appointed. Since then there is a tense atmosphere in the mosque and now it has been learned that all who are non-Arabs i.e., Ajam cannot take care of mosque business as it is very important to know Arabic language to qualify for that position and prayers cannot be offered behind an Imam who does not know (understand and speak) Arabic language even if he is a Hafiz . (This was a general Fatwa [2] not particularly given for this new Imam ). This new FATWA is dividing the Muslim community. So please give your opinion about this problem as soon as possible with all references. Thank You May Allah Bless you Answer: There are a number of qualities that have been mentioned in narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the person who should ideally be appointed as the Imam in a community. While, on the other hand, a number of other narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) also advise the Muslims that they should keep offering their prayers collectively, even if a person, who is not to their liking, is appointed as the Imam of their prayers. But before I go into any details regarding the particular issue that you have mentioned in your question, I would like to stress that in an Islamic state, the Imam shall be appointed by the state authorities. As the appointment of the Imam , in my opinion, is a part of the "establishment of the system of sala'h " which has been mentioned in Al-Hajj 22: 41 as one of the primary duties of the Islamic state. In the same manner, a group of Muslims residing in a non-Muslim state, if they have the resources and the opportunity to arrange for offering their prayers collectively, should appoint the Imam for their prayers at the community level because the collective prayers of the Muslims pertains not to their individual, but to their collective lives. Thus, the Imam should, in my opinion, be appointed through consultation. In case there is a difference of opinion among the Muslims, the opinion held by the majority of the representatives of the community shall prevail. Now let us take a look at some of the qualities, which, according to the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), should ideally be present in a person who is appointed as the Imam of our prayers. All these qualities, as one can easily understand, are primarily based on the duties that the Imam has generally to perform. It should also be remembered that we may add some qualities that may become necessary because of our particular circumstances. One of the qualities mentioned in the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) is that the Imam should be the person who has memorized the Qur'an more than the others ( Bukhari, Kitab al-Adhan ). This qualification is necessary so that various portions of the Qur'an may be recited during the prayers. In another narrative, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that if two persons are equal as far as memorizing the Qur'an is concerned, then the person who is more knowledgeable about the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) should be appointed the Imam ( Muslim, Kitab al-Masaajid ). This qualification is necessary so that the Imam may be able to teach his followers about the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) and thereby help them in following the path that is according to the liking of their Lord. Because of the same reason, in my opinion, a person who is more aware of the prevailing cultural and social problems of a community and who has the ability to communicate with other Muslims should be made the Imam , so that he is in a better position to educate his followers. Obviously, a person who cannot even speak the language of his followers shall be in no position to teach them the directives of the Qur'an and the Sunnah . The Prophet (pbuh) is also reported to have said that if two people are equal in their knowledge of the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) as well, then the person who accepted Islam earlier should be made the Imam ( Muslim, Kitab al-Masaajid ). This qualification, obviously, is to honor a person who accepted Islam earlier. By the same token, it would be quite acceptable that a person who is oldest among the considered people is made the Imam , if they are all at par in other qualifications. As far as the fact that a person who does not know the Arabic language cannot be made the Imam is concerned, I would not disagree with it, because of the obvious reason that Arabic is the language of the Qur'an and the Prophet (pbuh) and a person who does not know the Arabic language is obviously not in a position to understand the Qur'an or the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) directly. Such a person will always be dependent on the interpretation of others who know the language. However, this does not mean that the person should be able to speak the language fluently. It only means that he should have the ability of reading and comprehending (i.e. reading comprehension in) the language. If a person believes that it is an essential requirement for an Imam to be an Arab (that is belonging to an Arabic speaking area), it is his responsibility to give his reasons from the Qur'an or the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) for making it a part of the Islamic teachings. It may be a person's personal preference and he may give his opinion on the basis of this preference but making it a part of the Islamic directives ( Shari`ah ) requires a clear directive from the Qur'an or at least a clear saying of the Prophet (pbuh). The onus of giving a reference from the Qur'an or the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) is not on us - who say that being an Arab is not an essential qualification for an Imam - on the contrary, it is on the person who says that "such and such" is an essential requirement for the Imam . Especially when the Prophet (pbuh) has been reported to have said: "Obligatory prayers must be offered behind [i.e. in the Imamah [3] of] any person, who is a Muslim, whether he is obedient to God or not and even if he is a very big sinner." ( Abu Dawood , Kitab al-Sala'h ) This narrative obviously implies that the only necessary qualification that an Imam must possess is to be a Muslim. We know that, Muslims are not just those people who come from an Arabian origin. Thus, in my opinion, all Muslims, whether from an Arabian origin or from a non-Arab country, can lead the prayers. Finally, I would like to sincerely request you to resolve the conflict that has fired up in the mosque, even if this means that you, and all those who are in agreement with you, have to give in and submit to the opinion of the opposing group. No issue of interpretation and personal preference is important enough to justify the cost of division in the Muslim community. 12 th February 1999 [1] Generally used for a person who has memorized the whole Qur'an. [2] Religious opinion. [3] That is: leadership.