The Chapter About فِي الإمَامَةِ (The Imāmate)
وَمِـنْ شُـرُوطِ الإِمَـامَـةِ (Among the requirements for (the post of imām) أَنْ يَكُونُ (is that he be) ذَكَـرً (a male), مُسْـلِمًا (a muslim) عَاقِلاً (in full possession of his mental faculties), بَـالِغًا (fully mature), عَالِـمًا بِـمَا لاَ تَصِحُّ الصَّلاَةُ (knowledgeable about the prayer that is unsound) إلاَّ بِـهِ مِـنْ قِـرَاءةٍ وَفِقْهٍ (unless it is a matter concerning the recitation and and fiqh).
فَـإِنِ افْـتَدَيْـتَ بِإِمَامٍ (If you follow an imām) ثُمَّ تَبَيَّنَ لَكَ (and then it becomes clear to you) أَنَـهُ كَـافِـرٌ (that he is a kaafir) أَوِ امْـرَأَةٌ (or a woman) أَوْ خُـنْثَى مُـشْكِلٌ (or a dubious hermaphrodite) أَوْ مَـجْنُونٌ (or insane) أَو فَـاسِـقٌ بِـجارِحَـةٌ (or a sinner who commits big sins) أَو صَـبِّي لَـمْ يَـبْلُغْ الْـحُـلُمَ (or the youth who not attained puberty) أَوْ مُحْـدِثٌ (or a person who is bodily impure) تَـعَمَّدَ الْحَـدَثَ (who deliberately prays with the bodily impurity), بَـطَلَتْ صَـلاَتُـكَ (your prayer become invalid) وَوَجَـبَتْ عَلَيْكَ الأِعَادَةُ (and you are required to repeat it).
وَيَستَحَبُ سَـلاَمَـةُ الأَعْـضَاءِ لِـلإِمَـامِ (Having sound limbs is also recommended for the imām). وَتُـكْرَهُ إِمَـامَـةِ الإِقْـطعِ (The imāmship of the amputee ), وَالأَشَـلُ (the person suffering with paralysis), وَصَـاحِـبُ السّـلَسِ (the person who is unable to control the flow of his urine), وَمنْ بِـهِ قُُـرُحٌ لِـلصَحِيحِ (the person who has a wound on one of his four limbs ), وَإِمَـامَـةُ مَـنْ يَُكْرَهُ (and a person who is hated is dislike). وَيُـكْرَهُ لِـلْخَصْيِ (The imāmship is also disliked for the one who has been castrated), وَالأَغْـلفِ (the negligent), وَالْـمَأْبُــونِ (the weakling), ومَـجْهُولِ الْـحَالِ (the one whose circumstances are unknown, وَوَلَـدَ الزِّنَـا (the bastard) وَالْـعبْدِ (and the slave) فِـي فَـرِيضَة (in the farḍ prayer) أَنْ يَـكُونُ إِمَـامًـا رَاتِبًا (as a regular imām), بِخِلاَفِ النَّافِلَةِ (unlike the naafilah prayer) إِنَّهَا لاَ تَُكْرُهُ , (which is not considered to be mak-ruh) بِوَاحِدٍ مِـنْهُمْ (if lead by one of the above mentioned). وَتَـجُوزُ إِمَـامَـةُ الأَعْـمَى (The imāmship of the blind person is permitted), وَالْـمُخَالِـفِ فِـي الْـفُرُوع (and the imamship of an imām from a different madh-hab [school of Islamic jurisprudence]), وَالْـعِنِينِ (the impotent man), وَالْـمُجَـذَّمِ (the leper is permissible), إِلاَّ أَنْ يَشْـتَدَّ جُـذَامُـهُ (except if his leprosy is severe) وَيَضُرَّ بِـمَنْ خَلْفَهُ (and it will cause harm to those who are behind him), فَـيُنَّحَى عَـنْهُمْ (in that case he should keep away from them).
وَيَـجُوزُ عُـلُوُّ الْـمَأْمُـومِ عَـلَى إِمَـامِـهِ (It is permissible for the one who prays behind the imām to stand higher than his imām) (even if it is (on a terrace). وَلاَ يَـجُوزُ لِـلإمَـامِ عُـلُوُّ عَـلَى الْـمَأْمُـومِ (while it is not permissible for the imām to stand higher than the one following him) إِلاّ بِـالشَّيْءِ الْيَسِـيرِ كَالشِّبْرِ (unless the height is insignificant like the height) of a spear). وَإِنْ قَصَدَ إِمَـامُ الْـمَأْمُـومَ بِـعُـلُوِّهِ الْـكِبْرَ (If the imām purposely sets out to stand higher than the person praying behind him out of arrogance), بَـطَلَتْ صَلاَتُهُ (his prayer becomes invalid).
وَمِـنْ شُـرُوطِ الْـمَأْمُـوم (Among the conditions placed upon the one person praying behind the imām) أَنْ يَـنْوِيَ الإقْـتِدَاءَ بِـالإمَـامِـهِ (is that he makes the intention from the out set to follow his imām).
وَلَاَ يَشْتَرَطُ فِي حَقِّ الإمَامِ (It is not conditional among the duties) أَنْ يَنْوِيَ الإمَامَةَ (that he makes an intention to perform the duties of imāmate) إِلاَّ قِـي أَرْبَـعِ مَـسَائِـلَ (except in four matters): فِـي صَـلاََةِ الْجُـمْعَةِ (in the Friday prayer), وَصَـلاَةِ الْـجَـمْعِ (the congregational prayer), وَصَـلاَةِ الْـخَوْفِ (the prayer of Fear) وَصَـلاَةِ الاِسْـتِخْلاَفِ (and Salaatu-l-Istikhlaaf).
زَادَ بَـعْضُهُمُ (Some of them [the jurist] add [as a condition of imāmate]) فَـضْلِ الْـجَـمَاعَـةِ (preeminence in rank among the jamaa’ah) عَـلَى الْـْـخِلاَفَـةِ (on the other hand), وَيُسْـتَحَبُّ تَقْدِيمُ السُّلْطَانِ فِـي الإِمَـامَـةِ (giving preference to the Sultaan to act as imām is preferred), ثُـمَّ رَبُّ الْـمَنْزِلِ (then the owner / head of the house), ثُـمَّ الْـمُسْـتَأْجِـرُ عَـلَى الْـمَالِكِ (then the landlord is given precedence over the king), ثُـمَّ الزَّائِـدُ فِـي الْـفِقْهِ (then the one who knows the most fiqh), ثُـمَّ الزَّائِـدُ فِـي الْـحَـدِيثِ (then the one who knows the most hadith), ثُـمَّ الزَّائِـدُ فِـي الْقِرَاءَةِ (then the one who knows the most knowledgeable about qiraa’ah), ثُـمَّ الزَّائِـدُ فِـي الْـعِبَادَة (then the one who is most knowledgeable about ʿibaadah), ثُـمَّ الْـمُسِنُّ فِـي الإسْلاَمِ (then [the most senior in Islam]), ثُـمَّ ذُو النَّسَـبِ (then the owner of noble lineage) ثُـمَّ جَمِيـلُ الْـخَلْقِ (and those beautiful [outstanding] of character), ثُـمَّ حَـسَنُ الْـخَـلْقِ (then those of good character), ثُـمَّ حَـسَنُ اللِّبَاسِ (and then those who dress well).
وَمَـنْ كَـانَ لَـهُ حَـقٌّ فِـي التَّقْدِيمِ فِالإمَامَةِ (The one who is competent has precedence in imāmate) (and competence nullifies the (social) rank in assuming the duty of imām). وَإِنْ كَـانَ عَـبْدًا (If there is a slave), أَوِ امْـرأَةً (a woman), أوْ غَـيْرَ عَـالِـمٍ مَـثَلاً (or unknowledgeable for example), فَإنَّهُ يَسْـتَحَبُّ لَـهُ أَنْ يَـسْـتَنِيبَ مَـنْ هُـوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ (it is preferred the person who is most knowledgeable be appointed from among them). وَاللَّهُ أَعْـلَمُ (Allah is the Best Knower).
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