BENEFIT 111: The ruling on praying behind the people of innovation on the grounds their recitations being nice

Shaykh Abu Hamza Hassan bin Muhammed Ba Shu'ayb - may Allah preserve him - said: "Even if the prayer behind a sinful innovator is valid, it is not permissible to pray behind them if there’s capability and feasibility to pray behind a Sunni. That’s because doing so promotes the status of this corrupt innovator Imām, the likes of who the Prophet ﷺ ordered with distancing from. Just like in the Hadith of Abi Sahlah As-Sāib bin Khallad, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “A man led some people in prayer and he spat in the direction of the Qibla. Having seen this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the end of the prayer said to those people: (لَا يُصَلِّي لَكُمْ) “He shouldn’t lead you in prayer”. After some time the man wanted to lead them again in prayer but they prevented him from doing so, and they informed him of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had said. He then mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he ﷺ replied: “Yes”, and I think he added: “You done wrong to Allah and His Messenger”. And an innovator has done wrong to Allah and His Messenger worse than this one. Plus, it also contains increasing the numbers of the people of innovation and immorality, those whom it’s obligatory upon us to forsake and debase. The Imām Az-Zuhri, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “We don’t see (it permissible) to pray behind an effeminate man except in the case of absolute necessity”. That’s because he is immoral, and the innovator is also immoral, however, his immorality is worse than a person of sin. Therefore, whenever there’s presence of a Sunni Imām and a Masjid of Sunnah in which prayer is upheld to without difficulty in also doing so, then there’s no necessity that justifies for you praying behind an innovator. Moreover, Imām Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked regarding prayer behind one who drinks alcohol and fornicates. He said: “Don’t pray behind him”. And he was asked on he who says: “My Lafth of the Quran is created”, should you pray behind him? He said: “Don’t pray behind him, nor sit, nor speak, nor give him Salaam”. The drinker of alcohol and fornicator are immoral, and the one who says “My Lafth of the Quran is created is an innovator”. So he, may Allah have mercy on him, prohibited from praying behind them as a rebuke to falsehood and its people. Similarly, Imām Maalik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Don’t marry the people of innovation, nor marry off to them, nor give them Salaam, nor pray behind them, nor witness their funerals”. Thus, it’s upon the Sunni man, the Salafi to be alert and not to be deceived by what’s shown outwardly by the people of innovation from nice recitations, or a lot of worship, and Zuhd. For beauty and perfection is in the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Manhaj of the Salaf, May Allah be pleased with them." Source: Related benefit: https://t.me/almanhajussalafi/235