What is the ruling on praying behind a person who does not master the Arabic language, whether they are Arab or non-Arab?
[AR_ID:4705]
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1 Answer
Peace be upon you. According to Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sistani (may Allah protect him), it is required that the imam be proficient in reading. It is not permissible to follow someone who does not master reading, even if they have an excuse for their actions. It is also not permissible to follow someone who does not master reading if they differ in the place of prayer. It is advisable to avoid this even if they are in the same place. However, it is acceptable to follow someone who does not master reading in a different part of the prayer that the imam carries for the follower, such as following them in the second rak'ah after they have bowed or in the last two rak'ahs. It is also permissible to follow someone who does not master the supplications for bowing, prostration, testimony, and the four glorifications if they have an excuse for not correcting them. There is no difference between silent and audible prayers in this context. According to Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Khamenei (may Allah protect him), if the follower knows that some of the prayers they can follow him in will contain invalid errors in his recitation, then it is not permissible to follow him in any of them. May you be successful in all good.