Minor Recitation Mistakes Leading Prayer

Q: Is my prayer valid if the Imam makes minor recitation mistakes while leading the prayer?

A: Prayer is valid behind someone who makes many pronunciation mistakes (laḥn) so long as those mistakes do not alter the meaning—such as giving the dāl of al-ḥamdu a kasrah, pronouncing the hāʾ of Allāh with fatḥah or ḍammah, placing fatḥah on the bāʾ of Rabb, and similar errors. This ruling applies whether the follower makes similar mistakes or does not make such mistakes at all, because the intended meaning of the wording remains intact, and what matters is that the meaning of the Lord’s speech—exalted is He—remains preserved.

Thus, the prayer is valid, but such an imamate is disliked, as will be discussed.

This is the position stated in al-Inṣāf: it is the correct view unrestrictedly and the well-known position among the Hanbali scholars. Ibn Munjā stated in his commentary: If a person commits such errors intentionally, then his prayer is invalid, because this constitutes mockery and deliberate distortion.

In al-Furūʿ it is noted that this is the apparent meaning of Ibn ʿAqīl’s words in al-Fuṣūl. It is also understood from his statement that if a person’s tongue slips slightly, without habit or intention, then his imamate is not disliked, for rarely does anyone—imam or otherwise—remain entirely free from such minor slips.

In summary: Frequent but non-altering mistakes make the imamate valid yet disliked; minor unintentional slips are excused; and intentional errors are forbidden and invalidate the prayer.

Source: Kashshāf & Sharh al-Muntaha