Chapter: One Who Leads People in Prayer While Not in a State of Ablution

• I heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal say: "If the Imam prays while he is not in a state of ablution, he must repeat, but they (the followers) do not repeat."

• Ahmad was also asked about an Imam who led a group in prayer while he was in a state of major ritual impurity (junub), then became aware of it afterwards? He said: "He repeats, and they do not repeat." I said: "What if he remembers while he is in the prayer?" He said: "Their prayers are all invalidated."

• And I heard Ishaq say: "If the Imam prays while not in a state of ablution, or he is in a state of major ritual impurity (junub); he said: 'The Imam did not [truly] enter the state of ihram (commencement of prayer), while those behind him did not [similarly] fail to enter ihram; he repeats, and they do not repeat; it is an established Sunnah.'"

1067 - 'Amr ibn 'Uthman narrated to us, saying: Baqiyyah ibn al-Walid narrated to us, saying: 'Ubaydallah ibn 'Umar narrated to me, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar, who said: 'Umar led the people in prayer, then he found the trace of a seminal emission on his garment, so he said: "This is from this night of mine." He performed ghusl, washed what had stained his garment, then repeated the prayer, and did not command his companions to repeat.

1068 - Sa'id ibn Mansur narrated to us, saying: Hushaym narrated to us, from Khalid ibn Salamah, who said: Muhammad ibn 'Amr ibn al-Harith ibn al-Mustaliq narrated to me, saying: 'Uthman ibn 'Affan - may Allah be pleased with him - led us in prayer. When the day grew bright, he saw the trace of a seminal emission on his garment, so he repeated the prayer, and did not command them to repeat.

1069 - 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Jazari - from the people of Adharma - in al-Massisah narrated to us, saying: Hushaym narrated to us, from Hajjaj, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Harith, from 'Ali - may Allah be pleased with him - concerning an Imam who led a group in prayer while he was not in a state of purity; he said: "He repeats, and those behind him do not repeat."