it may happen that something occurs to him during the prayer for which he would not know what to do except through jurisprudence (fiqh) (2); thus, he is more worthy, just as in the supreme imamate and the judiciary. Our argument is what Aws ibn Dam'aj reported from Abu Mas'ud, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The one who leads the people in prayer is the one who is most well-versed in the Book of Allah. If they are equal in recitation, then the one who is most knowledgeable of the Sunnah. If they are equal in the Sunnah, then the one who is most ancient in emigration (hijrah). If they are equal in emigration, then the one who is most senior in age," or he said, "in submission (silm)" (3). Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If there are three gathered, one of them should lead them, and the most entitled among them to lead is the most well-versed in recitation." Both are narrated by Muslim (4). From Ibn Umar, he said: When the first Muhajirun arrived at Al-'Asbah (5), a place in Quba', Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, used to lead them in prayer, and he was the one among them with the most Quran. It was narrated by Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud (6). Among them were Umar ibn al-Khattab and Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad. In the hadith of 'Amr (7) ibn Salamah, it is stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The one among you with the most Quran should lead you" (8). Furthermore, because
(2) In M, there is an addition: "in it". (3) Meaning: in Islam. (4) The first is in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Book of Mosques. Sahih Muslim 1/465. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Book of Prayer, Sunan Abi Dawud 1/137; Al-Tirmidhi in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Chapters on Prayer, 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/34; Al-Nasa'i in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Book of Imamate, Al-Mujtaba 2/59; Ibn Majah in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Book of Establishing Prayer, Sunan Ibn Majah 1/313, 314; and Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 4/118, 121, 5/272. The second is in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Book of Mosques. Sahih Muslim 1/464. It was also recorded by Al-Nasa'i in: The Chapter on the Gathering of People in a Place Where They Are Equal, and The Chapter on the Congregation if They are Three, from the Book of Imamate, Al-Mujtaba 2/60, 80; Al-Darimi in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Book of Prayer, Sunan al-Darimi 1/286; and Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 3/24, 34, 36, 48, 51, 84. (5) With a fat-ha or a damma on the 'ayn. (6) Recorded by Al-Bukhari in: The Chapter on the Imamate of the Slave and the Freed Slave, from the Book of Adhan, Sahih al-Bukhari 1/178. And by Abu Dawud in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Book of Prayer, Sunan Abi Dawud 1/138. The part starting from "Among them were..." is found in Abu Dawud. (7) In the manuscripts: "Umar". (8) Recorded by Al-Bukhari in: The Chapter of 'And Al-Layth said, Yunus told me...', from the Book of Military Expeditions, Sahih al-Bukhari
