this in the case of the road, it does not apply to the river, for prayer is valid upon it while in a boat, and if it is frozen. Furthermore, the fact that it is not a place for prayer only prevents performing prayer in it; as for preventing the following of the imam, that is pure arbitrary assertion (tahakkum) that one is not obliged to accept or act upon. If it were a funeral prayer, a Friday prayer, or an Eid prayer, this would not affect it, because it is valid [to perform these] on the road. Anas prayed during the death of Humayd ibn Abd al-Rahman by following the prayer of the imam, while there was a road between them.
258 - Issue: He said: "And the imam shall not be higher than the followers."
The well-known view in the madhhab is that it is disliked for the imam to be higher than the followers, whether he intends to teach them the prayer or not. This is the opinion of Malik, al-Awza'i, and the scholars of opinion (Ashab al-Ra'y). It has been narrated from Ahmad what indicates that it is not disliked; for Ali ibn al-Madini said: Ahmad asked me about the hadith of Sahl ibn Sa'd, and he said: "I only meant that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was higher than the people." So there is no harm for the imam to be higher than the people based on this hadith. Al-Shafi'i said: "I choose for the imam who is teaching those behind him to pray on an elevated object, so that those behind him can see him and follow him," based on what Sahl ibn Sa'd narrated, who said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stand upon it—meaning the pulpit—then he said the takbir, and the people behind him said the takbir. Then he bowed while he was on the pulpit, then raised his head, and stepped backward until he prostrated at the base of the pulpit, then returned until he finished the end of his prayer. Then he turned to the people and said: 'O people, I only did this so that you would follow me and learn my prayer.'" Agreed upon. Our evidence is what was narrated that Ammar ibn Yasir was in al-Mada'in, and the prayer was called, so Ammar stepped forward and stood on a platform, with the people below him.
(14) In the manuscripts: "wa-innama." (1) Extracted by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter: The Sermon on the Pulpit, from the Book of Friday. Sahih al-Bukhari 2/11. And Muslim, in: Chapter: The Permissibility of One or Two Steps in Prayer, from the Book of Mosques. Sahih Muslim 1/386, 387. It was also extracted by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter: On Taking a Pulpit, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/248. And al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter: Prayer on the Pulpit, from the Book of Mosques. Al-Mujtaba 2/45. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 5/339.
ذلك في الطَّريقِ فلا يَصِحُّ في النَّهْرِ، فإنَّه تَصِحُّ الصلاةُ عليه في السَّفِينَةِ، وإذا كان جَامِدًا، ثم كَوْنُه لَيْس بمَحَلٍّ للصلاةِ إنما (١٤) يَمْنَعُ الصلاة فيه، أمَّا المَنْعُ من الاقْتِدَاءِ بالإِمامِ فَتَحَكُّمٌ مَحْضٌ، لا يَلْزَمُ المَصِيرُ إليه، ولا العَمَلُ به، ولو كانت صلاةَ جِنَازَةٍ أو جُمُعَةٍ أو عِيدٍ، لم يُؤثِّرْ ذلك فيها؛ لأنَّها تَصِحُّ في الطَّرِيقِ، وقد صَلَّى أنَسٌ في مَوْتِ حُمَيْدِ بن عَبدِ الرَّحمنِ بِصَلَاةِ الإِمامِ، وبَيْنَهما طَرِيقٌ.
٢٥٨ - مسألة؛ قال: (وَلَا يَكُونُ الإِمَامُ أَعْلَى مِن المَأْمُومِ)
المَشْهُورُ في المَذْهبِ أنَّه يُكْرَهُ أن يكونَ الإِمامُ أعْلَى من المَأْمُومِينَ، سَوَاءٌ أَرَادَ تَعْلِيمَهُم الصلاةَ أو لم يُرِدْ، وهو قولُ مَالِكٍ، والأوْزَاعِيِّ، وأصْحابِ الرَّأْىِ. وَرُوِىَ عن أحمدَ ما يَدُلُّ على أنَّه لا يُكْرَهُ؛ فإن عَلِيَّ بن الْمَدِينِيِّ قال: سَألَنِى أحمدُ عن حَدِيثِ سَهْلِ بن سَعْدٍ، وقال: إنَّما أَرَدْتُ أنَّ النَّبِيَّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- كان أعْلَى من النَّاسِ. فلا بَأْسَ أن يكونَ الإِمامُ أعْلَى من النَّاسِ بهذا الحَدِيثِ. وقال الشَّافِعِيُّ: أخْتَارُ لِلإِمامِ الذي يُعَلِّمُ مَنْ خَلْفَه أن يُصَلِّىَ على الشَّيْءِ المُرْتَفِعِ، فيَرَاهُ مَنْ خَلْفَه، فَيَقْتَدُونَ به؛ لما رَوَى سَهْلُ بن سَعْدٍ، قال: لقد رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- قَامَ عليه - يعني المِنْبَرَ - فَكَبَّرَ، وكَبَّرَ النّاسُ وَرَاءَهُ، ثم رَكَعَ وهو على المِنْبَرِ، ثم رَفَعَ فنَزَلَ القَهْقَرَى حتى سَجَدَ في أصْلِ المِنْبَرِ، ثم عادَ حتى فَرَغَ من آخِر صَلَاتِه، ثم أقْبَلَ على النَّاسِ فقال: "أَيُّها النّاسُ، إنَّمَا فَعَلْتُ هذا لِتَأْتَمُّوا بِى، ولِتَعْلَمُوا صَلَاتِى". مُتَّفَقٌ عليه (١). ولَنا، ما رُوِىَ أنَّ عَمَّارَ بنَ يَاسِرٍ كان بالمَدَائِنِ، فأُقِيمَتِ الصلاةُ، فتَقَدَّمَ عَمَّارٌ فقامَ على دُكَّانٍ، والنَّاسُ أسْفَلَ منه،
(١٤) في النسخ: "وإنما".(١) أخرجه البخاري، في: باب الخطبة على المنبر، من كتاب الجمعة. صحيح البخاري ٢/ ١١. ومسلم، في: باب جواز الخطوة والخطوتين في الصلاة، من كتاب المساجد. صحيح مسلم ١/ ٣٨٦، ٣٨٧. كذلك أخرجه أبو داود، في: باب في اتخاذ المنبر، من كتاب الصلاة. سنن أبي داود ١/ ٢٤٨. والنسائي، في: باب الصلاة على المنبر، من كتاب المساجد. المجتبى ٢/ ٤٥. والإِمام أحمد، في: المسند ٥/ ٣٣٩.
