Chapter: Prompting the Imam

• Ahmad was asked—another time—about prompting the Imam (if he makes a mistake)? He saw no harm in it.

• I heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal say: "There is no harm in prompting the Imam."

• I heard Ishaq say: "The Sunnah is that if the recitation becomes confused for the Imam, and he remains silent at that moment, it is incumbent upon those behind him to prompt him. If he is merely hesitant in it, those behind him should not prompt him.

And whoever claims that prompting is [prohibited] speech, he has erred, for it is the Qur'an that he is reciting."

881 - Yahya ibn 'Abd al-Hamid narrated to us, saying: Qays narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from 'Ubaydah ibn Rabi'ah, from 'Uthman, that he used to command a man to lead the prayer, and if he became stuck, he would prompt him.

Chapter: One Who Does Not Recite the Qur'an Well

• I asked Ishaq, and I said: A Jew who has converted to Islam, and he does not recite anything of the Qur'an well? He said: "If he does not recite anything of the Qur'an well, he should perform tasbih (saying Subhan Allah)."

• And I also heard Ishaq say: "Whoever does not recite well, and performs tasbih, it is permissible; because tasbih is a substitute for the recitation."

• And I heard Ishaq—another time—say: "If there is a man who does not recite anything of the Qur'an well, let him perform takbir (saying Allahu Akbar), perform tasbih, and praise Allah (tahmid), to the extent of the Opening of the Book (Fatihat al-Kitab) and a surah along with it."