Chapter: The Imamate of the Illiterate (Ummi)

• I said to Ishaq: A man led a group of people in prayer, and behind him was someone more learned in recitation than he. This illiterate (ummi) man recited, and he altered and changed the meaning, yet he did recite—in any case? He said: "The prayer of the people is valid if he recited." I said: What if he does not know how to read? He said: "Whoever recited behind him, his prayer is valid, and whoever did not recite behind him must repeat it." I said: [What if] he prayed Dhuhr, and we did not hear any recitation from him, and we have no doubt that he does not know how to read? He said: "The prayer of those who recited behind him is valid, and those who did not recite must repeat it."

885 - 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Abi Sahl narrated to us, saying: Yusuf ibn Musa narrated to us, saying: Waki' was asked about a man who ended a verse of mercy with a verse of punishment? He said: I have not seen anyone who says regarding this what al-Hasan ibn Salih says. He used to say: "If he ends a verse of mercy with a verse of punishment, he must restart the prayer."

886 - Sa'id ibn Mansur narrated to us, saying: Abu al-Ahwas narrated to us, from Mughirah, from Ibrahim, who said: 'Abd Allah said: "The error in the Book of Allah is not that one makes the ending of a verse another verse, such as saying '{'Aziz Hakim}' (Mighty, Wise) when it is '{Ghafur Rahim}' (Forgiving, Merciful); rather, the [true] error is that one makes a verse of mercy into a verse of punishment."

887 - Sa'id ibn Mansur narrated to us, saying: Jarir narrated to us, from Idris—he said: 'And he was among the best of people'—who said: It was said to al-Hasan: We have an Imam who commits grammatical errors (yalhan). He said: "Remove him."