Q 2: Is Salah (Prayer) valid if offered behind an Imam whose clothes are soiled with Najasah (impurity)? What is the ruling if the Imam as well as the people praying behind him noticed this Najasah only after Salah was finished? Do they have to repeat Salah or is it only the Imam who has to repeat it?

A: According to the most appropriate of the two views held by scholars, the Salah of the Imam who does not notice that his body or clothes are stained with Najasah is valid. Neither he nor the people praying behind him are required to repeat Salah again. This is based on the Hadith narrated by Abu Sa`id: That the Prophet (peace be upon him) was praying and took off his shoes and the people did the same. After finishing the prayer, he (peace be upon him) asked them: Why did you take off your shoes? They replied: We did the same as you. Then, he (peace be upon him) said: Jibril came to me and informed me that there was some filth on my shoes. So, if any of you enters the mosque, he should turn his shoes; if he finds filth on them, he should wipe them off and pray in them. Narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not perform the first part of his prayer again nor did he ask his Sahabah (Companions) to perform it again. (Part No. 7; Page No. 401) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.