Imamate of a lame person

Question

Zayd, the imam of a mosque, has some crookedness in his foot, because of which he cannot place his whole foot on the ground when walking; but while leading the prayer he places his whole foot on the ground. Is prayer behind such a person permissible or not? And if it is permissible, is it with karaha (dislike) or without karaha?

Answer

Prayer behind such a person is permissible; however, if he places his whole foot on the ground with difficulty, then it is better (awla) to make someone else the imam. ولو كان بقدم الإمام عوج فقام على بعضها يجوز وغيره أولى “If there is crookedness in the imam’s foot and he stands on part of it, [the prayer] is permissible, but someone else is better” (al-Zayla‘i, vol. 1, p.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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