The faults of the imam

Question

A certain man is an ‘alim, but deaf: he can hear only when shouted at. When the muqtadis in the prayer signal to him by voice, he sometimes corrects [the mistake] and sometimes does not. From the minbar he praises the one from whom he has personal benefit, and the one with whom he is displeased he condemns and finds fault with; he helps his friends and relatives in false lawsuits and takes a special interest in this; and he is considerably involved with political parties.

Answer

If the circumstances are indeed so, then appointing such a man as imam is makruh when another man, better than him and fit for the imamate, is present. Backbiting (ghiba), fault-finding, undeserved praise and assisting in false litigation — each of these is in itself a defect; but association with a political party is not truly a defect.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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