The imamate of one whose sons are sinners

Question

In our area there is a certain hafiz. He has three children. The eldest son engages in black-marketeering, and the middle son is known in the surrounding area as a bandit. The said hafiz constantly lives in close association with these two sons. He is now the imam of a neighbourhood and area; his tongue is very harsh. He is also very greedy for worldly wealth and goods. For the most trivial thing he does not consider it a sin to hurt people’s hearts.

Answer

The person chosen as imam should be one who has more knowledge of the religion than others, recites the Holy Qur’an correctly, follows the sunna and avoids sins. If these qualities are present among the worshippers but the imam is devoid of them — that is, he neither has more knowledge of the religion, nor recites the Holy Qur’an correctly, nor follows the sunna, nor avoids…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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