The imamate of a quarrelsome troublemaker

Question

I submit that I had already sent a letter before this. In it you wrote about the water, but wrote nothing about the respected hafiz. What is [the ruling on] praying behind a hafiz who engages in quarrels, strife, abuse and the like? Will the prayer behind him be valid or not?

Answer

Quarrelling and stirring up strife without cause, and abusing, is very bad. The imam and the muqtadis — all of them should refrain from this and should repent. The prayers performed behind this imam have been discharged; in future let them not do this.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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