The Imamate of a Liar and a Backbiter

Question

Zayd lied [and] backbit (ghiba) Bakr. Is Zayd fit for the imamate? Explain, and be rewarded.

Answer

Lying and backbiting (ghiba) are impermissible; therefore Zayd must repent of them. If Zayd does not repent but persists in lying and backbiting, he should not be made imam — provided that another person is better qualified than him for the imamate, and that there is no fear of fitna, strife or the mosque becoming deserted in removing Zayd from the imamate.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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