The Imamate of a Blind Man

Question

A hafiz who is also a qari was appointed imam of a mosque. He knows the rulings of prayer and other religious matters and also gives religious instruction to other people. The said hafiz is blind and married, and his father and younger brother keep him with them at all times. He is very careful about his purity and cleanliness; moreover, he knows a good number of Friday khutbas by heart, which two reliable scholars have confirmed after examining him.

Answer

[ar]وكره إمامة العبد والأعرابي والمبتدع والأعمى؛ لأنه لا يتوقى النجاسة، ولا يهتدي إلى القبلة بنفسه، ولا يقدر على استيعاب الوضوء غالبًا. وفي البدائع: إذا كان لا يؤازيه غيره في الفضيلة في مسجده فهو أولى، ومثله في المحيط، وقد استخلف النبي ﷺ ابن أم مكتوم ﵁ وعتبان بن مالك ﵁ على المدينة وكانا أعميين[/ar] “The imamate of a slave, a Bedouin, an innovator (mubtadi‘)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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