Imamate of a lame person

Question

Zayd, the imam of a mosque, has some crookedness in his foot, because of which he cannot place his whole foot on the ground when walking; but while leading the prayer he places his whole foot on the ground. Is prayer behind such a person permissible or not? And if it is permissible, is it with karaha (dislike) or without karaha?

Answer

Prayer behind such a person is permissible; however, if he places his whole foot on the ground with difficulty, then it is better (awla) to make someone else the imam. [ar]ولو كان بقدم الإمام عوج فقام على بعضها يجوز وغيره أولى[/ar] “If there is crookedness in the imam’s foot and he stands on part of it, [the prayer] is permissible, but someone else is better” (al-Zayla‘i, vol.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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