The imamate of one who insists on leading while the followers do not want him

Question

Many Muslims do not want to pray behind a certain man, yet this man insists on leading the prayer. Things reach the point of bloodshed, so that the government has to impose Section 144 and prevent the prayer from being performed in the Eidgah (open ground for the Eid prayer); because of this man’s obstinacy the community splits in two, and the Eid prayer is performed in two places. What is this conduct of the imam according to the Shari‘a?

Answer

To make imam a man in whom there is a Shar‘i defect because of which the prayer behind him is not performed is makruh tahrimi. If on that account the Muslims do not want to pray behind him and he nevertheless insists on leading the prayer, then according to the Shari‘a this is not permitted to him: a severe threat (wa‘id)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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