Going on Leave after Appointing Someone as One’s Deputy in the Imamate

Question

The respected imam sometimes goes away because of the demands of his employment and appoints another man for the imamate; he does not want to take leave at the expense of his salary. May the respected imam go away like this without permission, and will the prayer behind him be valid? Is this not deception?

Answer

If he makes his deputy a person who possesses the qualities of an imam, then it is permissible for the respected imam to take his full salary, and this is not deception. So [it is stated] in “al-Bahr al-Ra’iq”.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.