Prayer by a tape recording

Question

In Germany, among the Muslim staff of the embassies of all the Muslim countries, no one turned out to be capable of leading the Eid prayer. In the end the Egyptian embassy invited everyone to the Eid prayer, and the prayer was led in such a way that it had been taped, and a tape recorder was placed in the imam’s position. Will prayer in this manner be valid or not?

Answer

If the tape recorder is placed on the prayer mat, and it is made to stand in the place of the imam and the prayer is performed following it, then the prayer was not valid. It is a most regrettable thing for Muslims that among the whole staff there should be no one fit to lead the prayer.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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