The imam recited “خير الظالمين” instead of “والله خير الرازقين” in the prayer

Question

In the recitation of the night prayer (‘isha’), the imam recited “والله خير الظالمين” (“Allah is the best of wrongdoers”) instead of “والله خير الرازقين” (“Allah is the best of providers”). I said that the meaning had become one of disbelief and the prayer must be repeated. One of the members [of the committee], a gentleman without a beard, said that the prayer was valid. How is this act of his? Also, for the sake of the imamate, he has grown a little beard after being urged to — is praying behind him permissible?

Answer

The jurists have stated explicitly that if, by reciting one word in place of another, the meaning is distorted, the prayer becomes fasid (invalid). This is stated explicitly in all [the books]: “Fatawa ‘Alamgiri”, “Qadi Khan”, “Tahtawi”, “Shami” and “al-Bahr al-Ra’iq”.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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