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Fatwa CenterPraying behind an Imam Who Pronounces Some Letters Wrong
Question
Assalamu'alaikum i want to know about ruling on praying behind Imam that pronounce letter Ù‚ are same as Ùƒ, i can clearly hear that there is no different when he pronounce Ù‚, is my prayer valid? Could you please not refer into another fatwa
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Dear questioner, we would like to begin by mentioning that your inquiries suggest you may be struggling with Waswasah (obsessive whispers) related to Kufr (disbelief). This current question may also stem from obsessive concerns about the pronunciation of letters.
In brief, what we can say is that some scholars have taken a lenient stance regarding the pronunciation of the letter Qāf (Ù‚) when it is pronounced like Kāf (Ùƒ), and they are of the view that such a mistake does not invalidate the prayer.
In Al-Ḥāwī lil-Fatāwi by Al-Suyūṭī (1/252), it is mentioned:
“Al-Isnawī said in Al-Kawkab: ‘Replacing Ha (Ø) with Ha (هـ) is a rare language (dialect), as is replacing Qāf (Ù‚) with Kāf (Ùƒ). Among the implications of the first case:
If someone recites (al-Hamdu Lillāh)” in Al-Fātiḥah by saying “الهمد لله” (al-Hamdu Lillāh) with Haʾ (هـ) instead of Ha (Ø), the prayer is still valid. This view is mentioned by Al-Qāḍī Ḥusayn in his commentary on the chapter of “Description of the Prayer”, and it was also transmitted from him by Ibn ar-Rifʿah in Al-Kifāyah.
As for the second case (i.e. replacing Qāf with Kāf):
If someone recites “al-Mustaqīm” using a Qāf that sounds like a Kāf, that is, a tightly articulated Qāf resembling Kāf, the prayer is also valid. This was stated by Shaykh Naṣr al-Maqdisī in his book Al-Maqṣūd, and by Al-Rūyānī in Al-Ḥilyah, and it is also transmitted from him by Al-Nawawī in his book Sharh al-Muhadhdhab'. Similarly, this is confirmed by Ibn ar-Rifʿah in Al-Kifāyah.
Al-Isnawī explained that the validity of prayer in such cases is due to the fact that these variations really exist in some dialects and the meaning of the word remains intact.” [End quote]
Moreover, the Arab linguists have noted that the letter Kāf has been substituted for two other letters: Qāf and Tāʾ.* For example, in the expression “Arabī Kuḥh” is substituted for “Arabi Quhh” Al-Aṣmaʿī interpreted “Quḥh” as something that is free from ignobility. Therefore, these letters are sometimes interchangeable, though replacing Qāf with Kāf occurs more frequently than the opposite.” [End quote]
(Commentary of al-Ashmūnī on the Alfiyyat Ibn Mālik, vol. 4, p. 141)
*Also, Kaf, in some dialects, is substituted for Ta. So, you may say ‘Asayka instead of ‘Asayta (meaning you have disobeyed.
Allah knows best.
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