ON DEPUTY IMAAM

Questioner: Regarding the discussion on a deputy Imaam, if a person is made the Imaam of a mosque, can he appoint another person to stand in for him whenever he is not available?

Dr Sharof: No. If he appoints the person because he has the most knowledge amongst the people (after him) without declaring him as a deputy, then there is no harm.

Questioner: Can he be regarded as “Adele”?

Dr Sharof: That’s the Yoruba word for a deputy Imaam. He should not appoint him as a deputy. He should just say, ‘whenever I am not around, the people of knowledge should lead the prayer, most especially so and so person.’ Do we understand? He shouldn’t just declare a person as the deputy. Na’am. This is because these sorts of posts can’t be found in Islaam. It can only be found in the churches. Do we understand? What is the meaning of posts like deputy Imaam one, deputy Imaam two, deputy Imaam three? It can only be found in the church and not in Islaam. It is similar to ‘osupa adeeni’, ‘irawo adeeni’, ‘oorun adeeni’. All these are from the church. Na’am!

Source: Q&A session of the tape, “The Prophet's Solaah (Zaadul Ma'ad) Venue: Olohunsogo Masjid Stadium Ogbomoso”