Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Islam permits disabled individuals to lead congregational prayer as long as the followers can clearly understand and follow their movements.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
There is nothing wrong if a physically disabled person leads people in prayers as long as the followers can follow him without confusion. We are not allowed to discriminate between people because of the physical challenges they are facing.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) chose `Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum (who was a blind) to raise the adhan as well as to lead people in his absence. We also read in the sources that Ibn Umm Maktum had to be notified of the arrival of time for he was blind.
It is, therefore, perfectly fine for a person without legs to lead people as long as they can make out the different postures he is making in salah.
For a complete understanding, refer to the fatwas below:
- Can a Young Boy Lead Others in Prayer?
- Requirements to Be an Imam
- Praying Behind a Handicapped Imam: Allowed?
- How to Properly Pray Behind an Imam in Islam
- Can an Imam Without Beard Lead the Prayer?
- Can Imams Take Salary?
- Do Prayers Need Repeating if Imam Had No Wudu?
- Is Following the Imam by Loudspeakers Behind Walls Valid?
- Is Prayer Valid behind Imam Who Cannot Read Quran?
- Imamโs Mistakes in Recitation: How to Correct Him?
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editorโs note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholarโs archive and was originally published at an earlier date.