All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
According to Sharia Law, an Imam is appointed to lead congregational prayer in order for the worshippers to follow him and emulate his actions throughout the prayer. However, the Imam may encounter an obstacle that prevents him from continuing the prayer as required, such as being unable to continue the recitation due to a valid reason. In this case, he is allowed to appoint a substitute to complete the prayer, and this is permissible according to the four schools of Islamic thought.
However, this situation has many possibilities. In our time, the most common scenario is that the Imam may appoint someone from those following him in prayer. Sheikh al-Islam Zakariya al-Ansari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "If the prayer of the Imam-be it a Friday prayer or else-is invalidated unintentionally or intentionally due to a minor impurity (A situation where making ablution is required) or another reason, then he or the followers appointed-before they performed a pillar of the prayer-a person suitable for leading them and who was originally following the Imam-even if he is a child or someone offering supererogatory prayer-then this permissible because a prayer with two successive Imams is valid." [Asna al-Matalib Sharh Rawd al-Talib, Vol. 1/P. 252].
It is well known that according to the Shafi'i school of thought, the follower listens to the recitation of the Imam and does not recite himself. Therefore, the Shafi'i scholars are of the view that the substitute Imam must recite Al-Fatiha again since it is a pillar that he did not fulfill and must fulfill. Imam al-Shirwani, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Regarding the statement 'the one joining the prayer late should consider the sequence of the substitute Imam,' this phrase may include the case where the Imam recites Al-Fatiha and then appoints someone who did not recite it. In this case, it is obligatory for the latter to perform the Ruku' without reciting it, but this is not the intended meaning. Rather, he must recite Al-Fatiha for the validity of his own prayer..." [Hashiyat al-Shirwani on Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, Vol. 2/P. 489].
According to the reliable opinion of the Hanafi school of thought, the minimum amount of recitation that suffices for prayer, as mentioned by Sadr al-Shari'ah al-Muhbbubi, may Allah have mercy on him, is: "The obligation of recitation is one verse, and being content with it is reprehensible due to neglecting what is obligatory" [Sharh al-Waqaya, Vol. 2/P. 128]. Therefore, if the Imam recites the minimum required for the obligation in Al-Fatiha, it is not obligatory for the substitute Imam to repeat the recitation. Rather, if the reason for the Imam's inability to recite is simply due to difficulty in reciting, it is not permissible for him to appoint a substitute at all. Instead, he should perform the ruku' and continue his prayer. Al-Mawsili al-Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "If an Imam is hindered from recitation entirely and appoints someone else, it is permissible... However, if he recites what suffices for the validity of the prayer, it is not permissible by consensus" [Al-Ikhtiyar li Ta'leel al-Mukhtar, Vol.1/P. 61].
In the Maliki school of thought, the substitute continues the recitation loudly and does not repeat it. Al-Khurashi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "The substitute continues the prayer of the first Imam, reciting loudly from where the first Imam left off. However, if the first Imam did not recite anything, the substitute begins the recitation from the beginning. If the prayer is silent, the substitute starts the recitation from the beginning" [Sharh al-Khurashi 'ala Mukhtasar Khalil, Vol. 2/P. 52].
In the Hanbali school of thought, the substitute keeps track of the Imam's recitation and picks up from where he had left off. Al-Hajawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "The Imam may appoint a substitute to complete the prayer, even if the substitute was already following the Imam or did not join the prayer... The substitute who was within the congregation follows the actions of the Imam, including the recitation, starting from where the Imam had left off. The substitute who did not join the prayer begins reciting Al-Fatiha, but quietly repeats what the Imam has recited from it, then recites aloud the remaining part" [Al-Iqna' fi Fiqh al-Imam Ahmad, Vol. 1/P. 109].
Therefore, it is safer to repeat the recitation of Al-Fatiha based on the view of the Shafi'i school of thought. However, not repeating it doesn`t render the substitute Imam sinful and his prayer is considered valid. This is following the opinion of those scholars who permit the substitute`s continuing the recitation from where the Imam had left off. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
