Question: Is it permissible to have a spot reserved for the Muazzin behind the Imām?
باسمه تعالى
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Answer: Great reward is promised for standing in the first line. However, the closer one is to the Imām, the greater the reward he will gain. Knowledgeable and God-fearing people should stand closest to the Imām, as these are the people who will lead the Ṣalāh in case of the Imām’s Ṣalāh breaking. Since it is customary for the Muaẓẓin to stand behind the Imām, and he is the one who usually leads the salat in the absence of the Imām, therefore objection should not be made on having a spot reserved for him behind the Imām. Moreover, the majority of the Muṣallies have no objection with him standing behind the Imām. Those who are not happy with this should think of the innumerous virtues that the Muaẓẓinīn enjoy. Haḍrat ʿUmar (RA) once said that if it weren’t for the duties of a Caliph, I would have become the Muaẓẓin.
Fatāwā Darul ʿUloom Zakariyya, vol.4 pg, 685-686
و الله تعالى أعلم
And Allah knows best
Mufti Raḍa’ul Ḥaq
_________________
Faculty of Ifta
Darul Uloom Zakariyya
Lenasia
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
الاربعاء، 10 ذو القعدة، 1425