Then Abū-Bakr was called but he arrived when `Umar had...

Then Abū-Bakr was called but he arrived when `Umar had already finished the prayer. Abū-Bakr too offered the prayer with the congregation.”[1] It appears from this tradition that in the beginning the Prophet (a.s) did not name any particular person to lead the prayer and had left it to the discretion of `Abdullah to ask someone to do the job. Because of this open permission he asked `Umar to lead When he started the prayer the Prophet (a.s) called for Abū-Bakr to lead the prayer.

But before he arrived `Umar had completed the prayer and Abū-Bakr repeated the process. It surprises seeing this narration that when the Prophet (a.s) had told `Abdullah that he should ask someone to lead the congregation, and `Umar complied, then what was the need to rush a person to call Abū-Bakr to come and repeat the process? Was praying behind `Umar not legitimate? If it was legitimate, then what was the sense in repeating the process?

If the Prophet (a.s) wanted that only Abū-Bakr should lead the prayer, then he could have instructed `Abdullah in the first instance to ask that person to lead! If that was done, `Umar could have been spared the ignominy that his leading the prayer was voided! Ibn Sa`d says: “When `Umar sounded the Takbir the Prophet (a.s) said, ‘No! No!

Where is the son of Abū-Quhafah?’ Hearing this, the rows got disturbed and `Umar moved away from the niche and Abū-Bakr came forward and led the prayer.”[2] In the first narrative quoted above it is mentioned that a person was sent to call Abū-Bakr and from this narration it seems that he arrived himself. In the first narrative it is recorded that Abū-Bakr arrived after the prayer was over and in this narration it is said that `Umar had to give way from the middle of the prayer!

Besides the contradictions, there is one thing that disturbs the minds is that what was the need to interrupt the prayer. If it is accepted that the person leading the prayer was a sinner and transgressor, there is one group in Islam, which does not enforce the condition of decency ( `adalah ) for Imamate during prayers. And the group in which decency of the Imam is mandatory, breaking the prayer in progress is not permitted!

If during the [1] Sīrat ibn Hushām, Vol 2, Page 302 [2] Al-Tabaqāt, Vol 2, Page 222 prayer it is learned that the Imam is a sinner, the people can change the intent from the congregational prayer to individual prayer and complete the process. In no event, they can break the prayer when they have started to offer it.