Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched an expedition; they were a few individuals. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called them and asked: How much of the Qur’an do you know? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) listened to their recitation until he passed by a person who was the youngest among them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: O so-and-so, how much of the Qur’an do you know? He replied: I know such-and-such surah and such-and-such surah, and also Surah Al-Baqarah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Do you know Surah Al-Baqarah? He replied: Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You go, you are the leader of these people. Then one of the respected men of the group said: By the One in whom this quality is found, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I did not acquire the knowledge of the Qur’an except for this reason; I feared that I would not recite it in voluntary prayers. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You should acquire the knowledge of the Qur’an and recite it, and also sleep. Whoever acquires the knowledge of the Qur’an and recites it, and performs it in voluntary prayers, his example is like a bag containing musk with its mouth open, so its fragrance spreads everywhere. And whoever acquires the knowledge of the Qur’an and sleeps while the Qur’an is in his mind, his example is like a bag containing musk with its mouth closed.

Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The one who should lead the people in prayer is the one among them who has the most knowledge of Allah’s Book. If they are equal in recitation, then the one who has the most knowledge of the Sunnah. If they are equal in knowledge of the Sunnah, then the one who migrated earlier. If they are equal in migration, then the one who is older in age. Do not lead in prayer in the place of authority of another person, nor sit in his special seat in his house, unless he gives permission.”

Sayyiduna Malik bin Huwairith (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and a friend of mine was with me. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: When you both perform prayer, give the adhan and say the iqamah, and the one who is older among you should lead the prayer. The narrator says: Both of them were of the same age. (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) "that you both give the adhan and you both say the iqamah" means that one of them should do so, not that both should do so.

Sayyiduna Malik bin Huwairith (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him and his companion, "When it is time for prayer, both of you should give the adhan and both of you should say the iqamah, then the one who is older among you should lead the prayer." The narrator named Khalid says: I asked the narrator named Abu Qilabah: What about the command regarding recitation? He replied: Both of them were equal in that regard.

Sayyiduna Malik bin Huwairith (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me and my companion: "When you set out, then one of you should give the adhan and he should say the iqamah, and the one who is older among you should lead you in prayer."

Sayyiduna Malik bin Huwairith (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: We came to the service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him); we were young men of similar age. We stayed with him for twenty days. When he realized that being away from our families was becoming difficult for us, he inquired from us about what we had left behind for our families. We informed him about this. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was very kind and soft-hearted. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Return to your families. Teach them, command them, and perform the prayer as you have seen me perform the prayer. When the time for prayer comes, let one of you give the call to prayer (adhan), and the eldest among you should lead the prayer." Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) says: The statement of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), "Perform the prayer as you have seen me perform the prayer," is, in wording, an imperative form that includes everything the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do during his prayer. Among these, there are two things that have been specified by consensus, or have become specific due to a transmitted narration, so there is no harm for a person to leave them during prayer. And whatever has not been specified by consensus or by a transmitted hadith, then that is a mandatory command which is necessary for all addressed people, and it is not permissible to leave it under any circumstances.

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When three people are traveling, one of you should lead (as imam), and the one who has the most knowledge of recitation among you has the greatest right to lead."

Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The one who should lead the people in prayer is the one who has the most knowledge of Allah’s Book. If they are equal in recitation, then the one who has the most knowledge of the Sunnah should lead. If they are equal in knowledge of the Sunnah, then the one who migrated earlier should lead. If they are equal in migration, then the one who is older in age should lead. And no one should lead another in his place of authority, nor should he sit in his specific seat. However, if he gives permission, then the ruling is different.”

Lady Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) appointed Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him) as his deputy in Madinah Munawwarah; he used to lead the people in prayer.

Lady Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him) as his deputy in Madinah Munawwarah; he used to lead the people in prayer.