Narrated Yazid bin al-Aswad (RA): He offered the morning prayer with Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) and when Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) finished his prayer, he saw two men who had not prayed with him. He ordered them to be brought and they were brought trembling with fear. He asked them what had prevented you from praying with us?" They said, "We had already prayed at our homes." He said, "Don't do so! If you pray at your homes and then you come while the Imam has not yet performed the prayer, you must pray with him, and it will be a voluntary prayer for you." [Reported by Ahmad - with his wording - and ath-Thalathah. at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (authentic)] .

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: "The Imam has been appointed to be followed (in the congregational prayers). So, when he utters the Takbir, utter the Takbir too, and do not utter the Takbir until he utters it. When he bows, you should bow, and do not bow until he bows. When he says, "Allah listens to him who praises him," say, "O Allah, our Rabb, to you is the praise." When he prostrates, you prostrate; and do not prostrate until he prostrates. If he prays standing, pray standing, and if he prays sitting, all of you pray sitting." [Reported by Abu Dawud and the wording is his] . And its basic meaning is in the Sahihain (of al-Bukhari and Muslim)] .

Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (RA): When Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) saw a tendency among his Companions of going to the back he said, "Come forward and follow my lead and let those behind you follow you." [Reported by Muslim] .

Narrated Zaid bin Thabit (RA): Allah's ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) made a small room of a mat (i.e. he used it to designate a space for prayer) and prayed inside it. The people followed him, and they came to pray behind him. The narrator mentioned the rest of the Hadith, and it contains the words: "The most excellent prayer of a person is (that which he prays) in his house except that which is prescribed (the five congregational prayers)." [Agreed upon] .

Narrated Jabir (RA): Mu'adh bin Jabal (RA) led his companions in the al-'Isha (night prayer) and prolonged it for them. Upon this the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said to him, "O Mu'adh, do you want to become a Fattan? When you lead people in prayers, recite ash-Shamsi wa duhaha (Surat 91), Sabbihisma Rabbikal-A'la (Surat 87), Iqra' Bismi Rabbika (Surat 96) and Wal-Laili idha yaghsha (Surat 92)." [Agreed upon. And the wording is from Muslim] .

Narrated 'Aishah (RA) regarding Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) leading the people in Salat (prayer) during his illness. She said, "He came and sat on the left side of Abu Bakr (RA). So he ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) was leading the people in prayer while sitting and Abu Bakr standing. Abu Bakr was following the prayer of the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ), and the people were following the prayer of Abu Bakr." [Agreed upon] .

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): The Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: "When one of you leads the people in prayer he should be brief, for among them are the young and the old, the weak and those who have needs to attend to. But if he prays by himself he may pray as he wishes." [Agreed upon] .

Narrated 'Amr bin Salimah (RA): My father said, "I have come from the true Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ), so when the time of Salat (prayer) comes one of you should announce the Adhan and the one of you who knows the Qur'an most should be your Imam." He ('Amr) said: "They looked around and there was no one who knew the Qur'an more than I. So they put me forward in front of them and I was only six or seven years old." [Reported by al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i] .

Narrated Ibn Mas'ud (RA): Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: "The one who knows [by recitation and memorization] the Book of Allah most should be the Imam of the people. If they are equal in the recitation, then the one who knows the Sunnah most and if they are equal in the Sunnah then the earliest of them to emigrate (to al-Madinah) and if they are equal in the emigration then the oldest among them in Islam. In another narration it has "agewise". And no man should lead another in prayer in his domain or sit in his place of honor without his permission." [Reported by Muslim] .

Ibn Majah reported the following from Jabir's narration, "A woman is never to lead a man in prayer, neither a bedouin (desert Arab) to lead an emigrant, nor a sinner to lead a believer." [Its chain of narrators is Wahin (extremely weak)] .