Must the listener prostrate if the reciter is illiterate (Ummi)?
Chapter on the Description of Prayer
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
The listener does not prostrate if the reciter is illiterate (Ummi). The proof is the Hadith indicating the requirement for the reciter to be qualified as an Imam, as the listener does not prostrate without their Imam, similar to when both are engaged in congregational prayer. However, if the illiterate person recites a verse requiring prostration, the listening reader must prostrate with them because the act of recitation itself is not a pillar (rukn) for the prostration.
Supporting text
Al-Shafi'i stated that the listener must prostrate because the act of listening, which is the cause (sabab) for the prostration, is present.