What is the ruling for the congregation when the Imam leads while unaware of his state of major ritual impurity or minor ritual impurity?
Chapter on Praying with Impurity and Other Matters
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
If the Imam leads the congregation while impure (either majorly or minorly) and neither he nor the followers realize this until they complete the prayer, the prayer of the followers is valid, but the prayer of the Imam is void. This ruling is narrated from Umar, Uthman, Ali, and Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), and it is the view of Al-Hasan, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, Malik, Al-Awza'i, Al-Shafi'i, Sulayman ibn Harb, and Abu Thawr. The evidence relies upon the consensus of the Companions; for instance, Umar repeated his prayer after realizing he had a nocturnal emission but did not instruct the followers to repeat theirs. Similarly, Uthman repeated the dawn prayer after realizing he had a seminal emission, but did not command them to repeat. Ali stated that if an impure Imam completes the prayer with them, he is commanded to purify himself and repeat, but the followers are not commanded to repeat. This established practice in a matter of common knowledge, where no dissenting reports were established, implies consensus. The basis for this is that ritual impurity is often concealed, and the followers have no way to know the Imam’s condition, thus they are excused for following him. This differs from the case where the Imam knowingly performs an act that invalidates the prayer, as that implies mockery.
Supporting text
A differing opinion attributed to Ali states that both the Imam and the followers must repeat their prayer, held by Ibn Sirin, Al-Sha'bi, Abu Hanifa, and his companions, because he prayed leading them while impure, which is similar to if he had known. There is an additional narration concerning impurity (as opposed to ritual impurity), where the Imam's prayer is also valid if he forgot about the impurity.