If One Man gave the Sermon and Another Man led the Prayer
Question :
Is it permissible for the Imam to be other than the one who delivered the Friday sermon, bearing in mind that the Imam is a reciter of the Qur'an who excels in recitation and the Khatib is not a reciter like the Imam?
Answer:
The Sunnah is for the one who delivered the Khutbah to lead the prayer, as this was the continuous practice of the Prophet and the righteous caliphs, may Allah be pleased with them, continued this practice after him. Each of them, during his rule, after delivering the sermon, would lead the people in prayer himself. And the Prophet said:
"Pray as you have seen me praying.
And he also said:
You must follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the righteous caliphs who come after me.
However, if one man delivers the Khutbah and another leads the prayer for some reason, then it is permissible and the prayer is correct. If it is done without a reason, then it is in contradiction to the Sunnah, but the prayer is correct, according to the most authoritative of two opinions held by the scholars.
Source:
The Permanent Committee
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 2 Pages 449-450
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