Ibn Rushd al-Hafid says in his book, ‘Bidayat al-Mujtahid’ regarding Imamah (leading the prayers):
‘They (the Jurists) differed over who has the most right to lead (in the prayers).
Malik said, ‘The one who has the most knowledge (understanding of religion) leads the people and not the one who knows the most Qur’an’ – and this was also the opinion of al-Shafi’i.
Abu Hanifa, Sufyan al-Thawri and Ahmad however said: ‘The one who knows the most Qur’an leads the people.’
The reason for their ikhtilaf (difference) is due to their difference in understanding the hadith of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam): ‘The one with the most Qur’an (أقرؤهم) leads the people. If they are the same in recitation, then the one with the most knowledge of the Sunnah. If they are the same in that, then the one to have made Hijrah first. If they are the same in that, then the one to have become Muslim first. A man doesn’t lead another man in his authority nor does he take his place in his home with respect except with his permission.’ [Sahih Muslim]
It is a hadith whose authenticity the scholars are in agreement with, but they differed over its understanding. From them is one who took it upon its literal meaning and that is Abu Hanifa, and from them is one who understood الأقرأ (‘most read’) here to mean الأفقه (‘most knowledgeable’) because he asserts that the need for understanding when it comes to leading the salah is greater than the need for (simply) reciting. And also, that the Companions who knew the Qur’an the most were also those who had the most knowledge by default, and that the people of today are in contrast to that (i.e. those who recite the Qur’an today are not always those with the most knowledge of the Deen of Allah).’
– Bidayat al-Mujtahid wa Nihayat al-Muqtasid, vol. 1; pg. 183
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh,
Haafidh ul Hudood aw Haafidh ul Huroof?
So what is the most correct opinion?
Wa `alaykumusalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
That’s where the ikhtilaf lies. Some jurists (particularly those who took the hadith for its literal meaning) see it to be ‘hafidh al-huruf’ as you put it, regardless of whether or not he’s the most knowledgeable, or preserves the hudud – some even permitted the imamah of a fasiq (if he’s a hafidh) due to the generality of the hadith, while others opined that so long as his fisq is not clearcut, he knows the conditions of prayer and his prayer is correct, he can lead etc. But this is a field for the jurists, and I don’t know what the correct opinion is.
The problem in our times is that those who know the Qur’an the most are not always the most knowledgeable or even the most righteous, which is a stark contrast to times of the Sahabah.
But as they say, الحافظ من يحفظ حدود الله – ‘The true Hafidh is the one who preserves the boundaries of Allah.’ Wallahu a’lam.
Salaams
What about the one who has knowledge & Hafiz but is clean shaven/trimmed beard over another who has little or less quran?
Wa `alaykumusalam wa rahmatullah
Clean shaven would fall under fisq. A trimmed beard though may be due to his understanding and application of the fiqh (I believe some of the Shafi’is allow it) and hence he wouldn’t be classified as a fasiq. Wallahu a’lam.