What is the ruling on praying behind a mushrik?
Question:
"Is the prayer behind the mushrik (one who associates others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) permissible?"
Answer:
"Whosoever is a disbeliever; worships other than Allah, supplicates to other than Allah and seeks deliverance from other than Allah in what no one is able to do except Allah, then indeed his Imamate (leading people in prayer) is invalid. Because no one has the right to lead the Muslims in prayer except a Muslim. Thus whosoever worships anyone other than Allah, makes vows to anyone other than Allah, sacrifices animals for anyone other than Allah; then verily this one is a disbeliever mushrik. It is not permissible for him to lead the Muslims in prayer because he is not a Muslim."
Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh, may Allah preserve him
Translated by 'Abdurrahīm Ibn Muhammad Al-Hadhramī.
Published on Salafi-Dawah.com.
Source: www.mufti.af.org.sa [Click here for screenshot in PDF format]
السؤال: هل تجوز الصلاة خلف المشرك ؟
الجواب: من كان كافرا يعبد غير الله، ويدعو غير الله، ويستغيث بغير الله فيما لا يقدر عليه إلا الله، فإنه لا تصح إمامته؛ لأنه لا يؤم بالمسلمين إلا مسلم، فمن كان عابدا لغير الله، ناذرا لغير الله، ذابحا لغير الله، فإن هذا كافر مشرك لا يجوز أن يؤم المسلمين؛ لأنه ليس مسلما