Q: Is it permissible for a imam to take correction (luqmah) from a women in the same jamaat?
A: It is permissible for the Imam to take correction of recitation of Qur’an during Salah if no one else was able to correct him. This will not invalidate the Salah of Imam.
The more pertinent question is whether it is allowed for a woman to correct the Imam during Salah if the Imam makes a major mistake in recitation or forgets.
Shaykh Zafar Ahmed Usmani has mentioned in his brilliant work on Hadith “I’laa-us Sunan” that if a woman corrects the Imam during Salah and there are only women attending the congregation then there is no harm as there is no fear of Fitnah. However, if there are men attending the congregational prayer then it is better for her to not correct the Imam unless there is no one from the men who could correct the Imam and she had to correct the Imam then it is permissible and her prayer would be valid.
After having said the above, Shaykh Usmani said: Although I did not see this statement explicitly but it is based on the principles (of Islamic Fiqh).
And Allah knows best.
Aadiel Moosagie (Mufti)
Council of Ulama Eastern cape
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