Please guide us for the sake of Almighty Allah (SWT). We need to know that can we offer salah behind an imam who belongs or follows the teachings of other stream of Islam as well as Barailavi, dawati and Jamat-e-Islami. We are offering salah at this moment behind a dawati (Hara Saafa) imam. Some of my friend told me that our salah is not safe. So please guide us to the right.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
(Fatwa: 826/648/H=1434)
Ibadat (worship) especially salah is of great importance among all religious commandments. Hence it should be offered behind such imam who is pious, God-fearing, recites the holy Quran correctly and holds correct belief. One should avoid offering salah behind the imam of other maslak as per one’s capacity. If the beliefs of the dawati sect who wears greed turban as symbol are not like the beliefs of Ahl Sunnah al-Jamah then salah shall be makrooh behind such imam who is attached to this group. Your friends are right and they rightly guided you.
Allah knows Best!
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband