Answered by Shaykh Abu Usamah
I read some time back that if a person misreads a verse during salat that changes the meaning (e.g. an’amtu instead of an’amta or wada’na instead of wada’naa) then the prayer is nullified. A hanafi faqih told me that if the reciter went back and corrected this the prayer would still be valid. Is this right? What does one do if the imam recites like this? Is the prayer valid? Is the follower obliged to correct him?
Al-Salam alaykum
If the Imam makes such an error in the recitation during a Fard salah (excluding Tarawih) that completely alters the meaning then the salah is immediately invalidated. If he corrects himself thereafter it does not become valid again. The follower is not obliged to correct him in this case. Instead the salah must be repeated.
Abu Usamah