Question:
If the Imām breaks his wudhū while he is prostrating, what does he do in this situation?
Answer:
It is obligatory for him to leave and make wudhū. It is not allowed for him to complete his prayer if he broke his wudhū.
If he does that out of belittlement he disbelieves, and if he did it out of ignorance the correct opinion is he doesn’t become a disbeliever but he fell into a major sin. This is it. So it is obligatory for him to leave straight away.
It is not binding upon him to hold his nose due to the weakness of that Hadith which came concerning that. Then he makes wudhū.
So if he makes wudhū and comes back and the people are still in the position he left them, and he completes the prayer with them, their prayer is correct as the Prophet ﷺ did. They knew that he had been in a state of major impurity, but he did not yet enter into Salah as is in the Hadith.
And if he started the prayer from the beginning due to too many movements and walking. Then the majority of the people of knowledge are upon this.
Question:
Is it for him to appoint one of those praying behind him to lead the people?
Answer:
This is a good affair that he appoints someone. It was not legislated for the people of sedateness and prudency to be behind him except for the likes of these situations. He steps back and appoints someone behind him to lead.
Answered by: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him
Source: https://t.me/Bashuaib/5743
Translated by: Abū ‘Abdillāh ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi