If you want to hold Imam’s accountable, give them more authority. People should be accountable to the Imam before the Imam is accountable to them. Otherwise, the Imam is accountable to Allah, the same as every Muslim.
The Imam is accountable to Allah to teach and preach the truth, the same as any Islamic scholar, teacher, or daa’ee. Even in prayer, if the Imam makes a mistake in prayer, but you didn’t, your prayer is still valid. Most imams teach the truth. Some are more learned than others, some are better speakers than others, some are more religious than others, and some are better leaders than others. That is life.
Imams aren’t miracle workers, and you are not held accountable for what the Imam does, he carries his own sins and you carry yours. If the Imam wrongs you personally, or withholds a right from you, then he must make it right, just like any other Muslims.
However, if you want to hold Imams accountable, them you be accountable to them, by giving bay’at to them. That is the Sunnah. The minimum you should give any imam is naseeha, that is also sunna.
Too many Muslims sit on the sidelines, with no bay’at given, no commitment given, no zakat given, no oath given, no time given, no work put in, with nothing given but kalaam (talk), yet, they blame everything on Imams and want to hold them accountable. Kiddie Islam.
Imam Luqman Ahmad
Imamabulaith@yahoo.com
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