Mishkat al-Masabih
Book 4: Prayer
كتاب الصلاة
921 hadith in this book
Abu Mas'ud reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The one of you who is most versed in God’s Book should act as imam for the people; but if they are equally versed in reciting it, then the one who has most knowledge regarding the sunna; if they are equal regarding the sunna, then the earliest of them to emigrate; if they emigrated at the same time, then the oldest of them. No man must lead another in prayer where the latter has authority, or sit in his place of honour in his house, without his permission.” Muslim transmitted it. A version by him has, “And a man must not act as imam for another in his own family.”
عَن أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «يَؤُمُّ الْقَوْمَ أَقْرَؤُهُمْ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ كَانُوا فِي الْقِرَاءَةِ سَوَاءً فَأَعْلَمُهُمْ بِالسُّنَّةِ فَإِنْ كَانُوا فِي السُّنَّةِ سَوَاءً فَأَقْدَمُهُمْ هِجْرَةً فَإِنْ كَانُوا فِي الْهِجْرَةِ سَوَاءً فَأَقْدَمُهُمْ سِنًّا وَلَا يَؤُمَّنَّ الرَّجُلُ الرَّجُلَ فِي سُلْطَانِهِ وَلَا يَقْعُدْ فِي بَيْتِهِ عَلَى تَكْرِمَتِهِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لَهُ: «وَلَا يَؤُمَّنَّ الرجل الرجل فِي أَهله»
Abu Sa'id reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When there are three people one of them should lead them. The one among them most worthy to act as imam is the one who is most versed in the Qur’an.” Muslim transmitted it. The tradition of Malik b. al-Huwairith has been mentioned in a chapter following that on the excellence of the adhan (Ch. 7a).
وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِذَا كَانُوا ثَلَاثَةً فليؤمهم أحدهم وأحقهم بِالْإِمَامِ أَقْرَؤُهُمْ» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ وَذَكَرَ حَدِيثَ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ فِي بَابٍ بَعْدَ بَابِ «فَضْلِ الْأَذَانِ»
Hadith text, translations and grading are courtesy of Sunnah.com.