“Sahl bin Sa’d As-Sa’idi used to give preference to the young to lead his people in prayer. It was said to him: “Do you do that, when you have such seniority (in Islam)?” He said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘The Imam is responsible. If he does well, then he will have the reward and so will they, but if he does badly, then that will be counted against him but not against them.’”  

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ الإِمَامُ ضَامِنٌ فَإِنْ أَحْسَنَ فَلَهُ وَلَهُمْ وَإِنْ أَسَاءَ يَعْنِي فَعَلَيْهِ وَلاَ عَلَيْهِمْ  

“I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: ‘A time will come when the people will stand for a long time and will not be able to find any Imam to lead them in prayer.”  

سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَقُومُونَ سَاعَةً لاَ يَجِدُونَ إِمَامًا يُصَلِّي بِهِمْ  

“You are the most deserving of that, you were the Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” But he refused and said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘Whoever leads the people and gets it right, the prayer will be for him and for them, but if he falls short, then that will be counted against him but not against them.”  

أَنْ يَؤُمَّنَا وَقُلْنَا لَهُ إِنَّكَ أَحَقُّنَا بِذَلِكَ أَنْتَ صَاحِبُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَبَى فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ أَمَّ النَّاسَ فَأَصَابَ فَالصَّلاَةُ لَهُ وَلَهُمْ وَمَنِ انْتَقَصَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا فَعَلَيْهِ وَلاَ عَلَيْهِمْ