Sabi means a minor; baligh means legally mature. The Hanafi position does not validate an adult man’s following a minor as imam. Shafi‘i jurists allow a discerning child’s imamate in certain circumstances. The disagreement concerns legal qualifications for leading.
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A Minor and an Adult in the Law of Imamate
Congregational Rows, Women Leading Women, and Adjacent Alignment
Sabi means a minor; baligh means legally mature. The Hanafi position does not validate an adult man’s following a minor as imam. Shafi‘i jurists allow a discerning child’s imamate in certain circumstances. The disagreement concerns legal qualifications for leading.