Short answer
Not for adults, in the relied-upon Hanafi view. A boy who has not reached puberty may lead other children, but adults may not pray behind him in fard or nafl, including taraweeh. A young hafiz who has reached puberty, even at 12 or 13, may lead. The Shafi'i school allows a discerning child to lead adults.
The imam must be baligh (past puberty) for an adult congregation. Some Hanafi scholars of Balkh allowed a child to lead taraweeh, but the chosen (mukhtar) position in al-Hidaya is that it is not valid in any prayer.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A discerning child may lead adults in fard and nafl prayers, though an adult is better. They cite Amr ibn Salamah, who led his people as a young boy.
- Hanbali
- A child may not lead adults in fard prayers, but may lead them in nafl prayers such as taraweeh.
Explanation
Many masjids are proud of young huffaz and want them to lead taraweeh. The question is whether the adults behind them have a valid prayer.
The Hanafi position. The imam carries the prayer of those behind him. The Prophet ﷺ said that the imam is a guarantor. A child's prayer is voluntary for him, since he is not yet obliged to pray, and the pen of obligation is lifted from him. An adult's prayer cannot rest on it. Some early Hanafi scholars of Balkh allowed a child to lead taraweeh in particular, but al-Hidaya records that the chosen view is that it is not valid in any prayer, and Hanafi fatwa institutions follow this.
What counts as puberty. A boy is baligh when the signs of puberty appear, such as a wet dream, or when he completes fifteen lunar years if no sign has appeared. So a 13 year old hafiz who has reached puberty may lead.
- A young boy may lead other boys who are also not yet baligh.
- He can recite to the imam beforehand, or lead the family at home with the women and children only.
- If adults prayed behind a child by mistake, the Hanafi ruling is that they repeat it; for taraweeh this is a recommendation, since it is not fard.
The other view. Amr ibn Salamah reported that his people put him forward to lead when he was six or seven, because he knew the most Quran. The Shafi'i school takes this as proof that a discerning child may lead. The Hanafi scholars answer that this was his people's decision, not a command of the Prophet ﷺ. If your masjid follows another school, speak to the imam respectfully. See also praying behind an imam of another madhhab.
The evidence
Sunan Abi Dawud 517
Grading to be checked... الإمام ضامن والمؤذن مؤتمن ...
"The imam is a guarantor and the muadhdhin is trusted."
The imam carries the prayer of those behind him, so he must be under obligation himself.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4398
Graded sahih... رفع القلم عن ثلاثة عن النائم حتى يستيقظ ...
"The pen is lifted from three: the sleeper until he wakes, the afflicted until he recovers, and the child until he grows up."
A child is not yet under obligation, so his prayer is voluntary.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4302
Sahih... فقدموني بين أيديهم وأنا ابن ست أو سبع سنين ...
"They put me forward to lead them when I was six or seven years old."
The evidence of the Shafi'i school for a child leading.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on imamate. Adults may not follow a child; the scholars of Balkh allowed it in taraweeh, but the chosen view is that it is not valid in any prayer.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on imamate. A child's imamate for adults is invalid in fard and nafl in the relied-upon view.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the imamate of a child. The Shafi'i ruling that a discerning child may lead adults.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on imamate. The Hanbali distinction between fard and nafl for a child imam.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.