The scholars of the four madhāhib discussed the ruling of a minor leading the prayer, and they differed in their conclusions based on their interpretation of the evidence.

The Hanafi school holds that it is not valid for an adult to follow a minor as imam in prayer, whether the prayer is obligatory or voluntary. According to this view, the imam must be legally accountable (bāligh), meaning he has reached puberty. Therefore, if a minor leads adults in prayer, the prayer of the adults would not be valid according to the Hanafi madhhab. This is the position relied upon in the Hanafi school and is supported by narrations from early scholars. It is reported from ʿAṭāʾ and ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (raḥimahumā Allāh) that they said that a boy should not lead the prayer before reaching puberty. Based on this reasoning, many Hanafi scholars state that adults should not follow a minor in Tarāwīḥ or any other prayer.

However, the majority of scholars from the Shāfiʿī and Hanbali schools permitted a discerning minor (a child who understands the prayer and performs it correctly) to lead others in voluntary prayers, including Tarāwīḥ. Their primary evidence is the well-known narration concerning ʿAmr ibn Salamah (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu), who said: “My people would look for the one who knew the most Qur’an, and they made me lead them in prayer while I was a boy of six or seven years.” (Bukhari). Scholars who permitted this understood the narration to indicate that a knowledgeable minor may lead others in prayer, particularly in voluntary prayers.

Because of these differing interpretations, there is a recognized difference of opinion among the jurists. Nevertheless, for those who follow the Hanafi madhhab, the relied-upon position is that an adult should not pray behind a minor in Tarāwīḥ or other prayers. If students wish to practice recitation and strengthen their memorization by leading one another, it would be appropriate for minors to lead groups consisting of other minors, while adults form a separate congregation led by someone who has reached puberty.

This approach preserves the educational benefit for students while avoiding the juristic disagreement concerning the validity of the prayer for adults.