Just like in salah you worship Allah, but with an imam, it cannot be said that the muqtadi is worshipping the imam. He is indeed worshipping Allah, but doing it through the allegiance to the imam, likewise we are following the Shariah of Rasoolulah (salallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) through the allegiance of the masters in Shariah and behind them.
Whoever goes against the Imam [in Salaah], whoever does ruku or sajdah or raises his head before the imaam, the prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said "Do you you not fear that his head will be like that of a donkey" (Narrated in Bukhari). Meaning he is a Donkey!
Your imam is the imam of one mosque, and is imam for 5 minutes. He who is imam for 5 minutes and that of one mosque, the one who goes against him, he is classed as a donkey. He who goes against a small imam he is a small donkey, he who goes against the great Imam [title of Imam Abu Hanifa - rahmatullahi alaih], is a bigger Donkey!
[The speaker is the esteemed Maulana Ismail Muhammadi]
