When should followers stand for the congregation?
❀ Followers should stand for the congregation only when they see the Imam; it is not permissible to stand before that. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
إذا أقيمت الصلاة فلا تقوموا حتى تروني، وعليكم بالسكينة
When the prayer is called to be established, do not stand until you see me coming; it is obligatory upon you to sit calmly.
❀ Some people come to the mosque and stand restlessly waiting for the congregation; this method is not correct. Rather, they should engage in voluntary prayers, remembrances, supplications, and recitation of the Holy Quran upon arriving at the mosque.
❀ Some people stand for the congregation when the Mu’adhdhin says حي على الصلاة and حي على الفلاح; this method is not proven by any authentic hadith.
Reciting the opening supplication:
❀ If the follower has met the Imam while standing, he should recite the opening supplication (Dua al-Istiftah). The Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) used to recite the opening supplication.
❀ If the recitation is loud, or due to lack of time there is fear of missing Surah Al-Fatiha, then recite Al-Fatiha and omit the opening supplication.
The issue of reciting Surah Al-Fatiha behind the Imam:
❀ It is clear from authentic ahadith that Surah Al-Fatiha is a pillar of Salah (prayer), therefore every worshipper must recite it, whether praying alone, as an imam, or as a follower. Whether the imam recites loudly or softly, in every case, reciting Surah Al-Fatiha is obligatory and mandatory; without reciting it, no prayer can be valid.
❀ Some people, due to their sect, prohibit reciting Surah Al-Fatiha behind the imam, although they have no evidence from the Quran or Sunnah.
❀ There is a Hadith Qudsi in which Allah Almighty says:
قسمت الصلاة بيني وبين عبدي نصفين، ولعبدي ما سأل، فإذا قال العبد: الحمد لله رب العالمين قال الله تعالى: حمدني عبدي
I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for. So when the servant says: ﴿الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾, Allah Almighty says: My servant has praised Me.
In the above hadith, Allah Almighty said that He has divided the prayer, and this division is of Surah Al-Fatiha. This means that Allah Almighty has named Surah Al-Fatiha as ”الصلاة“ (prayer), which is evidence that without Surah Al-Fatiha, prayer does not exist. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (RA) used this hadith to deduce the same.
❀ The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
لا صلاة لمن لم يقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب
Whoever does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha in prayer, his prayer is invalid.
Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) established a chapter on this hadith: “Reciting Surah Al-Fatiha is obligatory on every worshipper, whether imam, praying alone, or follower, whether in presence or travel, whether loud or silent prayer.”
❀ In another narration:
اقرأ بأم القرآن ثم اقرأ بما شئت
Recite Surah Al-Fatiha in your prayer, then recite whatever Quran you remember.
The above ahadith command reciting Surah Al-Fatiha in every prayer, whether one is praying alone or following someone. However, some people claim these ahadith apply only to those praying alone, but there is no evidence for this limitation. Therefore, now those ahadith are presented which explicitly mention reciting Surah Al-Fatiha behind the imam.
❀ The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
من صلى خلف الإمام فليقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب
Whoever prays behind the imam should recite Surah Al-Fatiha.
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
من صلى صلاة لم يقرأ فيها بأم القرآن فهي خداج ثلاثا غير تمام
Whoever prays and does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha, his prayer is incomplete. He said this three times, meaning it is not complete.
Abu Hurairah (RA) was asked: “What about when we are behind the imam?” He replied:
اقرأ بها فى نفسك
Recite Surah Al-Fatiha quietly in your heart.
Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) in ”جزء القراءة“ quoted from Imam Lughat Abu Ubaid the meaning of ”خداج“: ”خداج الناقة“. This term is used when a she-camel prematurely drops a dead fetus, from which no benefit can be derived. Therefore, it is established that no reward is gained from prayer performed without Surah Al-Fatiha, nor is the obligation fulfilled.
❀ Sayyiduna Ubada bin Samit (RA) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught us prayer and included recitation in it. When the recitation became heavy for the Prophet (peace be upon him), after finishing the prayer he asked:
أكنتم تقرؤون خلفي؟
Do you also recite (behind the imam)?
We said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
لا تفعلوا إلا بأم القرآن، فإنه لا صلاة لمن لم يقرأ بها
Do not do that; do not recite anything except Surah Al-Fatiha, because without it no one’s prayer is valid.
❀ In another narration:
فلا تقرؤوا بشيء من القرآن إذا جهرت إلا بأم القرآن
When I (the imam) recite aloud, do not recite anything from the Quran except Surah Al-Fatiha.
❀ In a third narration:
وليقرأ أحدكم بفاتحة الكتاب فى نفسه
You should only recite Surah Al-Fatiha silently in your heart.
❀ And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
لا صلاة لمن لم يقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب خلف الإمام
The prayer of the person who does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha behind the imam is not valid.
❀ From these ahadith it is understood that whoever prays, whether alone or in congregation, imam or follower, resident or traveler, performing obligatory or voluntary prayers, whether the imam recites loudly or softly, if he does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha, his prayer will not be valid.
As for the Hanafi claim that one should not recite Surah Al-Fatiha behind the imam, these are all excuses; in reality, according to them, Surah Al-Fatiha is not necessary for prayer. The Deobandi scholar Ashraf Ali Thanwi writes:
If someone does not recite Al-Hamd (i.e., Surah Al-Fatiha) in prayer but recites some other verse or a whole other surah, the obligation will be fulfilled, but the prayer is completely invalid and spoiled; it must be repeated, and repeating it would be a major sin. However, if done by mistake, the prayer will be corrected by performing Sajdah Sahw.
On the next page, he writes:
If in the last two rak’ahs Al-Hamd (i.e., Surah Al-Fatiha) is not recited but instead “Subhan Allah, Subhan Allah” is said three times, it is also valid, but reciting Al-Hamd is better. If nothing is recited and one stands silently, there is no harm; the prayer is valid.
This proves that according to the Hanafis, reciting Surah Al-Fatiha in prayer is not mandatory, but they have created the issue of reciting Al-Fatiha behind the imam as a pretext and give as evidence the Quranic verse:
وَإِذَا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَأَنصِتُوا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
And when the Quran is recited, listen attentively and remain silent, so that mercy may be shown to you.
They interpret this to mean that when the imam is reciting in congregation, the followers are forbidden from reciting Surah Al-Fatiha, although according to the Hanafis, this verse contradicts and opposes the verse of Surah Al-Muzzammil:
فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ
(We seek refuge in Allah). Therefore, these two verses are not suitable as evidence for this issue.
❀ Consider the wording from the authoritative Hanafi jurisprudence book ”نور الأنوار“:
وحكمها بين الآيتين المصير إلى السنة لأن الآيتين إذا تعارضا تساقطتا فلا بد للعمل من المصير إلى ما بعده وهو السنة
When two verses contradict each other, the ruling is to refer to the hadith, because when two verses contradict, both are abrogated. Therefore, for practice, one should refer to the hadith.
Hence, it is established that according to the Hanafis, this verse is abrogated and not suitable as evidence, yet they still present it to people. Is this not deception?
Secondly, this verse has no relation to the issue because it is from Surah Al-A’raf, which was revealed in Makkah, while congregational prayer began in Madinah. How then can this verse relate to the issue?
If its ruling were general, it would mean that whenever one person is reciting the Quran anywhere, no one else is allowed to recite, and everyone must listen to the first person’s recitation. Yet, in their own mosques and especially in memorization schools, hundreds of students recite aloud simultaneously, and if a student does not recite (following this Quranic verse), the teacher punishes him. Why?
Therefore, it is proven that even according to the Hanafis, this verse does not have the meaning they apparently claim; it is merely deception.
As for the ahadith that prohibit reciting Surah Al-Fatiha behind the imam, none of them are authentic or clear regarding this issue.
Even if, hypothetically, this verse is accepted as evidence for this issue, it would only prohibit reciting Surah Al-Fatiha in the six daily obligatory rak’ahs, while the Hanafis deny reciting Al-Fatiha behind the imam in all rak’ahs.
Therefore, first the Hanafis should clarify their position on this issue: whether reciting Surah Al-Fatiha is necessary in prayer or not? If Surah Al-Fatiha is not part of the prayer, then it is not permissible for them to use this verse and ahadith as evidence; rather, they should present verses and ahadith that explicitly forbid reciting Surah Al-Fatiha in prayer. And if according to them Surah Al-Fatiha is part of the prayer, then they should clearly acknowledge this and explicitly reject the above statements from “Bahishti Zewar,” and then bring evidence that is authentic and clear on this issue.
These people have fabricated ahadith to prove their false view; two famous fabricated ahadith are as follows:
➊ “Whoever recites behind the imam, his mouth will be filled with fire.” This narration is fabricated.
➋ “Whoever recites behind the imam will have no prayer.” This narration is false.
The Issue of Saying Ameen:
Followers should say “Ameen” aloud when the Imam says آمين or ولا الضالين. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
إذا أمن الإمام فأمنوا
When the Imam says Ameen, you should also say Ameen.
Even the follower who has not completed Surah Al-Fatiha should say Ameen with the Imam, because the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, ordered saying Ameen upon the Imam’s غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ recitation.
❀ During slow recitation, Ameen should be said softly آمين, and during loud recitation, Ameen should be said loudly. This matter is very clear in Islamic law, but some people accept a soft Ameen in silent recitation but deny a loud Ameen in loud recitation. However, this issue is proven by authentic hadiths.
❀ The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
إذا أمن الإمام فأمنوا، فإنه من وافق تأمينه تأمين الملائكة غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه
When the Imam says Ameen, you (the followers) should also say Ameen (at that time the angels also say Ameen), so whoever’s Ameen coincides with the angels’ Ameen, all his previous sins will be forgiven.
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah, may Allah have mercy on him, explains this hadith by saying: It is proven from this hadith that the Imam should say Ameen aloud, because the Prophet, peace be upon him, could only command the follower to say Ameen with the Imam when the follower is able to hear the Imam saying Ameen. No scholar can imagine that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would command the follower to say Ameen with the Imam when he cannot even hear the Imam’s Ameen.
❀ Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
When the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, finished reciting Surah Al-Fatiha, he would say Ameen aloud.
❀ Sayyiduna Wa’il bin Hujr, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, recited ولا الضالين, he said Ameen aloud.
❀ Sayyiduna Wa’il bin Hujr, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, recited غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين, he said Ameen so loudly that I heard it and I was standing behind him.
❀ It is narrated from Sayyida Umm al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with her:
She prayed behind the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. When he recited ولا الضالين, he said Ameen, and she also heard it, although she was standing in the women’s row.
Evidence of “Ameen” in the Era of the Companions:
❀ Naeem Mujmir, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
I prayed behind Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him. When he reached «غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ» he said Ameen, and the people behind him also said Ameen… then he said: By Allah! I have taught you the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
❀ Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zubair, may Allah be pleased with them both, and his followers said Ameen so loudly that the mosque echoed.
❀ Ata bin Abi Rabah, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
I saw two hundred (200) companions, may Allah be pleased with them, in the House of Allah when the Imam said «غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ» all the people said Ameen aloud.
❀ The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
ما حسدتكم اليهود على شيء ما حسدتكم على السلام والتأمين
The Jews do not envy you for anything as much as they envy you for saying ”السلام عليكم“ and ”آمين“.
Recitation after Fatiha:
In silent prayer, if one wishes to recite a Surah after Surah Fatiha, they may do so. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ forbade reciting anything other than Surah Fatiha in audible prayer, but not in silent prayer.
In audible prayer, recite Surah Fatiha and then remain silent.
Following the Imam:
❀ One should avoid going ahead of the Imam. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
ما يأمن الذى يرفع رأسه فى صلاته قبل الإمام أن يحول الله صورته فى صورة حمار
Is the one who raises his head before the Imam in prayer not afraid that Allah will transform his face into that of a donkey?
❀ Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Azib رضي الله عنه says:
None of us would bow his back until the Prophet ﷺ had gone into prostration, and then we would prostrate after him.
Situations in which it is permissible to differ from the Imam:
❀ If there is a difference between the Imam and the follower in the following matters, there is no harm:
It is permissible to differ in intention, meaning the Imam is leading a fard prayer while the follower considers it a nafl, or the Imam’s intention is nafl while the follower is performing fard, as when Sayyiduna Mu’adh رضي الله عنه, after praying behind the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, would lead his people in congregation, so it was nafl for him and fard for the people.
❀ Similarly, the Imam is reciting Asr and the follower is performing Dhuhr.
❀ The Imam is sitting due to an excuse and leading the prayer while the follower is standing, or the Imam is standing and the follower is sitting, as the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم once led the congregation sitting due to illness and the people prayed standing behind him.
The Imam shortens the prayer and the follower completes it.
Conveying the Imam’s Voice to the Followers:
If the Imam’s voice is not reaching all the followers, then someone among the followers should convey the Imam’s Takbeer to the end, and if the congregation is very large, more people standing at intervals should perform this duty. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ led the congregation during his illness (and due to weakness, his voice was not reaching the people), then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was conveying the voice of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to the people.
❀ If speaker facilities are available, the congregation should be held using them so that people can follow correctly, and then there is no need to convey the Imam’s voice to the people.
If the Imam Forgets, Giving Him a Prompt:
❀ If the Imam forgets during the prayer, it is obligatory for the followers to remind the Imam. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
فإذا نسيت فذكروني
When I forget, remind me.
The way to remind is that if the Imam forgets some part of the recitation, the forgotten word should be told to him. Once the recitation became doubtful for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and after the prayer, he said to Sayyiduna Abi bin Ka’b, may Allah be pleased with him:
Why did you not tell me?
If any other mistake occurs, men should say سبحان الله and women should clap to inform. The Prophetic command is:
التسبيح للرجال والتصفيق للنساء
Men should say SubhanAllah and women should clap.
A person outside the prayer can warn the one praying about his mistake. When the Qiblah was changed from Bayt al-Maqdis to the Ka’bah, some people did not know and were praying facing Bayt al-Maqdis. A man passing by loudly said: I bear witness that I prayed facing the Ka’bah with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. So the people turned their direction during the prayer.
Change of Imam:
If the Imam is no longer able to lead the prayer for any reason, the follower standing behind him should step forward and complete the prayer. Amr ibn Maymun (RA) says:
❀ When Sayyiduna Umar (RA) was attacked during prayer, he took the hand of Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman ibn Awf (RA) standing behind him and moved him forward, and he completed the prayer.
Two congregations in one place:
❀ If some people come after the congregation, they can perform a second congregation, rather they should pray with the congregation, and the imams of the mosques should not take offense. Abu Saeed Khudri رضي الله عنه said:
A man came and the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم had already prayed. He صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: Who will give charity for this person? Then one of the people stood up and prayed with him in congregation.
❀ If the person who arrives later is alone, then one of those who have prayed with the congregation should join him (with the intention of voluntary prayer) so that a congregation can be formed. This will be charity on his part.
Some people think that a traveler can lead a second congregation, but it is not permissible for residents to lead a congregation; this is completely wrong, because the Companion whom the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ordered to lead the congregation was a resident there, and besides that, it is established from Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه that a second congregation was led in the mosque.
❀ Coming late and making a second congregation a habit is not permissible, as it diminishes the importance of the first congregation (which is the original one).
Changing place for Sunnah prayers:
❀ Sunnah prayers should be performed in a different place than where the obligatory prayers were performed. The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
أتعجزون أن تتقدموا أو تتأخروا أو تعدل يمينا أو شمالا؟
Are you unable to move forward, backward, or sideways (after the obligatory prayers), meaning to pray voluntary prayers?
