After the consensus of the four Imams regarding the follower saying Ameen, there is a difference of opinion about saying Ameen aloud.
The Hanafi School:
The Hanafi position is that the follower (Muqtadi) will say Ameen silently, not aloud.
Their arguments are as follows:
أربع يخفيهن الإمام: التعوذ، والتسمية، وآمين، والتحميد
There are four things that the Imam will say quietly: Ta’awwudh (seeking refuge), Bismillah, Ameen, and Alhamdulillah.
They have deduced this from the statement of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and presented the reason for their position that this is a supplication, and the fundamental right of supplication is that it is done secretly and in a low voice.
The response to the statement of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) has already been given in the discussion where we talked about the Hanafi view that the Imam does not say Ameen aloud in loud prayers. We do not want to repeat it here.
Ibn al-Hummam Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that when there was disagreement about this hadith, the author inclined towards the narration coming from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), which supports that what is known from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is that Ameen is said in a low voice. But the narration mentioning Ameen is a personal narration from him (may Allah have mercy on him). And Allah knows best.
The response to their reasoning has also been given where we discussed the Imam not saying Ameen aloud; you may refer to that.
They stated that in obligatory and voluntary prayers, after Umm al-Qur’an, they themselves and those behind them used to say Ameen so loudly that the mosque would echo.
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) statement:
إذا آمن الإمام فآمنوا
When the Imam says Ameen, you also say Ameen.
What is clear and established from this hadith is that the Imam will say Ameen aloud. Those who understand knowledge know that the Prophet (peace be upon him) could not have commanded the follower to say Ameen with the Imam until the follower knows that the Imam is also saying Ameen. If the Imam says Ameen secretly and not aloud, how will the follower know whether his Imam said Ameen or not?
And it is impossible to tell a person that when so-and-so says it like this, you must say it with him in the same way, while you have not even heard him. This is absolutely impossible.
No knowledgeable person can imagine that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would command the follower to say Ameen when his Imam says it, while the follower cannot hear the Imam’s Ameen.
I say that in light of the evidence and proofs, what has become clear and apparent to me is that for the Imam in those prayers in which the recitation is aloud, it is necessary to say Ameen aloud, because the followers’ saying Ameen has been linked with the Imam’s Ameen in the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) hadith.
If the Imam does not say Ameen aloud, the followers will not know, and if the followers do not know that the Imam said Ameen, then how can they say Ameen?
The Maliki School of Thought:
The Malikis hold that the follower should say “Ameen” silently.
Evidence:
The Malikis’ argument is that Ameen is a supplication, and the best way to supplicate is to do so in a low voice.
The discussion of the arguments is as follows:
The Malikis’ reasoning that Ameen should be said quietly because it is a supplication is refuted by the following words of Surah Al-Fatiha:
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
These words are undoubtedly supplications and are recited aloud in audible prayers. If the right of supplication is that it should be recited quietly, then the end of Surah Al-Fatiha should also be recited quietly, because it is a supplication. This is assuming we accept their claim. However, “Ameen” is not actually a supplication; rather, it is like a seal that is affixed to a letter.
Imam Abu Dawood, may Allah have mercy on him, brought a hadith from Abu Zuhair al-Nimiri, may Allah be pleased with him, who was a companion of the Prophet, that he said Ameen is like sealing a letter. Then he narrated the statement of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him:
إن ختم بآمين فقد أوجب
If he ends the supplication with Ameen, then acceptance becomes obligatory.
For this reason, the word Ameen alone is not used as a supplication; rather, first the supplication is made, and then Ameen is said. If you want to know the details, refer to Tuhfat al-Ahwazi.
The Shafi’i School of Thought:
The follower will say Ameen aloud.
The evidences are as follows:
The Shafi’is have deduced from the hadith of Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him):
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا قال الإمام: غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين فقولوا آمين فإنه من وافق قوله قول الملائكة غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه
Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: When the Imam says “ghayril maghdubi ‘alayhim wa la-d-dallin,” then you say Ameen. Surely, whoever’s saying coincides with that of the angels, all his previous sins will be forgiven.
The reason for this deduction is as follows:
The Shafi’is said that this hadith commands saying Ameen, and when the word “qawl” (saying) is used absolutely in an address, it is understood to mean aloud. If it is intended secretly or to oneself, it is specified accordingly. The reason for deducing aloud from the hadith is that in the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) statement, “qawl” is presented in opposition to “qawl”:
إذا قال الإمام فقولوا
When the Imam says, you also say.
If the Imam says it aloud, then it is obvious that the attribute will be the same, that the follower also says Ameen aloud.
And it is also as previously mentioned that the follower is commanded to follow and imitate the Imam. It has already been stated that if the Imam says aloud, then it is obligatory for the follower to say aloud as well. Imam Ibn Battal (may Allah have mercy on him) also supported this last position.
They have also deduced from the practice of Abdullah ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) and said that this strengthens the point, i.e., the follower saying Ameen aloud. It has already been mentioned from Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) that those who prayed behind Abdullah ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say Ameen aloud. Imam Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from another chain from Ata (may Allah have mercy on him), stating:
أدركت مائتين من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى هذا المسجد، إذا قال الإمام: ولا الضالين، سمعت لهم رجة بآمين
I found two hundred companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in this mosque, and when the Imam said وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ, I heard their Ameen being said aloud in echo.
The discussion of the evidences is as follows:
Indeed, the hadith from which they deduced is agreed upon in authenticity. The reason for their deduction, as previously mentioned, is that the follower is commanded to follow the Imam, and it has also been stated that when the Imam says Ameen aloud, it becomes obligatory for the follower to say it aloud as well.
The follower is not obliged to recite aloud because the Imam recites aloud, because it is prohibited to recite behind the Imam, but saying Ameen aloud falls under the general command to follow the Imam.
I say: Here there are narrations with authentic chains proven up to the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that explicitly indicate the follower saying Ameen aloud. Among them is the hadith of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), whose words are:
آمين وقال الناس: آمين
Indeed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said Ameen and the people also said Ameen behind him.
And the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), whose words are:
ما حسدتكم اليهود ما حسدتكم على السلام والتأمين
The Jews do not envy you for anything as much as they envy you for your greetings (Salam) and saying Ameen.
The envy of the Jews would be when Ameen is said aloud. If the envy were due to saying Ameen secretly, then it would have no meaning at all. Reflect well on this matter.
After mentioning these evidences that indicate this differing issue, there is no need for such authentication and discussions that involve unnecessary difficulty.
The Religion of the Hanbalis:
The follower will say Ameen aloud in the loud prayer.
The Hanbalis’ evidences are as follows:
They have deduced from this Prophetic hadith narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him):
إذا أمن الإمام فآمنوا فإنه من وافق تأمينه تأمين الملائكة غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه
Translation: Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: When the Imam says Ameen, then you also say Ameen, for whoever’s Ameen coincides with the Ameen of the angels, all his previous sins will be forgiven.
Similarly, they have also deduced from the practice of Abdullah ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him), which Ibn Jurayj Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated, saying that I asked:
أكان ابن الزبير يؤمن على إثر أم القرآن؟ نعم، ويؤمن من وراءه حتى إن للمسجد لجة
Translation: Did Ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) say Ameen after Umm al-Qur’an? They replied: Yes, he did, and those praying behind him would say Ameen so loudly that the mosque would echo.
The discussion of their evidences is as follows:
The hadith from which they deduced is agreed upon in authenticity by the muhaddithin, and the practice of Abdullah ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) has a completely sound and correct chain of narration up to them.
The Preferred Position on the Issue of the Follower Saying Ameen Loudly:
The preferred position on this issue, based on the following evidences and proofs, is that the follower will say Ameen loudly, i.e., aloud, in the loud (jahri) prayer.
Firstly:
Due to the Hadith of Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
إذا قال الإمام: غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين فقولوا: آمين فإنه من وافق قوله قول الملائكة غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه
When the Imam غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ says, you should say Ameen, and indeed, whoever’s saying matches that of the angels, all his previous sins will be forgiven.
Sahih Bukhari, Book of Adhan, Chapter: The Imam Saying Ameen Aloud: 264/2, Hadith: 780, Sahih Muslim, Book of Prayer, Chapter: Listening, Praising, and Saying Ameen: 128/4, Abu Dawood, Hadith: 936
Imam Zain al-Din Ibn al-Munir (may Allah have mercy on him) states: In this Hadith, the command to say Ameen is given with the word “Qawl” (saying), and when “Qawl” is used in an absolute address, it is understood to mean aloud. When it refers to speaking secretly or inwardly, it is restricted accordingly.
Imam Ibn Rushd (may Allah have mercy on him) says: In the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), “Qawl” is contrasted with “Qawl”:
إذا قال الإمام فقولوا
Since the Imam says these words aloud, the apparent meaning requires agreement in the attribute.
When the Imam says it aloud, the follower should also say it aloud.
Secondly:
Due to the hadith of Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) in which these words are mentioned:
قال أبو هريرة: آمين وقال الناس: آمين ثم إني لأشبهكم صلاة برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said Ameen and the people also said Ameen, then Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said that my prayer resembles the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) the most.
Thirdly:
Due to the hadith of Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in which these words are mentioned:
ما حسدتكم اليهود ما حسدتكم على السلام والتأمين
The Jews do not envy you for anything as much as they envy your saying Salam and Ameen.
I say: What provokes the Jews to envy is saying Ameen aloud and loudly. If their envy were due to saying Ameen in a low voice, then it would make no sense.
And despite this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has commanded in his statement:
فقولوا آمين
Say Ameen.
This matter is obligatory.
Fourthly:
The influence of Abdullah bin Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, in which these words are found:
أن من خلف ابن الزبير كانوا يؤمنون جهرا حتى تكون للمسجد لجة
Those who prayed behind Abdullah bin Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, would say Ameen aloud, so much so that the mosque would resonate.
Ata, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
أدركت مائتين من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى هذا المسجد، إذا قال الإمام: ولا الضالين، سمعت لهم رجة بآمين
I have found nearly two hundred companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in that mosque; when the Imam وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ would say, they all would say Ameen aloud behind him. I have heard the echo of their loud saying of Ameen.
