Saying "Ameen" after "وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ" in prayer is Sunnah. The main issue regarding this is whether the follower (Muqtadi) should also say Ameen aloud along with the Imam or not. According to the majority of the Ahl al-Hadith Imams, the follower will say Ameen aloud behind the Imam in loud prayers. This is supported by Marfu' texts, the practices of the Companions, and the behavior of the Tabi‘in. However, Sheikh Nasiruddin al-Albani initially adopted a rare and superficial opinion that the follower should not say Ameen aloud, but later he retracted this and considered the follower saying Ameen aloud to be the stronger view.
The Rare Opinion of Allama Nasiruddin al-Albani
He initially said:
Arabic text: وأما جهر المقتدين بالتأمين وراء الإمام، فلا نعلم فيه حديثا مرفوعا صحيحا يجب المصير إليه.
Reference: (السلسلة الصحيحة 2/163)
Translation: As far as the followers saying Ameen aloud behind the Imam is concerned, we do not know of any authentic Marfu‘ Hadith that makes it obligatory to act upon this.
Meaning, according to Albani initially, only the Imam says Ameen aloud, not the follower.
Albani’s Retraction
Later, he retracted this opinion and said:
Arabic text: فالراجح عندنا بعد أن كنا اخترنا الإسرار بالتأمين من المقتدين، ترجح عندي أن الأقرب إلى الصواب أن المقتدين يجهرون أيضاً مع الإمام.
Reference: (الأثر، موقع الباني آرکائیو)
Translation: When we issued the fatwa that followers should say Ameen softly, now in my view, it is closer to the truth that the follower should also say Ameen aloud along with the Imam.
This makes it clear that Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) himself declared his old fatwa incorrect and adopted the opinion of the majority of Ahl al-Hadith.➊ Syed Nazir Hussain Dehlvi (may Allah have mercy on him)
He said: Arabic text: "فثبت للإمام فثبت للمنفرد، وبقي حكم المقتدي، فأقول: المقتدي أيضاً يقول آمين بالجهر، وهو مستنبط من الحديث المرفوع. … and it is apparent that if Ameen is not said aloud and the Jews do not hear the voice, then how would the feeling of envy arise?"
Reference: (Fatawa Naziriya 1/435)
Translation: If aloud Ameen is established for the Imam, then it is also for the individual and the follower; this ruling is derived from the mursal hadith. Obviously, if the follower does not say Ameen aloud, then how would the Jews feel envy?
➋ Sheikh Zubair Ali Zaee (may Allah have mercy on him)
He clarified in his well-known book: "The statement of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him): والذي نفسي بيده إني لأشبهكم صلاة برسول الله ﷺ (Bukhari) is evidence that both the Imam and the follower said Ameen aloud."
Reference: (Al-Qawl al-Mateen fi al-Jahr bi al-Ta'min, p. 25)
➌ Sanaullah Amritsari (may Allah have mercy on him)
He wrote: "Ameen aloud is an act that has been considered Sunnah by many sects of the Ummah from the time of the Companions (RA) until today. In India, in the Jama Masjid, the follower says Ameen aloud and no one stops him, even if the follower is alone."
Reference: (Fatawa Sanaiya 1/454)
➍ Hafiz Abdullah Muhaddith Ghazi Puri (RA)
He said: "The evidence for both the Imam and the follower saying Ameen aloud is what Imam Muslim narrated from Abu Hurairah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When the Imam says Ameen, you also say Ameen, because whoever's Ameen coincides with the Ameen of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven. This proves that there is no authentic hadith for saying Ameen quietly."
Reference: (Majmu' Fatawa Ghazi Puri, p. 168)
➎ Ubaidullah Mubarakpuri (RA)
He wrote: "The Imam and the follower should say Ameen in such a loud voice that the people in the row can hear it, because in the hadith it is mentioned that the voice of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying Ameen would echo in the mosque, and in the traces of the Companions it is found that the followers also said Ameen so loudly that the mosque would echo."
Reference: (Fatawa Sheikh al-Hadith Mubarakpuri 1/244)
➏ Khatib al-Hind Muhammad Junagadhi (RA)
He said: "Ibn Zubair (RA) and the Imams after him were heard saying Ameen aloud, and their followers also said Ameen so loudly that the mosque would shake. So this is the practice of hundreds of Sahabah and Tabi‘in."
Reference: (Dala'il Muhammadi, p. 150)
➐ Rais Nadwi (RA)
He wrote: "We say that saying Ameen aloud by the Imam and the followers in audible prayers is established by mutawatir hadiths, and all the Rightly Guided Caliphs and Sahabah followed this practice."
Reference: (Maqalat Rais Nadwi, p. 609)
➑ Badi‘ al-Din Shah al-Rashidi (RA)
He said: "It is clear from the hadith that the noble Sahabah (RA) said Ameen aloud behind the Messenger of Allah (SAW), and if it were not aloud, why would the Jews be jealous?"
Reference: (Maqalat Rashidiyyah 2/144)
➒ Other Scholars
- Abdul Ra'uf bin Abdul Hanan (RA): In audible prayers, the followers also say Ameen aloud with the Imam; this is the Sunnah. Reference: (Al-Qawl al-Maqbul, p. 356)
- Muhammad Dawood Arshad (RA): "There is consensus among the Sahabah (RA) on saying Ameen aloud, and it is not proven from any Sahabi that Ameen was said silently."
Summary:
- The raised (loud) hadiths, the practices of the Companions and the Followers all prove that saying Ameen aloud is obligatory.
- The consensus of the majority of Ahl al-Hadith scholars is that the follower should also say Ameen aloud with the Imam.
- Sheikh Albani’s old fatwa was rare and rejected, which he later withdrew.
Conclusion:
In loud prayers, it is Sunnah for the follower to say Ameen aloud with the Imam. This is the consensus of the Companions, the Followers, the Imams, and the majority of Ahl al-Hadith, and the opposing view is rare and unacceptable.
