Determining the Place of Saying Āmīn by the Followers and Recognition of Angels Mentioned in Hadith
(Excerpted from the book “Namaz Main Unchi Āwaz se Āmīn Kehna” by Muhammad Muzaffar Shirazi, translated by Hafiz Abdul Razzaq Azhar)
◈ First: The Place of Saying Āmīn by the Followers (Muqtadīs)
Scholars have differed regarding when the muqtadīs should say Āmīn:
- Along with the Imām,
- After the Imām, or
- Immediately when the Imām recites وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ.
❀ Imām al-Nawawī (رحمه الله):
He said that it is mustahabb (recommended) for the followers to say Āmīn simultaneously with the Imām, not before and not after. He quoted the saying of the Prophet (ﷺ):
«فمن وافق تأمينه تأمين الملائكة غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه»
“Whoever’s Āmīn coincides with that of the angels will have his past sins forgiven.”
Imām al-Ḥaramayn and his father Abū Muhammad al-Juwaynī, along with al-Ghazālī and al-Rāfi‘ī, supported this position.
He explained: The followers say Āmīn not due to the Imām’s Āmīn, but due to the Imām completing the recitation of al-Fātiḥah.
- Regarding the Hadith:
«إذا أمن الإمام فآمنوا»
“When the Imām says Āmīn, then say Āmīn.”
It is reconciled with:
«إذا قال الإمام غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين فقولوا آمين»
“When the Imām says ghayril-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim walā al-ḍāllīn, then say Āmīn.”
Thus, both point towards synchronization, not delay.
❀ Imām al-Khaṭṭābī (رحمه الله):
He explained that the command “when the Imām says Āmīn then you say Āmīn” is like the Arab expression:
“If the Amīr travels, then you travel”, meaning prepare at the same time.
He cited another Hadith:
«إذا قال أحدكم آمين قالت الملائكة فى السماء آمين فوافقت إحداهما الأخرى»
“When one of you says Āmīn, the angels in the heavens say Āmīn, and if the two coincide, forgiveness is granted.”
Thus, the goal is concurrency of the Imām, followers, and angels.
[al-Nawawī, al-Majmū‘ 3/332, Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 4/130]
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
He mentioned reconciliation:
- The Hadith «إذا قال الإمام ولا الضالين فقولوا آمين» refers to the time when the Imām does not himself say Āmīn.
- Imām al-Ṭabarī (رحمه الله) said: The muqtadī has the option to say Āmīn with the Imām or after him.
- Another opinion (Imām al-Khaṭṭābī): Those near the Imām say Āmīn with him (as they can hear him), while those farther away say Āmīn after hearing وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī 2/264]
◈ Second: Which Angels Are Mentioned in the Hadith?
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
«من وافق تأمينه تأمين الملائكة»
“Whoever’s Āmīn coincides with that of the angels...”
❀ Imām al-Nawawī and Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (رحمهما الله):
Scholars differed:
- Some said: These are the recording angels (Kirāman Kātibīn) and guardian angels.
- Others said: They are different angels, based on the Hadith:
«فوافق قوله قول أهل السماء»
“His saying coincides with the saying of the inhabitants of the heavens.”
This shows they are heavenly angels, not those on earth with humans.
Ibn Jurayj narrated from ‘Ikrimah:
“When prayer is established, the people of earth stand in rows and the people of heaven stand in rows. When the earth-dwellers say walā al-ḍāllīn, the angels say Āmīn. If the Āmīn of the earth coincides with that of the heavens, forgiveness is granted.”
[Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 4/130, al-Tamhīd 7/16-17]
❀ Imām al-‘Irāqī (رحمه الله):
He said: The angels referred to are not the guardian angels, because their Āmīn is restricted to the heavens, while guardians remain with humans on earth.
[Ṭarḥ al-Tathrīb 2/261]
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
The clearest position: The angels mentioned include all angels, not a specific group.
- Ibn Bazzīzah (رحمه الله) supported this.
- Another view: They are the angels who attend Ṣalāt al-Fajr and Ṣalāt al-‘Aṣr.
But the strongest view is that they are the angels present at the times of prayer, whether on earth or in the heavens.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī 2/265]
◈ Conclusion of the Discussion
- The Imām’s Āmīn aloud in audible prayers is established by authentic narrations.
- The followers’ Āmīn aloud is the stronger position, supported by clear evidences.
- An individual (munfarid) should also say Āmīn aloud in audible prayers.
- The coinciding of people’s Āmīn with the angels’ Āmīn is in wording and timing, bringing forgiveness.
- The most correct opinion is that followers say Āmīn together with the Imām, not before or after, to match the angels’ Āmīn.
- The angels referred to are the heavenly angels, not guardian angels on earth.
