Why Loud Recitation in Maghrib, ʿIshāʾ, and Fajr but Silent in Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr?
Written by: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri
❓ Question:
Why is the recitation in congregational prayer done aloud in Maghrib, ʿIshāʾ, and Fajr, while in Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr it is recited silently?
✅ Answer:
The loud recitation in Maghrib, ʿIshāʾ, and Fajr is in following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Companions رضي الله عنهم observed how the Prophet ﷺ recited in these prayers—sometimes aloud, sometimes silent—and they preserved and transmitted it exactly as they witnessed. Thus this practice became an established Sunnah.
✦ Evidence from Ḥadīth:
Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه said:
“In every prayer there is recitation. Whatever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited aloud to us, we recite aloud to you; and whatever he recited quietly, we also keep quiet about it from you.”
📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (772), Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (396)
✦ Consensus of Scholars:
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله (d. 774H) said:
“Reciting aloud in Fajr, and in the first two rakʿāt of Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ, is a matter transmitted continuously by the successors from their predecessors, from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he used to do this. Reciting aloud in these places is legislated for the imam, and there is consensus among the scholars on this.”
📚 Kitāb al-Aḥkām al-Kabīr (3/191)
📌 Conclusion:
- Loud recitation in Fajr, Maghrib, and ʿIshāʾ follows the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
- Silent recitation in Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr is also Sunnah, exactly as practiced and transmitted by the Companions رضي الله عنهم.
- This practice is unanimously accepted among the scholars of Islam.
