بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Imām and the followers saying Āmīn aloud (in the loud prayers)
Narration 1: of Abū Hurayrah
Imām al-Bukhārī said: “Chapter: The Imam’s Audible Recitation of “Āmīn“
Ibn al-Zubayr and those behind him would say “Āmīn” until the mosque would resound with noise. [authenticated by Al-Albānī in al-Da’īfah 2/369]
Abū Hurayrah narrared that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
إِذَا أمَّنَ الإِمَامُ فَآمِنُوا؛ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ وَافَقَ تَأْمِيتُهُ تَأمِينَ الْمَلائِكَةِ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ». وَقَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ: وَكَانَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ يَقُولُ: «آمِينَ
“When the imam says ‘Āmīn,’ then you say ‘Āmīn,’ for whoever’s Āmīn coincides with the Āmīn of the angels will have his previous sins forgiven.”
And [Imām] Ibn Shihāb [al-Zuhrī] said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say “Āmīn.” [in a variant: used to say Āmīn audibly]. Ibn Hajr said: “Even though it is mursal (disconnected), it is supported by the practice of Abū Hurayrah.”
(Sahīh al-Bukhārī 780. Fath al-Bārī of Ibn Hajr 2/637-642)
In a variant from Abū Hurayrah:
قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا ” قَالَ الإِمَامُ { غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ } فَقُولُوا آمِينَ فَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ تَقُولُ آمِينَ وَإِنَّ الإِمَامَ يَقُولُ آمِينَ فَمَنْ وَافَقَ تَأْمِينُهُ تَأْمِينَ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ ”
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘When the Imām says: ‘ghayri al-maghdūbi ʿalayhim wa lā al-dāllīn’ say: ‘Āmīn’ for the angels say Āmīn and the Imām says Āmīn, and if a person’s Āmīn coincides with the Āmīn of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven.‘” (al-Nasā’ī 927. Declared Sahīh by Al-Arnāūt in his checking)
[the practice of Abū Hurayrah: Nuʿaym al-Mujmir who said: Abū Hurayrah led us in prayer and said: “Bismi-llāhi ar-Rahmāni ar-Rahīm).” Then he recited Umm al-Qurʾān [i.e., al-Fātihah] until he reached “ghayri al-maghdūbi ʿalayhim wa lā al-dāllīn),” [then] he said “Āmīn.” [in the variant of Ibn Hibbān 1797: “and the people (likewise) said Āmīn”] Then he said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I am the one among you whose prayer most closely resembles the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)”. (Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2/153, Dar al-Hadīth – declared Sahīh by the verifier. Sahīh Ibn Hibbān 1797 – declared Sahīh by al-Arnāūt. Ibn Khuzaymah 499 who declared it Sahīh]
Imām Ibn al-Mundhir said: “In his (ﷺ) statement “When the imām says āmīn, then you say āmīn” is clear evidence that the imām says the ta’mīn aloud, and it is not permissible for it to be otherwise, because if the imām said the ta’mīn quietly, the follower (ma’mūm) would not know so that he could say āmīn when the imām says āmīn. This is clear and apparent to one whom Allāh grants understanding from the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ), since it is impossible for the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) to command the follower to say āmīn when his imām says āmīn while he has no way to know his imām’s āmīn.” (al-Awsat 3/291-292)
Narration 2: of Wāʾil ibn Hujr
Imām Al-Bayhaqī said: “Chapter: The Imam’s Audible Recitation of “Āmīn”
Wāʾil ibn Hujr narrated:
كَانَ النَّبِي ﷺ إِذَا قال : «آمِينَ . رَفَعَ بِهَا صَوْتَهُ
“The Prophet (ﷺ), when he said “Āmīn,” would raise his voice with it.” [Declared Sahīh by Ibn Hajr in Talkhīs 2/672]
(al-Bayhaqī said) “This is the wording of al-Faqīh’s hadīth. In al-Sulamī’s narration he said:
سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ الله إذا قال (وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ) قال : «آمين». رَفَعَ بِهَا صَوْتَهُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ
“I heard the Prophet ﷺ when he said “nor those who have gone astray (wa lā al-dāllīn),” he would say “Āmīn” and raise his voice with it in prayer.” (Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2/151, Dar al-Hadīth – it’s verifier declaring the hadīth as Sahīh saying: “Al-Dāraqutnī extracted it in his Sunan (1/333) and authenticated it. Al-Baghawī [mentioned it] in Sharh al-Sunnah and classified it as hasan (good). Ibn Hajr authenticated it as [mentioned] in al-Nayl (2/247). Ibn al-Qattān criticised/weakened it because of Hujr ibn ʿAnbas, saying “he is not known.” Ibn Hajr corrected him and said: “He is trustworthy and known, and it was said he had Companionship [with the Prophet], and Yahyā ibn Maʿīn and others considered him thiqah (trustworthy and reliable). “Al-Tirmidhī classified the hadith as hasan. Ibn Sayyid al-Nās said: “It should be (considered as) Sahīh.”)
[in the narration of Sufyān]…Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāh narrated it from Sufyān:
يَمُدُّ بِهَا صَوْتَهُ
“he would extend his voice with it.”
Al-Firyābī said from Sufyān in this hadith:
رَفَعَ صَوْتَهُ بِآمِينَ وَطَوَّلَ بِهَا
“he raised his voice with Āmīn and lengthened it.” (Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2/151, Sahīh as previously stated)
Narration 3: of Abū Rāfi’
Abū Rāfiʿ narrated:
أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ كَانَ يُؤَذِّنُ لِمَرَوَانَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ، فَاشْتَرَطَ أَنْ لَا يَسْبِقَهُ بِالضَّالِّينَ حَتَّى يَعْلَمَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ دَخَلَ الصَّفَ ، فَكَانَ إِذَا قال مَرْوَانُ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ : آمِينَ . يَمُدُّ بِهَا صَوْتَهُ وَقَالَ : إِذَا وَافَقَ تَأْمِينُ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ تَأْمِينَ أَهْلِ السَّمَاءِ غُفِرَ لَهُمْ
“Abū Hurayrah used to call the adhān for Marwān ibn al-Hakam, and he stipulated that he [Marwān] not precede him with “al-dāllīn” until he knew that he [Abū Hurayrah] had entered the row. So when Marwān said “wa lā al-dāllīn,” Abū Hurayrah would say “Āmīn,” extending his voice with it. And he said: “When the taʾmīn of the people of earth coincides with the taʾmīn of the people of heaven, they are forgiven.” (Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2/153-154, Dar al-Hadīth – declared Sahīh by its verifier. Also declared as Sahīh by Al-Albānī in al-Da’īfah 2/369)
Narrations 4 and 5: of ‘Atā
ʿAtāʾ narrared:
كُنْتُ أَسْمَعُ الأَئِمَّةَ ابن الزُّبَيْرِ وَمَنْ بَعْدَهُ يَقُولُونَ : آمِينَ، وَمَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ : آمِينَ حَتَّى إِنَّ لِلْمَسْجِدِ لَلَجَّةٌ
“I would hear the imams – Ibn al-Zubayr and those after him – saying “Āmīn,” and those behind them [saying] “Āmīn” until the mosque would resound with voices.” (Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2/154, Dar al-Hadīth – declared Sahīh by the verifier)
ʿAtāʾ narrated:
أَدْرَكْتُ مِائَتَيْنِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فِي هَذَا الْمَسْجِدِ إِذَا قَالَ الإِمَامُ : غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ سَمِعْتُ لَهُمْ رَجَّةً بِآمِينَ
“I witnessed two hundred Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) in this mosque [i.e. masjid al-Harām – see I’lām of Ibn Mulaqqin 2/586]. When the imām said “ghayri al-maghdūbi ʿalayhim wa lā al-dāllīn),” I heard them make a reverberating sound with “Āmīn.” (Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2/154, Dar al-Hadīth – it’s verifier declaring it Hasan)
(al-Bayhaqī said) Ishāq al-Handhalī narrated it from ʿAlī ibn al-Hasan and said: “They raised their voices with Āmīn.” (Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 2/154)
Al-Bayhaqī said: “And it was narrated to us regarding Ibn ʿUmar that he would raise his voice with it, whether he was an imām or a follower.” (Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī 1/154)
Imām Al-Albānī said on the legitimacy of the followers saying Āmīn loudly: “…nothing contrary to saying it aloud has been established from Companions other than Abū Hurayrah and Ibn al-Zubayr – which has been authenticated from them both…” (al-Da’īfah 2/369)
Shaykh ul-Islām ibn Taymiyyah said: “These are all texts that (show) the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say the ta’mīn aloud, and he commanded the followers to say āmīn with the imām’s āmīn.
Its apparent meaning is that they say āmīn like his āmīn, because āmīn is more emphasised for them since they were commanded with it. If he says it aloud, then the follower has greater priority. The explicit statement of this has preceded.
Therefore, the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) understood this command to say it aloud and were unanimous upon it.” (Sharh al-Umdah 2/757)
Summary of saying Āmīn in the silent and loud prayers
Al-Afqahsī said: “The ummah has unanimously agreed that the one praying alone says āmīn, and likewise the follower and imām in the silent prayer, and likewise the majority (of scholars) said regarding the loud prayer.” (Sharh Umdatul Ahkām 1/347)
Shaykh ul-Islām ibn Taymiyyah said: “The imām, follower, and one praying alone say (the ta’mīn). The imām and follower say it aloud in what he says aloud in his recitation, following al-Fātihah. Likewise the one praying alone if he recites aloud.” (Sharh al-‘Umdah 2/755)
The ruling on saying Āmīn
Imām Al-Saffārīnī said: “This command according to the majority (of the scholars) is for recommendation.
Ibn Buzayzah related from some scholars its obligation upon the follower, acting upon the apparent meaning of the command. He said: The Dhāhiriyyah made it obligatory upon every worshipper.” (Sharh Umdatul Ahkām 2/294)
Imām Al-Ithyūbī said: “Then what appears (correct) to me is its obligation upon the follower, because the command is for obligation according to the majority’s statement, except when a diverter [from a text] diverts it. The majority who say recommendation here did not mention a diverter. And Allāh, The Most-High knows best.” (Sharh al-Nasā’ī 12/20)
Imām al-San’ānī said: “The majority carried the command to (mean) recommendation, and I do not know what [evidence] diverted it from obligation, while the principle [of a command] is obligation.” (al-Tahbīr 5/285)
What if the imām doesn’t say Āmīn aloud
Shaykh ul-Islām ibn Taymiyyah said: “If the imām leaves out the ta’mīn or (leaves out) saying it aloud, the follower says āmīn and says it aloud, whether he is close to the imām and hears his recitation, or hears his murmuring, or cannot hear his voice – he says āmīn.” (Sharh al-Umdah 2/758)
Imām Al-Saffārīnī said: “If the imām leaves it out, the follower comes with it (i.e. says it)”. (Sharh Umdatul Ahkām 2/294)
Imām Al-Ithyūbī said: “Ash-Shāfi’ī’s saying in “al-Umm” is that the follower says āmīn even if the imām leaves it out intentionally or forgetfully.
What ash-Shāfi’ī – may Allāh have mercy upon him – said in “al-Umm” is what I consider most correct, due to the apparent meaning of his statement: “When the imām says: ‘wa lā al-dāllīn’ then say: Āmīn.” And Allāh, The Most-High, knows best.” (Sharh al-Nasā’ī 12/25)
Imām al-San’ānī said: “His statement (ﷺ): “Pray as you have seen me pray” (Sahīh al-Bukhārī 6008, Sahīh Muslim 674) – it has been established that he said āmīn, so every worshipper should say āmīn, whether individual, imām, or follower, because his statement “pray” is a general address and command to every believer with that. If the imām errs by abandoning it, the follower does not err by following him in the abandonment.” (al-Tahbīr 5/285)
Those who held to say Āmīn quietly and a refutation of their evidence
Imām Ibn al-Mundhir said: “The people of opinion (ashāb al-ra’ī, i.e. the hanafīs) saw that the imām should say āmīn quietly. Sufyān al-Thawrī said: “When you finish reciting the opening of the Book, say āmīn quietly.” (al-Awsat 3/295)
Imām Al-Ithyūbī said: “It has become clear from what preceded of verification from the speech of these memorising imāms that the most correct of the madhabs is what the majority hold – the legitimacy of āmīn aloud in audible prayer for the imām, follower, and one praying alone, due to the authenticity of the hadīths (that came) with that.
As for those who say not to say it aloud, they have no evidence except what preceded from Shu’bah’s narration: “and he lowered his voice with it.” [1] The memorisers have agreed that this narration is not authentic; rather, the authentic is (Sufyān) al-Thawrī’s narration with the wording: “He said āmīn, extending his voice with it.” (Sharh al-Nasā’ī 12/31)
Imām al-Mubārakfūrī said: “The Hanafīs said to say the ta’mīn quietly and conceal it, and they used as evidence the hadīth of Wā’il that at-Tirmidhī mentioned [1]… This is a hadīth (which is) not suitable to be used as proof as you will come to know…” (al-Tuhfah 3/375)
[1] Imām Al-Tirmidhī said: “Shu’bah reported this Hadīth, from Salamah ibn Kuhail, from Hujr Abū Al-‘Anbas, from ‘Alqamah ibn Wāʾil, from his father:
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قرأ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ فَقَالَ : «آمین»، وَخَفَضَ بها صَوْتَهُ .
“That the Prophet recited: (ghayri al-maghdūbi ʿalayhim wa lā al-dāllīn) then he said: ‘Amin,’ and he lowered his voice with it.”
(Al-Tirmidhī 248. Declared Shādh (i.e. isolated/anomalous – a weak hadīth due to narrator contradicting narrator(s) stronger in reliability/authenticity) by Al-Albānī in his checking of Al-Tirmidhī)
Shaykh al-Arnāūt said: “Sufyān and Shu’bah differed regarding this hadīth….When Shu’bah and Sufyān differ, the statement (which is given precedence) is Sufyān’s statement, and this is what the imāms chose. Al-Bukhārī noted this error of Shu’bah’s in his “Tārīkh” 3/73, and in what at-Tirmidhī quoted from him in his “Jāmi'” 2/28, and in “al-‘Ilal al-Kabīr” 1/217-218.” (Takhrīj Musnad Imām Ahmad 31/138)
Ibn al-Mulaqqin said: “Al-Bayhaqī said in his “Khilāfiyyāt”: “I do not know of any disagreement among the scholars of Hadīth that when Sufyān and Shu’bah differ, the statement (which is given preference) is Sufyān’s statement.” (Badr al-Munīr 3/582)
Imām al-Mubārakfūrī said: “…The fourth reason [why the statement of Sufyān is given preference over Shu’bah’s]: Shu’bah was alone in what he said in his narration in these two places, and no one followed him in that. As for Sufyān, he was not alone in what he said in his narration regarding them, but rather al-‘Alā’ ibn Sālih, ‘Alī ibn Sālih, and Muhammad ibn Salamah followed him in that. For these reasons, the error was attributed to Shu’bah and not attributed to Sufyān…” (Abridged, al-Tuhfah 3/378)
Imām al-Mubārakfūrī continues: “Some of them (i.e. the hanafīs) used as evidence the hadīth of Samurah ibn Jundub that he memorised from the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) two pauses: a pause when he said takbīr, and a pause when he finished reciting (ghayri al-maghdūbi ʿalayhim wa lā al-dāllīn)”. [T.N: Abū Dawūd 779 and others. Declared weak by Al-Albānī in his checking saying: “Its chain is weak because al-Hasan – who is al-Basrī – despite his great status, is a mudallis (concealer), and he did not explicitly state his hearing of this hadīth from Samurah.” Da’īf Abī Dawūd 9/299]. It was said: “The most apparent is that the second pause was for saying āmīn quietly.”
The response: The second pause was not for saying āmīn quietly, because he used to say the ta’mīn aloud, and saying āmīn quietly has not been established from him. How can it be said that it was for saying āmīn quietly? Rather, the second pause was for his breath to return to him, as Qatādah explicitly stated in some of his narrations (Al-Tirmidhī 247, Ibn Mājah 844).
They also used as evidence the report from ‘Umar and ‘Alī: Al-Tahāwī (Sharh Ma’ānī Āthār 1208) narrated from Abū Wā’il who said: “‘Umar and ‘Alī did not say aloud ‘Bismi-llāhi ar-Rahmān ar-Rahīm,’ nor the seeking refuge, nor āmīn.”
The response: This report is very weak (da’īf jiddan), for in its chain is Sa’īd ibn al-Mirzbān al-Baqqāl. Al-Dhahabī said in “al-Mīzān”: “Al-Fallās abandoned him, Ibn Ma’īn said: ‘His hadīth should not be written,’ and al-Bukhārī said: ‘Rejected in hadīth (munkar al-hadīth).'” End quote. Al-Dhahabī said in the biography of Abān ibn Jablah al-Kūfī: “Ibn al-Qattān related that al-Bukhārī said: ‘Everyone I said about “rejected in hadīth,” it is not permissible to narrate from him.'” End quote.
They also used as evidence the statement of Ibrāhīm al-Nakha’ī: “Five things the imām conceals: ‘Subhānak Allāhumma wa-bihamdik,’ seeking refuge, ‘Bismi-llāhi ar-Rahmān ar-Rahīm,’ āmīn, and ‘Allāhumma Rabbana laka al-hamd.'” ‘Abd al-Razzāq narrated it (2597).
The response: This statement of Ibrāhīm al-Nakha’ī contradicts the authentic marfū (elevated to the Prophet (ﷺ)) hadīths, so it should not be given attention. The distinguished al-Laknawī said in “as-Sa’āyah”: “As for al-Nakha’ī’s report and similar ones, they do not equal the elevated narrations.” End quote.” (Al-Tuhfah of al-Mubārakfūrī 3/375-376)
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