The Ruling on Reciting the Basmala and Collective Supplication After Prayer
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Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: A resident led us in prayer at a gas station in the city of Riyadh. He recited the Basmala aloud, and then after the prayer he made supplication aloud, and the worshippers behind him said "Ameen." He says: So I advised him, but he said that he follows the Imam al-Shafi'i, and he has insisted on this repeatedly. He says: So what should be done with him, knowing that I am a resident just like him?
Answer:
Reciting the Basmala aloud before al-Fatihah is a simple matter. Some scholars hold that the Basmala is a verse of al-Fatihah, so it is obligatory to recite it aloud. The majority hold that it is not a verse, but it is recommended to recite it before al-Fatihah in a low voice. So the issue of the Basmala is a simple matter. But collective supplication after the prayer and saying "Ameen" in unison is a bid'ah (religious innovation). Supplication itself is not a problem, but making it a collective practice and raising the voice is a bid'ah. You advised him, and he is the imam of a mosque; this is a passing matter. The prayer is valid, if Allah wills. And by explaining it to him and advising him, you have fulfilled your duty, and praise be to Allah. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: A resident led us in prayer at a gas station in the city of Riyadh. He recited the Basmala aloud, and then after the prayer he made supplication aloud, and the worshippers behind him said "Ameen." He says: So I advised him, but he said that he follows the Imam al-Shafi'i, and he has insisted on this repeatedly. He says: So what should be done with him, knowing that I am a resident just like him?
Answer:
Reciting the Basmala aloud before al-Fatihah is a simple matter. Some scholars hold that the Basmala is a verse of al-Fatihah, so it is obligatory to recite it aloud. The majority hold that it is not a verse, but it is recommended to recite it before al-Fatihah in a low voice. So the issue of the Basmala is a simple matter. But collective supplication after the prayer and saying "Ameen" in unison is a bid'ah (religious innovation). Supplication itself is not a problem, but making it a collective practice and raising the voice is a bid'ah. You advised him, and he is the imam of a mosque; this is a passing matter. The prayer is valid, if Allah wills. And by explaining it to him and advising him, you have fulfilled your duty, and praise be to Allah. Yes.
Source
المنتقى من أخبار سيد المرسلين [6] — alfawzan.live (1:13:56)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.