The ruling on the ma'mum reciting al-Fatihah in prayer
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Question:
The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on reciting al-Fatihah for the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam)? I mean, like the previous question, I ask for clarification of the stronger position.
Answer:
This has been mentioned previously, and it is recommended for the ma'mum to recite it during the imam's pauses. If he is able to recite it during the imam's pauses, that is good; if he is not able to, the imam bears the responsibility for him. As for in the secret prayers, it is obligatory for the imam to recite it and for the ma'mum to recite it, each on his own. Some scholars say that one should recite al-Fatihah even if the imam is reciting, if the imam does not have pauses; in that case, one must recite it. However, the texts testify that if the imam recites it, his recitation serves as the recitation for those behind him, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-A'raf 7:204] Imam Ahmad said: The scholars are in agreement that this verse is regarding the prayer.
The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on reciting al-Fatihah for the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam)? I mean, like the previous question, I ask for clarification of the stronger position.
Answer:
This has been mentioned previously, and it is recommended for the ma'mum to recite it during the imam's pauses. If he is able to recite it during the imam's pauses, that is good; if he is not able to, the imam bears the responsibility for him. As for in the secret prayers, it is obligatory for the imam to recite it and for the ma'mum to recite it, each on his own. Some scholars say that one should recite al-Fatihah even if the imam is reciting, if the imam does not have pauses; in that case, one must recite it. However, the texts testify that if the imam recites it, his recitation serves as the recitation for those behind him, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So when the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention
وَإِذَا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَأَنصِتُوا
Source
شرح الدروس المهمة لعامة الأمة لابن باز [ مجموعة من المشايخ ]، فتاوى الشيخ عبد الرحمن آل فريان — islamhouse.com (9:34)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.