The Shaykh’s warning about what many people do when they race the imam in saying “Ameen.”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Indeed, all praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own selves and from our bad deeds. Whoever Allah guides is not to be led astray, and whoever He leaves astray is not to be guided. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. [Ali 'Imran 3:102], [An-Nisa 4:1], [Al-Ahzab 33:70-71].
As for what follows:
For the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. Allah the Exalted said:[Adh-Dhariyat 51:55]. And I have noticed, in this blessed night of yours—if Allah wills—to point out and remind you of two matters that I have seen in many of the countries I have traveled through, which contradict the Shari'ah. One of them contradicts the explicit text of an authentic hadith, and the other contradicts some of the Islamic etiquettes that some modern customs have treated with negligence and lack of concern.
As for the first matter: it is that the majority of the praying congregation following the imam in the loud prayer fall into racing the imam in a matter that is as if the Wise Lawgiver had made it obligatory upon them in their state of error. I mean by this: the majority of the praying congregation racing their imam in the loud prayer by saying: Ameen, before the imam begins to say: Ameen. And this is a matter I have seen—regrettably—in most Islamic countries, without excluding or excepting some of the sacred countries like Makkah and al-Madinah. Indeed, the people are unaware of this Sunnah, or rather this Prophetic command. That is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 936Sahih (Al-Albani). This hadith came as an application of a rule and a principle that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) established in linking the follower to the imam and the impermissibility of this follower racing that imam. That is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): Sahih al-Bukhari 1236. In a narration, it was added: Sunan Ibn Majah 1238Sahih (Darussalam):
Just as he said (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in this hadith:Sunan an-Nasa'i 921Sahih (Darussalam) to the end of the hadith, so he said in the first hadith: Sunan Abi Dawud 936Sahih (Al-Albani). Just as it is not permissible for the follower to race the imam in any of what was mentioned in the second hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 805, so it is not permissible for the followers to race the imam by saying: Ameen. And the unawareness in this matter is widespread in most of the countries I have seen. Therefore, it is necessary for the general praying congregation, first:
to be mindful of their minds and intellects in prayer and not be among those who are unaware of the remembrance of Allah in it. For racing the imam in "Ameen" arises from two matters:
their worldly affairs in their prayer, and the other: their ignorance of this explicit legal ruling in this authentic hadith:Sunan Abi Dawud 936Sahih (Al-Albani):
The explainers of the hadith have spoken about this phrase of the hadith and said:Sunan Abi Dawud 936Sahih (Al-Albani) has two meanings:
The first meaning—and it is the stronger position, and Allah knows best: when the imam begins Ameen, you begin your Ameen in turn.
And the second meaning: when the imam finishes: Ameen, then you begin by saying Ameen. And in either of the two aspects or explanations, the meaning is that the imam should be delayed.
So in either of the two interpretations of this hadith, they meet in that the follower should be delayed from the imam in beginning Ameen. And on this basis, it is necessary for every worshipper to watch the imam’s recitation and for his heart and intellect to be with him. So when the imam reaches his saying:[Al-Fatihah 1:7], the follower does not rush to say: Ameen, but rather he holds himself back until he hears the imam beginning Ameen, and then he begins: Ameen. This hadith is very explicit in this ruling which the majority of the followers have contradicted. Therefore, it is necessary to observe this so that we do not fall into two matters:
The first matter—and it is undoubtedly the most important regarding worshipping Allah in His worship with whatever rulings of His Shari'ah He wills, which is: that we do not fall into contradicting his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 936Sahih (Al-Albani).
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَO mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا(70) O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. (71) He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا * يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَن يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًاAs for what follows:
For the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. Allah the Exalted said:
And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.
وذكّر فإن الذكرى تنفع المؤمنينAs for the first matter: it is that the majority of the praying congregation following the imam in the loud prayer fall into racing the imam in a matter that is as if the Wise Lawgiver had made it obligatory upon them in their state of error. I mean by this: the majority of the praying congregation racing their imam in the loud prayer by saying: Ameen, before the imam begins to say: Ameen. And this is a matter I have seen—regrettably—in most Islamic countries, without excluding or excepting some of the sacred countries like Makkah and al-Madinah. Indeed, the people are unaware of this Sunnah, or rather this Prophetic command. That is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
When the Imam says Amin, say Amin, for if anyone’s utterance of Amin synchronnises with that of the angles, he will be forgiven his past sins.
إذا أمّن الإمام فأمّنوا، فإنَّه مَن وافق تأمينه تأمين الملائكة غُفر له ما تقدم من ذنبهThe Imam is to be followed
إنما جُعل الإمام ليؤتم بهWhen he says Allahu Akbar, then say Allahu Akbar; when he bows, then bow; when he says Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah, then say Rabbana wa lakal-hamd; when he prostrates then prostrate; and if he prays sitting down then pray sitting down.
فلا تختلفوا عليه، فإذا كبر فكبروا، وإذا ركع فاركعوا، وإذا قال: سمع الله لمن حمده فقولوا: ربنا ولك الحمد، وإذا سجد فاسجدوا، وإذا صلى قائمًا فصلوا قيامًا، وإذا صلى جالساً فصلوا جلوسًا أجمعينJust as he said (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in this hadith:
The Imam is appointed to be followed, so when he says the takbir, say the takbir
إنما جُعل الامام ليؤتم به فإذا كبر فكبرواWhen the Imam says Amin, say Amin
إذا أمّن الامام فأمّنواsay Takbir when he says it; bow when he bows
إذا كبر فكبروا وإذا ركع فاركعواto be mindful of their minds and intellects in prayer and not be among those who are unaware of the remembrance of Allah in it. For racing the imam in "Ameen" arises from two matters:
their worldly affairs in their prayer, and the other: their ignorance of this explicit legal ruling in this authentic hadith:
When the Imam says Amin, say Amin
إذا أمّن الإمام فأمّنواThe explainers of the hadith have spoken about this phrase of the hadith and said:
When the Imam says Amin, say Amin
إذا أمن الإمام فأمنواThe first meaning—and it is the stronger position, and Allah knows best: when the imam begins Ameen, you begin your Ameen in turn.
And the second meaning: when the imam finishes: Ameen, then you begin by saying Ameen. And in either of the two aspects or explanations, the meaning is that the imam should be delayed.
So in either of the two interpretations of this hadith, they meet in that the follower should be delayed from the imam in beginning Ameen. And on this basis, it is necessary for every worshipper to watch the imam’s recitation and for his heart and intellect to be with him. So when the imam reaches his saying:
not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.
غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالينThe first matter—and it is undoubtedly the most important regarding worshipping Allah in His worship with whatever rulings of His Shari'ah He wills, which is: that we do not fall into contradicting his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):