The Shaykh’s remarks on saying the ameen aloud, and the followers racing the imam to do so.

The questioner : May the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.

The questioner : Do you have any remarks on saying the ameen aloud that we would like to hear?

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : Do you have any remarks on saying the ameen aloud after the imam that we would like to hear?

The Shaykh : Saying the ameen aloud, if it pertains to the imam, is a valid sunnah (recommended practice) explicitly mentioned in the hadith of Wail ibn Hujr in *Musnad Ahmad* and elsewhere with a sound chain of narration.
As for saying the ameen aloud pertaining to the followers and those praying behind the imam, the stronger position in our view is not based on an explicit text regarding this, but rather following some reports (athar) coming from 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr and the like: "That the Sacred Mosque would tremble with the ameen of the followers in his time because of their saying it aloud". So, the stronger position in our view, after we had previously chosen to say the ameen quietly as followers, is that it is closer to the truth that the followers should also say it aloud with the imam.
And it is necessary on such an occasion to remind people of a matter that the majority of worshippers have long been heedless of. That matter is, unfortunately, almost a consensus on that error, which is:
That the followers race the imam with: "Ameen". The error is that the followers race the imam with "Ameen," so the imam barely finishes saying: before the followers rush in with "Ameen" before the imam himself begins to say "Ameen."
And the hadith is explicit in the opposite of what the masses do today, where he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: :
So it is not permissible for the followers to race the imam with the ameen, just as it is not permissible for them to race the imam with the takbir (saying Allahu akbar), :
The point is that this hadith, which is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim from the hadith of Anas ibn Malik and other Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), states that it is not permissible for the followers to race the imam with any of the takbir, bowing, prostration, or what is in between. Likewise, it is not permissible for the followers to race the imam with "Ameen."
And if you pay attention to this and listen when you pray a loud prayer, you will find, unfortunately, that the majority of followers race the imam with "Ameen." Therefore, every follower of the imam, when he hears the imam say at the end of al-Fatihah: , should restrain himself. He must control himself and not begin saying "Ameen" until he hears the imam begin saying "Ameen." Only then can the follower be considered to have followed the imam. As for the fact that the imam has barely finished saying: and the followers have already preceded him with "Ameen," this is a clear error contrary to the principle mentioned earlier in the hadith of Anas, and also contrary to this specific hadith regarding the ameen, which is agreed upon from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah. He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And among the favor of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) upon His believing servants is that He has made easy for them the causes that lead to the forgiveness of the Lord of the Worlds. This hadith is one of those, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us in this hadith that the forgiveness of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) for the worshippers is achieved only by not racing the imam with "Ameen," and by saying ameen in accordance with the imam's ameen after he says "Ameen." Whoever does that, Allah will forgive him what has passed of his sins. I repeat the hadith to you so that it first becomes firmly established in your minds, and then you may proceed in your actions according to its requirement: . Had I not encountered this error in every mosque in every country I have visited or stayed in, I would not have mentioned this to you. And as He the Exalted said: .