Questions on Prayer
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His Eminence the Shaykh: If I am the imam and there are two or one person behind me, and we are praying in congregation, and I said the closing salam in a low voice, then I remembered that I am the imam and that those behind me did not hear it, should I repeat the salam in a loud voice?
If the imam says the salam in a low voice that the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam) do not hear, he does not repeat the salam a second time. However, if he says the salam, seeks forgiveness from Allah, and then leaves, the people will know that he has finished.
The same applies to al-Fatihah (Surat al-Fatihah). If the imam forgets that he is the imam during a prayer where the recitation is loud and reads al-Fatihah quietly, then remembers, he completes it and does not repeat it.And some scholars said: Rather, he repeats it; because repeating it aloud is a repetition of a recommended practice (sunnah) and is not a waste. A person is commanded to perform the recitation in accordance with the Sunnah. However, the first option is more cautious: he starts from the point where he remembered.
There is also a benefit in this: That is, if he starts from the point where he remembered, he will not return to that point a second time, and thus he will always be mindful. But if he repeats it from the beginning, it becomes easy for him to forget and return a second time; because the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam) will not know if he repeats it from the beginning.
In summary, if the imam says the salam quietly out of forgetfulness until he has completed both salams, he does not repeat them, and it is sufficient for him to leave. If he said the first one quietly and then remembered, he says the second one loudly.
If the imam says the salam in a low voice that the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam) do not hear, he does not repeat the salam a second time. However, if he says the salam, seeks forgiveness from Allah, and then leaves, the people will know that he has finished.
The same applies to al-Fatihah (Surat al-Fatihah). If the imam forgets that he is the imam during a prayer where the recitation is loud and reads al-Fatihah quietly, then remembers, he completes it and does not repeat it.And some scholars said: Rather, he repeats it; because repeating it aloud is a repetition of a recommended practice (sunnah) and is not a waste. A person is commanded to perform the recitation in accordance with the Sunnah. However, the first option is more cautious: he starts from the point where he remembered.
There is also a benefit in this: That is, if he starts from the point where he remembered, he will not return to that point a second time, and thus he will always be mindful. But if he repeats it from the beginning, it becomes easy for him to forget and return a second time; because the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam) will not know if he repeats it from the beginning.
In summary, if the imam says the salam quietly out of forgetfulness until he has completed both salams, he does not repeat them, and it is sufficient for him to leave. If he said the first one quietly and then remembered, he says the second one loudly.