The Ruling on the Imam or the Ma'mum Forgetting the Recitation of al-Fatihah
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His Eminence the Shaykh: If the recitation of al-Fatihah is a pillar of the prayer, and the prayer is not valid without it, what is the ruling for an imam or a ma'mum who forgets to recite al-Fatihah?
This is a pertinent question; al-Fatihah is a pillar without which the prayer is not valid in every rak'ah. If the imam forgets it in the first rak'ah and does not remember until he stands for the second rak'ah, the second rak'ah becomes the first for him. Accordingly, if he concludes the prayer, he must perform another rak'ah to make up for the rak'ah in which he left out al-Fatihah. As for the ma'mum, he does not follow him in this rak'ah, but he sits for the tashahhud and waits until he concludes the prayer with his imam.
As for the ma'mum, if he leaves it out, whoever said: The ma'mum is not required to recite al-Fatihah; the matter is clear that nothing is required of him.
And whoever said: It is a pillar in his case, so he is like the imam. If he leaves it out, he performs a rak'ah after his imam concludes the prayer, unless he arrives while the imam is bowing, or he arrives while the imam is standing but the imam bows before he finishes it. In this case, it is dropped from him—Meaning: from the ma'mum—in the first rak'ah.
This is a pertinent question; al-Fatihah is a pillar without which the prayer is not valid in every rak'ah. If the imam forgets it in the first rak'ah and does not remember until he stands for the second rak'ah, the second rak'ah becomes the first for him. Accordingly, if he concludes the prayer, he must perform another rak'ah to make up for the rak'ah in which he left out al-Fatihah. As for the ma'mum, he does not follow him in this rak'ah, but he sits for the tashahhud and waits until he concludes the prayer with his imam.
As for the ma'mum, if he leaves it out, whoever said: The ma'mum is not required to recite al-Fatihah; the matter is clear that nothing is required of him.
And whoever said: It is a pillar in his case, so he is like the imam. If he leaves it out, he performs a rak'ah after his imam concludes the prayer, unless he arrives while the imam is bowing, or he arrives while the imam is standing but the imam bows before he finishes it. In this case, it is dropped from him—Meaning: from the ma'mum—in the first rak'ah.