The Place of the Opening Invocation in Prayer
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Which is better for the ma'mum: Whether one should begin with the opening invocation, or begin with the recitation of al-Fatihah when the imam begins his opening invocation,Meaning: after the takbir of ihram? Given that the prayer is one of loud recitation?
If one joins the prayer after the imam has started reciting—reciting al-Fatihah—he does not make the opening invocation but remains silent. When the imam finishes, he makes the opening invocation and then recites al-Fatihah. If he catches the imam in the recitation that follows al-Fatihah, he has no choice but to recite al-Fatihah, because if he were in al-Fatihah, the imam has a pause in which he could make the opening invocation.
If one joins the prayer after the imam has started reciting—reciting al-Fatihah—he does not make the opening invocation but remains silent. When the imam finishes, he makes the opening invocation and then recites al-Fatihah. If he catches the imam in the recitation that follows al-Fatihah, he has no choice but to recite al-Fatihah, because if he were in al-Fatihah, the imam has a pause in which he could make the opening invocation.