The Shaykh’s advice to the worshippers regarding the ruling on saying “Ameen” behind the imam and the prohibition of racing ahead of him in doing so.

The Shaykh : This is at the expense of our time now, so we say that one of the common errors in the entire Islamic world, without exception, is what I heard tonight in your mosque, as if you all have agreed with the consensus of those who agree to contradict the clear, authentic Prophetic command, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , . You don’t let us take a breath; we are almost done reciting: . A natural elongation is two movements, but we want to rest with this elongation, so we make four or six movements, and then what? The whole mosque is noisy with “Ameen.” And when do I say “Ameen”? It is supposed to be that you say it either before me or after me. But in reality, you make me follow you; you say “Ameen” and I say “Ameen” after you. How is this? It is a strange negligence. I wish it were so in this mosque, I wish it were so in that mosque, I wish it were so in Amman only, but in all the lands of the world, do not exclude the Sacred Mosque in Makkah or the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. This, my brothers, indicates that Islam has truly become a stranger. We are speaking to you now about matters that are apparent and do not accept discussion or debate, just as creedal or intellectual matters do. And the Islamic world is also far from the truth in this, far from it, except for the sincere servants of Allah. As for this example, you hear it with your own ears. No... What is the reason? The reason is the strangeness of the Sunnah. And why is the Sunnah strange? Because there are no longer scholars who alert people that the Sunnah is such and such, and the command of the Messenger is such and such. And if there are some, they are few, and they accommodate people and flatter them in the name of politics and wisdom, and the like. So, for the sake of politics, we leave the worshippers praying behind the imams of the Muslims, contradicting the first imam, who is our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and then contradicting this established, upright consensus before us, which is the Messenger saying: . I wonder if we say this hadith to some of our brothers who were with us in the car, they do not remember it. “And when he says the closing salam, you say the closing salam.” Where do we take this ruling from? We take it from correct observation and derivation, because the word “The imam was made to be followed” establishes a rule, and what came as detail is not all the detail, but rather examples and models. So measure by that. Therefore, when he says the closing salam, you say the closing salam, and when he says “Ameen,” you say “Ameen.” With that, the Messenger of Allah, for a wisdom known to Allah, singled out a matter, singling out the topic of saying “Ameen” by name, after the generalization and detailing of some particulars: , and so on. He did not mention “when he says ‘Ameen’” among them, but he gave us a specific alert. Yet it went to waste. My brothers, you earn the forgiveness of Allah by following the imam in recitation and not racing ahead of him in saying “Ameen.” For he says in clear Arabic: , . This has two meanings. The first meaning is: when he begins “Ameen,” you begin “Ameen.” The second meaning is: when he finishes “Ameen,” you begin “Ameen.” ... At least according to the first meaning, you are not saying “Hey” or “Hey,” but rather he does not finish reciting al-Fatihah without the mosque being noisy with “Ameen,” and I say “Ameen” afterwards, against my will, forced. Your brother is not a hero. All of this comes from two reasons. The first reason is the lack of knowledge and those who alert and guide. The second reason is the negligence of the worshippers. And I say the negligence of the worshippers because this reminder occurred with many of the worshippers, yet they are in their negligence, heedless, as if... absolutely not. May Allah have mercy on Imam al-Shafi'i, where he said, “... Changing a habit is hostility.” Changing a habit is hostility. A person who has become accustomed to a habit, now the habit requires him to establish hostility with himself in order to get rid of it. What...? And this is the truth. So reform yourselves, reform your habits, and follow the Sunnah of your Prophet, and you will succeed, if Allah wills, and be happy in this world and the Hereafter.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.