The Shaykh’s speech and advice to the worshippers regarding the saying of “Ameen” behind the imam, not to precede him, and the virtue of the one who says “Ameen” in sync with the imam.

The Shaykh : , I want to remind you of a legal ruling ... three authentic hadiths. The hadith is authentic. The first hadith ... which is his saying - peace and blessings be upon him - : , and I am not ... in this night ... this hadith alone requires a session and a lecture, but the point of it is its beginning The third hadith is, as they say, the crux of my speech and this reminder, which is his saying - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - : , These are three hadiths, all of which revolve around the fact that it is obligatory for every follower of an imam not to race ahead of the imam in any of his movements, actions, or words. I said my goal from these hadiths is the last one, because the majority of worshippers seem to have agreed in a conference they held, and this is an impossible thing to happen among Muslims, but the reality of their action is as if they conspired to agree to violate this authentic hadith, which is his saying - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - You will not find a mosque - with great regret - you will not find a mosque where this noble Prophetic command is applied, but rather you will find all the followers, except for a few individuals, who are the strangers about whom the Messenger - peace and blessings be upon him - spoke. When the imam says: the worshippers erupt with "Ameen." Where are you from the saying of your Prophet? This has become a forgotten matter among you. Why? First, due to the negligence of people, and second, due to the scarcity of those who remind and awaken these negligent people from among the scholars of knowledge. This means that every worshipper who hears the recitation of the imam, and when he hears the imam reach his saying: he must hold back himself. This follower must hold back himself and be patient until he hears the imam's "Ameen," then he joins him in "Ameen." But the reality today in all mosques is that the imam barely finishes what is called in the language of those who perfect recitation, the elongation of the soft letter in This elongation is permissible in the science of Tajwid, its length being two, four, or six movements. You, the worshippers who are careful about prayer, do not let the imam move this elongation for two movements. He barely says: but you have already stood up with "Ameen." This is a mistake. You must be patient and restrain yourselves. When you hear the imam say be patient until the imam begins his saying "Aaah," then you follow him with "Aaah." At that time, you will have implemented this noble Prophetic command. , this is on the same scale as: , no one, praise be to Allah, says "Allah" before the imam says "Allah." If he did that, his prayer would be invalid. And therefore, here, all the worshippers, praise be to Allah, in the opening of the prayer with the Takbir, are all correct. No one of them races ahead of the imam. But with great regret, all the worshippers are in error except for a few individuals, for they race ahead of the imam with "Ameen." What befalls the worshippers with this racing ahead? They are struck by two calamities, and as they say, the sweeter of them is bitter. The first calamity is that they disobeyed the Messenger - peace and blessings be upon him - and that is enough for them as a calamity. , and the Messenger, you heard, said to you: , you do not have patience with your imam, so you race ahead of him with your "Ameen." This is disobedience. This is disobedience. And this is a calamity. Therefore, I reminded you of His saying - Exalted is He - : meaning: in this world. meaning: in the Hereafter. This is the first calamity. The other calamity is that you have lost the forgiveness of Allah, and that is in reality the clear loss. For the Muslim does not worship with what Allah has commanded him except to attain His pleasure, His satisfaction, and His forgiveness. And Allah - Mighty and Majestic - in His mercy toward His believing servants, He burdens them with a light deed and rewards them and gives them a great reward. Do not race ahead of the imam with "Ameen." And if Allah has forgiven you, the matter only requires, first, the presence of this remembrance, this reminder, this authentic hadith, first, and then training the soul on this hadith. As for this negligence that has settled in the hearts of the masses, it is a terrible negligence indeed. For if it were in one mosque, or two, or three, the calamity would be small and light. But with great regret, it is in all mosques, not in the mosque of a country or in the mosque of a region, but wherever it has been permitted to me to visit many countries, I have not found a mosque where the worshippers all agree to follow this Prophetic hadith. I said that the one who contradicts this is between two calamities: between disobeying the Prophet - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - and being struck by fitnah, and between losing the forgiveness, and that is the clear loss. All of you know, if Allah wills, the saying of Allah - Blessed and Exalted is He - : , And how can you worship Allah - Mighty and Majestic - with what came to us from our Prophet - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - and not have worship be worship by following our desires, by following our traditions, by following our customs? Rather, our worship of our Lord is only through one way, which is following our Prophet - may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him - that following which Allah - Mighty and Majestic - made a proof and evidence of the love of Allah - Mighty and Majestic - for these followers, where the Lord of the Worlds said: , so then Allah - Mighty and Majestic - has made it easy for us, the Muslims, to meet the Face of Allah - Mighty and Majestic - with our sins forgiven by the easiest of means, among which is not racing ahead of the imam with "Ameen." And I have tested people much, and very much. If I were to remind you in the Maghrib prayer and I felt this racing ahead, but the time of Maghrib is, as they say, strange. And therefore I said, a glance to the left. If I were to remind you in the Maghrib prayer and we prayed 'Isha' with you, you would find yourselves, as they say, "Halimah returned to her old habit." What is the reason? The reason is habit. And for the Imam al-Shafi'i - may Allah have mercy on him - there is a word that is at the peak of wisdom. He said, "Habit is a second nature." "Habit is a second nature." And therefore, whoever wants to train himself to go against his habit, this requires him to continue opposing this habit until he is imprinted with another nature or a second nature. And therefore, I do not wonder if you return to your habit in the Fajr prayer. But I am placing the responsibility on your imam, and that it is obligatory for him to continue reminding you and to insist on the reminder. But not every prayer, every prayer, no, because this is contrary to the Sunnah. And the Sunnah, as it came in "Sahih al-Bukhari" from the hadith of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud - may Allah be pleased with him - said: "The Messenger of Allah - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - used to give us sermons in turn," "used to give us sermons in turn."