The issue of the follower reciting al-Fatihah in the loud prayers behind the imam?

Abu Malik: I say that many people consider the recitation of al-Fatihah behind the imam, whether his prayer is silent or loud, to be obligatory for the follower. They cite the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) . And ... . We know, and perhaps your reminding us of the hadith will benefit us with what some of our brothers may not know, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . But the argument of these people is that the imam must remain silent so that the follower can recite al-Fatihah behind the imam after the imam has listened in a way that allows the follower to recite al-Fatihah. We want clarification of this specific issue, because the brothers here and in other places among the attendees might object to one of them or argue with one of them using such hadiths, which are undoubtedly authentic. However, their interpretation or explanation might not be correct. So we ask you, may Allah bless you, to clarify this jurisprudential issue, which is one of the precise matters that few people know correctly. May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : You have spoken well, may Allah reward you with good. In truth, this is one of the precise issues in which disagreement has appeared since early times. There are schools of jurisprudence and imams who say that reciting al-Fatihah behind the imam is obligatory in every prayer, whether it is loud or silent. Opposing this school and this view is another view that is exactly the opposite, saying that remaining silent behind the imam is obligatory in every prayer, whether the prayer is silent or loud. Between these two views is a third view, which, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah says, is the most just and the most correct. It is that the follower recites behind the imam in the silent prayers and remains silent in the loud prayers, not reciting anything at all. Undoubtedly, mentioning the evidence for these three views would take a long time and might involve some precision, requiring that one has studied something of the principles of jurisprudence. Therefore, we see that we should approach the issue from the nearest path and say that the third view is the most just of the views and the closest to the truth, which is that one recites in the silent prayers and remains silent in the loud prayers. Because in that, the evidence that the scholars who differed on this issue contested is gathered. First, we find before us the saying of our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He: then . Yes.
The student : And if...

The Shaykh. Yes, this verse is an explicit text in terms of the implication of its generality that it is obligatory for everyone who hears the Qur'an being recited to listen and pay attention . Listen to it; it does not suffice for paying attention because we find that some people today recite loudly. As for arguing with the previous hadith , that is an argument based on generality. Here lies the precision of the issue, and it must actually be addressed. The verse, by its generality, includes the prayer and includes al-Fatihah, because it is the Qur'an, indeed it is the Mother of the Qur'an. The hadith, by its generality, includes every prayer . So which generality is applied to the other and specifies it? Here, some scholars say that the general text that remains in its generality and comprehensiveness, and into which no specification has entered, is stronger in its generality and comprehensiveness than the general text into which specification has entered. And at that time, the more general text is applied to the specified general text. We mentioned in our previous discussion that the hadith has been specified and some branches have been excluded from it. We mentioned from that the one who joins the prayer late and catches the imam in bowing, and we said that he is considered to have caught the rak'ah even though he did not recite al-Fatihah. So what did the scholars do with the hadith ? They said, "There is no prayer for one who does not recite al-Fatihah of the Book, except for the one who catches the imam in bowing." This is a generality that has been weakened in its generality. Similarly, for example, the hadith of the one who recently converted to Islam and does not know how to recite al-Fatihah well, but he glorifies Allah, as we also mentioned this with some detail, so his prayer is valid even though he did not recite al-Fatihah of the Book. So what is said is, "There is no prayer for one who does not recite al-Fatihah of the Book, except for the non-Arab who does not know how to recite al-Fatihah well." As for the verse, no specification has entered it at all. At that time, the one who is hearing the recitation is excluded from the hadith, acting on the verse and specifying the hadith. And it is amazing that this school clarified to the first group, who said that recitation is obligatory even in the loud prayers, that it is not acceptable for the follower to recite while he is hearing the recitation of the imam. So they found for themselves, or created for themselves, a way out and an exit, and they said, "The imam remains silent so that the follower can devote himself to reciting." This is, in reality, as it is said, "He was under the rain and became under the gutter." Why? He used his intellect and wisdom, and he found it not acceptable for the follower to recite while he is hearing the recitation of the imam. So what did they do? They said to the imam, "Turn into a follower and imitate the follower, listen so that the follower can recite." This is a reversal of the function of the imam. Then this pause is one of the wonders that comes from some imams. They remain silent, and there is no silence in the Shari'ah in the prayer. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as came in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim, . And there was no long pause between the two pauses except the first pause. And so it came in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, he said: to the end of the supplication. If there had been another long pause that allowed for the recitation of al-Fatihah, they would have asked the Messenger (peace be upon him) as they asked him about the first pause, saying, "We see you pause between the takbir of intention and the recitation, what do you say?" He answered them. So if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had paused another long pause of that length, and also paused after al-Fatihah, why? He would say, for example, "So that the follower can recite." None of this was the case at all. So they, as we said earlier, created for themselves an exit from this internal, heartfelt discussion. It is not acceptable, it is not acceptable that Allah prescribed for the imam to recite in some prayers loudly. Why? So that the follower can hear. So what is the meaning of saying to the follower, "Turn away from listening so that you recite yourself"? This is not acceptable. So what do we do? We create a long pause. Even so, they did not adhere to this long pause. Many of these who pause only paused for half a pause, and one hardly recites half of al-Fatihah before he starts reciting. "Oh, either remain silent completely so that he recites al-Fatihah in its entirety, or proceed with the recitation." And this is the nature of events in religion; they do not complete for a person. So this event is sufficient to convince the masses of people that the correct school is the school of Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad, who said, "Remain silent in the loud prayers and recite in the silent prayers." This is the truth by which the evidence is gathered completely. They have no argument except the hadith , and we have known that specification has entered it from several aspects. And here it is also said if he does not hear the recitation of the imam. But if he hears the recitation of the imam, . And this is acceptable by sound reasoning, that when a person does not hear from another, it is as if he recited for himself. Indeed, it is established in the authentic hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to one of his companions once, to Ibn Mas'ud, and another time to Ubayy ibn Ka'b, he said: . So he is the follower who hears the Qur'an from the imam. This may be more beneficial for him than being occupied with reciting the Qur'an himself, and that one who raises his voice makes others hear. So this is the truth, if Allah wills, that the follower, if he is hearing the recitation of the imam, does not recite anything of the Qur'an or al-Fatihah. But if the prayer is silent, or if he is far from the imam, for example, and the recitation of the imam does not reach him, then in this case he must recite. And we ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to guide us all to the truth in which we differed, by His permission, Glorified and Exalted is He...

The Shaykh : This hadith indicates permissibility, not obligation, and the permissibility is the weaker position. Then this permissibility was negated and abolished by the ruling that the people ceased from reciting behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) absolutely in what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited loudly. This is what comes to my mind now regarding this issue, and Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, is the one in charge of success.