Tell us, O honorable Shaykh, about the prayer of the ma'mum: when does he recite and when does he listen to his imam?
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The questioner : He says: Tell us, O honorable Shaykh (may Allah preserve you), about the prayer of the ma'mum: when does he recite and when does he listen to his imam?
The Shaykh : Yes. The ma'mum does not recite while his imam is reciting, except for Surat al-Fatihah only. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the Fajr prayer with his Companions, and when he finished, he said: or words to that effect. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 5:130 Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade his Companions from reciting while he was reciting, except for al-Fatihah. He explained this by saying that there is no prayer for one who does not recite it. Accordingly, if a person joins the imam while he is reciting al-Fatihah, he remains silent and does not begin with the opening invocation. When the imam finishes al-Fatihah, he begins with the opening invocation and seeks refuge, then he starts reciting al-Fatihah and continues with it, even if the imam has begun reciting the surah after al-Fatihah, because al-Fatihah is an exception. If he joins while the imam is reciting the surah after al-Fatihah, he does not make the opening invocation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 311Sahih (Darussalam) However, he seeks refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, and then he recites al-Fatihah, because seeking refuge is attached to the recitation, as Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nahl 16:98] Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes. The ma'mum does not recite while his imam is reciting, except for Surat al-Fatihah only. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the Fajr prayer with his Companions, and when he finished, he said:
Which of you competed with me in recitation?
أيكم الذي نازعني القراءةDo not recite except with Umm al-Qur'an, for there is no prayer for one who does not recite it.
لا تقرؤوا إلا بأم القرءان فإنه لا صلاة لمن لم يقرأ بهاDo not do that, except for Umm Al-Kitab
لا تفعلوا إلا بأم القرءانSo when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].
فَإِذا قَرَأتَ القُرءانَ فَاستَعِذ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيطانِ الرَّجيمِThe questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh.