Advice from the Shaykh to those who rush to say "Ameen" before the imam, and his explanation of how a man should lower himself into prostration, and the follower racing the imam into prostration.

The Shaykh : You are the one who knelt down like a camel, and the ground shook beneath me.
Wafi: It was not me.

The Shaykh : If it was someone else, I want to mention two matters:
The first matter is racing the imam in saying "Ameen," and this is an error. You know that it is the Sunnah for the imam to recite the Qur'an verse by verse, and specifically Surat al-Fatihah. As you also know, the last verse of Surat al-Fatihah is: The verse ends, and you must surely imagine with me that this imam who recited Surat al-Fatihah must take a deep breath to resume recitation after Surat al-Fatihah. What happens is that you do not allow him to do so, and this is injustice. More than this injustice, it is a violation of the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), where he said: If you do not allow him to breathe so that he can say "Ameen," how can you say "Ameen" after he says "Ameen"? This is a common error, and while it may be acceptable for it to be common among the masses who do not care about the Sunnah and following the commands of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), it is never acceptable for this error to be prevalent and common among the people of the Sunnah. Therefore, it is obligatory for you, if you follow the imam in the loud prayers, that when you hear him say: you hold your breath. Do not rush to say "Ameen," because he, after taking a breath to say "Ameen," you must calculate your breath in two stages: the first stage is for the duration of the imam taking a new breath; the second stage is when he says "A," you hear him begin with the alif of "Ameen," at that point you begin your "Ameen."
And it is amazing, despite the clarity of this authentic hadith, which is in al-Bukhari and Muslim: So the Muslims, due to their ignorance of this hadith or their neglect of applying this hadith, impose upon themselves a very, very great reward. If a Muslim lived the lifespan of Noah (peace be upon him), the price would still be cheap compared to that great reward, which is the forgiveness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Because the completion of the hadith is: He is forgiven what came before. By what? By holding your breath, by being patient with the imam for a little while until he regains his breath so that he can begin with "Ameen." When you hear him say "A," you begin with "Ameen" after him. And for a reason, the correct Sunnah is that the imam says "Ameen" aloud, and not as the Hanafis and their like say that the imam does not say "Ameen" aloud. The practical Sunnah is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he recited Surat al-Fatihah, would say "Ameen" and raise his voice with it. Raising his voice with it is a practical Sunnah, and the wisdom behind it is clear: to enable the followers to obtain the forgiveness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) by saying "Ameen" after the imam says "Ameen," to participate with him in this word, thereby attaining the forgiveness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Indeed, some of the early scholars said: "The follower does not say 'Ameen' until the imam has finished saying 'Ameen.'" This is more effective in curbing this common rush in all the lands of the world. Whether you pray in Madinah, or in Makkah, or in Cairo, everyone is like what that Turk said, "Hold your breath." Everyone is like the other, always. There are no people who hold their breath to say at least after the imam begins with "Ameen." So I plant this in your hearts, and I do not say in your minds, because the heart is the center of the mind, without doubt in Islam. So you must remember and do that, and convey it to those behind you. The other matter.
Wafi: In the first matter, O Shaykh, which is better: beginning with him when he says "A," or waiting until he finishes?

The Shaykh : No, the first one we have been discussing.

The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, the other narration: .

The Shaykh : These do not contradict. What do you understand from the other narration: Does the imam say "Ameen" or does he not say it?

The questioner : He says "Ameen."

The Shaykh : If you combine this with this, you arrive at the result you heard, meaning you interpret your hadith with my hadith and you say, and this is as we said regarding combining hadiths. There, inside: except for one who catches up with the imam while he is bowing, except for one who could not join the row;

The questioner : Okay, Shaykh, if the imam does not say "Ameen" ...?

The Shaykh : It is not a problem now, we have said it and finished. For a reason, the Sunnah was that the imam says "Ameen" aloud. So we are now discussing what happens if the imam says "Ameen" aloud, then do not precede him. But if he says it quietly, as we said about the Hanafis, perhaps you have opened his heart, your Lord does not burden you with knowing when he says "Ameen" secretly. The important thing is, if the imam says the meaning of this word, if the imam says "Ameen" aloud, then you say "Ameen." But if the imam says it quietly, and he may not say it at all, then it is between you and him. You say it in your heart in any case.
The other matter is that many of the worshippers, indeed the masses of worshippers, when they prostrate, they kneel down like a camel. And it is regrettable that the Arabs, who are the owners of camels and the owners of she-camels, are to this day not knowing how a camel kneels down. And they know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: And the Messenger completes and perfects the blessing upon his followers to remove from them some of the issues we hear today from the people of camels. He says: This phrase is as if it is an answer to an implied question: As if a questioner is saying, "How do we prostrate?"
The answer comes: Why? Because the camel walks on four legs. From the day it falls from its mother's belly, it falls on four legs and walks on four legs. So when it kneels down, and the camel prostrated to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), but this is a miracle. So we say, when the camel kneels down, it is not permissible for anyone, especially these Arabs, the people of camels, to think that the first thing the camel does when it kneels down is to place its hands. No, its hands are placed like its legs. What is the first thing the camel places when it kneels down? Its knees. Where are the camel's knees? Also, this is a "hazirah." Do you know the "hazirah"? Yes, many people think, where are the camel's knees? The camel's knees are in its front parts. And in the Arabic language from which we learned what you hear from us, "and this is our merchandise returned to us," your state of affairs means. All four-legged animals have their knees in their front parts. All four-legged animals, the cat, the rabbit, the gazelle, the sheep, and so on, their knees are in their front parts. So when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Because the camel places its knees, we do not say before its hands, why? Because they are placed from its birth. So the worshipper should differ from the camel in the method of prostration, and not strike the ground with his knees, causing the shake you heard tonight, as I hear it in many mosques. Because this is the affair of the camel. When the camel kneels down, in reality, the hard, solid ground, you hear a shake under its feet due to the intensity of its falling on its knees, especially if it is loaded with heavy weights. So the one who kneels down on his knees is imitating the camel, and this imitation is prohibited in general and in particular. In general, the wise Lawgiver prohibited imitating animals. He prohibited kneeling like the kneeling of a camel, and turning around like the turning of a fox, and pecking like the pecking of a crow. Then he came here in a particular form and said:
If you observe, you will find that those who strike the ground with their hands like the mongoose. Do you know the mongoose? It is a very light animal, you do not feel its walking. These who prostrate according to the Sunnah and strike the ground with their hands, you hardly hear a sound from them. While those who kneel down on their knees, you hear a shake from them like the shake of a camel. So it is enough for you to know this, and also to practice it and convey it to those behind you, and peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : Yes, but it is not like the known race. The brother here also mentions a widespread fault among the worshippers, which is also contrary to the Sunnah. Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Today, it is rare that the imam, after saying: "Allah hears the one who praises Him, our Lord, and to You is the praise," says: "Allahu Akbar," without the people prostrating with him. This is a mistake. He says: "Allahu Akbar," and when it is seen that he has finished lowering himself to prostration and placed his forehead on the ground, then the row behind him begins to prostrate with him (peace and blessings be upon him); this is also one of the abandoned Sunnahs.
One thing reminds one of another. Among the abandoned Sunnahs is that most, if not all, of the worshippers do not participate with the imam in saying: "Allah hears the one who praises Him," but they are content with saying: "Our Lord, and to You is the praise." This is a waste of dhikr in one place, and a mixing of another dhikr in this place, namely: there is a transition from bowing to standing, and what was reported for this is: "Allah hears the one who praises Him." When is it said, whether by the imam now or by the one praying alone? At the beginning of rising. So let us illustrate now. This one is bowing: "Allah hears the one who praises Him." When is "Our Lord, and to You is the praise" said? While standing: "Our Lord, and to You is the praise." What do the followers do today with the imam? The imam says: "Allah hears the one who praises Him," and they say: "Our Lord, and to You is the praise." So first: they have wasted the Sunnah of saying with the imam: "Allah hears the one who praises Him," just as they say with the imam: "Allahu Akbar." Then they placed the other Sunnah in the wrong place. Is this clear too?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : This is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers.

The questioner : The issue here, our Shaykh, is that the hadith said: So everything comes by analogy, except in this issue where it said the opposite.
Al-Albani: ... I have forgotten: Okay, does the imam say "Ameen" or not?

The questioner : He says "Ameen."

The Shaykh : Where did you take that from this hadith?

The questioner : The other hadith.

The Shaykh : The other hadith is your answer. Did you understand me?

The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good.