Reminding the Shaykh to follow the imam in (Hear Allah the praise of those who praise Him, Our Lord, to You belongs the praise) and the saying of Ameen.

The Shaykh : Before I present a fiqh and hadith note, I want to verify the accuracy of my observation. If my observation is correct, I will proceed with my reminder; if it is not correct, I will turn the matter to something else. I noticed that while I was praying with you, it seemed that when you raised your head from the bowing behind the imam, you would only say "Our Lord, to You belongs the praise," meaning you did not say "Hear Allah the praise of those who praise Him, Our Lord, to You belongs the praise." Is my observation correct?

The questioner : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : Good, so now I will proceed to what I said.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : It is known to all worshippers, including students of knowledge like us, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say "Hear Allah the praise of those who praise Him" when he raised his head from the bowing, and then, when he stood upright or settled in standing, he would say "Our Lord, to You belongs the praise." This means, as some jurists say, that there are two recitations: the recitation for the transition from bowing to standing, and the recitation for standing. The recitation for the transition from bowing to standing is that when I am bowing and I want to raise my head from the bowing, I do not say "Our Lord, to You belongs the praise," nor do I say it in this manner; rather, I say "Hear Allah the praise of those who praise Him, Our Lord, to You belongs the praise." This is clear, well-known, and, to my knowledge, agreed upon by scholars regarding the imam and the one praying alone. There is a difference of opinion regarding the follower: does the follower say "Hear Allah the praise of those who praise Him" or not? There are two opinions. The well-known opinion among the Hanafis and their like is that the follower does not say "Hear Allah the praise of those who praise Him," unlike the Shafi'is, who combine both. What we see, and Allah knows best, is that the opinion of the Shafi'is in this issue is more correct, for two reasons. The first reason is that the Sunnah, as we mentioned earlier, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicates that there are two recitations: the recitation for the transition from bowing to standing, and the recitation for standing. The second reason is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, as is known to everyone, Therefore, we should pray as he prayed, whether we are the imam, the follower, or praying alone. This does not contradict the well-known hadith in the Sahih: This hadith does not contradict the aforementioned practical and verbal Sunnah: This is because the only indication in this hadith that is inescapable and to which one must submit is that the follower says "Our Lord, to You belongs the praise" certainly, after the imam has said "Hear Allah the praise of those who praise Him." This is all that this hadith specifies. At that point, it is another hadith. This leads us to the other issue I mentioned: if I am not correct in my observation of the first issue, I will move to the other. Now another occasion has arisen. There is also a sound hadith: This also means that the follower does not say Ameen until the imam has finished But this does not mean that the follower does not say Ameen, due to his saying (peace be upon him) in the sound hadith: At that point, as is known from the principles of jurisprudence, the additional text from the evidences is always taken. So the additional text is his saying (peace be upon him) in the first hadith regarding the other issue: We add to it: "And when the imam says Ameen, then you say Ameen," because we have added the increase that came in the other sound hadith to the first hadith. So we arrive at the following result, which is: "And when the imam says Ameen, then say Ameen." At that point, the widespread error in all Islamic lands, to the extent of my knowledge and information, is that all the followers precede the imam with Ameen. I have noticed, and no blame is intended, and this is a reminder, that I hardly finish before the person behind me precedes me with Ameen, so I become the follower of him instead of him being the follower of me. Thus, the principle of is reversed. This is a reminder, and reminders benefit the believers. This is the first point. And you are the best person to convey this to those behind you, because whenever I attend, travel, or pray in a mosque, I must see this deviation. It must be so, in the Sacred Mosque, in the Prophet's Mosque, in the mosques of the entire world, according to what I have prayed and what has reached me. This deviation is prevalent. Therefore, you are the best person to convey this and the best person to implement it, and to establish a good practice for the people. That is what we desire. May Allah reward you with good.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. We will act upon it, with the permission of Allah the Exalted.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good.