The Shaykh reminding the attendees of the issue of the follower preceding the imam in saying "Ameen."

The Shaykh : Before the people disperse and before they begin the Sunnah prayer, I remind you, for the reminder benefits the believers. This is knowledge that must be spread due to the prevalence of deviation and its spread throughout the entire Islamic world, which is preceding the imam with "Ameen." This is one of the strange deviations that occur, not from the majority of Muslims, but from the general praying public. The noble Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the hadith agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim:The Shaykh : ...narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: His statement (peace and blessings be upon him): is on the same basis as his statement in another hadith, which is also agreed upon: Does any of you say "Ameen" before the imam says it? The answer, and praise be to Allah, is no. Does any of you say "Ameen" before the imam says it? With all regret, yes. Why? Because of people's negligence. I remind you and repeat the emphasis because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: Every person praying, when he gathers his mind, intellect, and understanding in the prayer, must watch the imam's recitation. When the imam reaches the point of saying: let each of you hold himself back until he hears the imam's "Ameen." The imam raises his voice with "Ameen," and this is part of the wisdom of the wise Lawgiver that the imam raises his voice with "Ameen" just as he raised his voice with the recitation of the entire al-Fatihah, from its beginning to its end. It is as if "Ameen" is part of the completion of al-Fatihah, though it is not part of its completion, but so that the ma'mum (those following the imam) do not fall into contradicting this hadith: The wisdom of legislation required that the imam be ordered to raise his voice with "Ameen." Why? So that you do not precede him first, and so that you follow him second. If you do that, you achieve two things. First, you apply the command of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), which no one is ever permitted to contradict. And He said in the other verse, which relates to the core of the matter: So if you hold your breath until you hear the imam begin with "Ameen," you will have applied this command and not fallen into the evil of contradiction. The second matter is very great. If any one of us lived the lifespan of Noah (peace be upon him), who stayed with his people for more than a thousand years, calling them for a thousand years except fifty, if any one of us lived only to obtain the reward mentioned for carrying out this command, our price would be cheap and our reward from our Lord would be far greater than what we deserve. What is it? He said: What do you want, a reward greater than this reward? Just this reward, if you watch the imam's prayer, bring your minds and hearts to it as we mentioned, then follow him with "Ameen" and do not precede him, may Allah forgive you. We ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to inspire us with guidance and to make us successful, always and forever, in following the Sunnah and the commands of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

The questioner : Shaykh, how is this done practically? If you were to say it to the brothers...

The Shaykh : The method is clear. We are doing a demonstration now, but not like the demonstrations you know. This is a fiqh demonstration, because the Messenger taught us like a demonstration when he prayed with the people one day on the minbar. He ascended the minbar so that they could see how he prays. He bows with his back straight, and he stays standing also straight, not bent and not arrogant, to the end of it. In summary, I am going to say "Ameen" now, and our brother here will follow me with "Ameen." And before this, I draw your attention to the fact that the scholars said in the interpretation of his saying: Does it mean if he begins "Ameen," then you begin? Or does it mean if he finishes "Ameen," then you begin? I think the difference is clear to you. There are two opinions among the scholars; some mentioned this and some mentioned that. The one that is stronger for us, and Allah knows best, is following the imam. So when the imam begins with "Ameen," follow him. Otherwise, it will become a delay, because the imam will begin after finishing his "Ameen" by reciting a verse from the Book of Allah or a short surah or something similar. So the stronger opinion, and Allah knows best, is that when the imam says "A," the followers begin saying "A," and thus the whole congregation finishes with the imam. Now we are doing this demonstration. I am saying it now, and he begins: Ameen.

The questioner : Amen.

The Shaykh : The matter is finished. The imam takes a breath, and it is necessary, because is the last verse in al-Fatihah. And the Sunnah, as I think you know, is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as Umm Salama, one of the wives of the noble Messenger, described the recitation of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite the Qur'an, cutting it verse by verse, verse by verse. Then she demonstrated and said: Praise be to Allah, In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate breath and this for every verse until he reaches the last verse: Ameen. It is necessary to leave room for the poor imam. Let him take a breath. He has not finished his saying: Does the mosque resound with "Ameen"? That is a double error. First, let the imam take a breath until he begins "A," and you begin with him. This is, if Allah wills, a reminder, and the reminder benefits you.
The attendees: If Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Pray your Sunnah.

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. And praise be to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). We will continue answering questions, and if the time for 'Isha' enters, then when we are satisfied with a large amount or all the questions in my hands, if Allah wills, we will pray 'Isha', and then we will see if we pray a small amount of tarawih, and then each one prays at home, or if we proceed to complete the remaining questions, leaving that for its time. But now we begin with the questions specific to this month, which have priority as our Shaykh previously indicated. I have the following questions. The first question: