Following the Imam ( . . . . . The Amen ) .

The Shaykh : This hadith is among the most authentic hadiths, for it was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . This is a very, very easy matter, and a very, very difficult matter for one who has become accustomed to going against the imam. I just prayed Maghrib in this mosque, and now I am praying 'Isha'. I can hardly finish my recitation of before you are ahead of me with "Ameen." Do you see, am I the imam or are you? Am I the one following or are you? You are saying "Ameen" before me, my brothers. I am finishing saying "Allah" in: "Ameen." I want to take a breath because this is the position of the verse, and in the mosque—and I do not mean all mosques here, but very few mosques in the entire world—the followers are racing the imam with "Ameen." His saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in this hadith: is like his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the other well-known hadith, which is also agreed upon as authentic by the two imams, al-Bukhari and Muslim: If he prays sitting, meaning due to weakness or illness, but he is qualified to lead the prayer because he is a reciter and because he is a scholar, and so on. The point of this hadith is his saying (peace be upon him): If that is the case, you must follow him. It is not only that you do not say the takbirat al-ihram before him, and not only that you do not bow before him, but you also do not say "Ameen" before him. Why? Because of the hadith you just heard, which is: on the same basis as . What is the benefit of following this Prophetic command? He said (peace and blessings be upon him) in the completion of the hadith: Therefore, may Allah reward you, you must pay attention to two matters specifically regarding this issue, in addition to others. The first matter is that you listen to the imam's recitation. You must be with his recitation with your hearts, not only with your bodies. If you pay attention to the imam's recitation and he reaches his saying: hold your breath. Do not rush to say "Ameen" until you hear the imam begin with "Ameen." It is a established Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to raise his voice with "Ameen," to say it aloud just as he said the Surat al-Fatihah aloud, so he says: "Ameen." When you hear him begin with "Ameen," you say with him: "Ameen." Because the angels say "Ameen" after the imam says it, or with the imam's saying of "Ameen." The angels say "Ameen." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The forgiveness of Allah, my brothers present, is the ultimate goal of all goals in the life of the Muslim. This worldly life, why do we live? Allah the Exalted said: So we worship Allah to attain His forgiveness. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has made a cause for every thing, and He has made many, many causes for obtaining the forgiveness of Allah, and this is from the favor of Allah upon us and upon people, but most people do not give thanks. Should you not give thanks to your Lord who has written for you forgiveness from your Lord, simply because you held your breaths after the imam recited and did not precede him with "Ameen," but rather followed him? And lo, you become deserving of the forgiveness of Allah for this simple cause alone. This is what I am reminding you of, and perhaps you will establish a good Sunnah in the mosques. This is not just this country, but the whole world. I have traveled much of it and do not find a mosque that revives this Sunnah. So perhaps, if Allah wills, you will establish a good Sunnah. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: until the Day of Resurrection