Is reciting al-Fatihah obligatory for the ma'mum, and what is the ruling if he is unable to recite it due to the imam's speed of recitation?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. The questioner asks: Is reciting al-Fatihah obligatory for the ma'mum, and what is the ruling if he is unable to recite it due to the imam's speed of recitation?
The Shaykh : Some scholars hold that reciting al-Fatihah is not obligatory for the ma'mum, neither in the silent prayers nor in the loud prayers.
Others hold that reciting al-Fatihah is obligatory in both the silent and the loud prayers.
Others hold that it is obligatory in the silent prayers but not in the loud prayers.
The stronger position in my view is that it is obligatory for the ma'mum in both the silent and the loud prayers. And if the imam is fast, he should also be fast. We are currently reciting in the witr, and the imam recites in the witr—what does he recite? What does he recite?[Al-Ikhlas 112:1] And yet, when he finishes reciting al-Fatihah, we begin reciting al-Fatihah quickly and finish it before he finishes reciting Surat al-Samad.
So the stronger position in my view is this: it is obligatory for the ma'mum to recite al-Fatihah in both the silent and the loud prayers, even if the imam is reciting. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once turned away from the Fajr prayer while the Companions were reciting behind him, and he said, "Why am I competing with the Qur'an? Perhaps you are reciting behind your imam?" They said, "Yes." He said,Jami` at-Tirmidhi 311Sahih (Darussalam) And the prayer from which he turned away—was it a silent prayer or a loud prayer? It was a loud prayer. Yes.
The Shaykh : Some scholars hold that reciting al-Fatihah is not obligatory for the ma'mum, neither in the silent prayers nor in the loud prayers.
Others hold that reciting al-Fatihah is obligatory in both the silent and the loud prayers.
Others hold that it is obligatory in the silent prayers but not in the loud prayers.
The stronger position in my view is that it is obligatory for the ma'mum in both the silent and the loud prayers. And if the imam is fast, he should also be fast. We are currently reciting in the witr, and the imam recites in the witr—what does he recite? What does he recite?
Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قل هو الله أحدSo the stronger position in my view is this: it is obligatory for the ma'mum to recite al-Fatihah in both the silent and the loud prayers, even if the imam is reciting. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once turned away from the Fajr prayer while the Companions were reciting behind him, and he said, "Why am I competing with the Qur'an? Perhaps you are reciting behind your imam?" They said, "Yes." He said,