What is the ruling on reciting al-Fatihah behind the imam, and when does one recite it?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.
The questioner : O Shaykh, regarding the prayer of the ma'mum behind the imam
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : When does the ma'mum behind the imam recite al-Fatihah in the loud prayers?
The Shaykh : Reciting al-Fatihah is obligatory in every prayer and obligatory in every rak'ah for the imam, the one praying alone, and the ma'mum, except that there is one exception for the ma'mum: if he arrives while the imam is in ruku', then al-Fatihah is dropped from him in this case.
Likewise, if he arrives while the imam is standing and has begun the prayer and begun al-Fatihah, and then the imam goes into ruku' and he fears that if he completes it, the imam will have raised his head from ruku', then in that case, what he did not catch up with of al-Fatihah is dropped from him, and he is considered to have caught up with the rak'ah.
And its evidence is the hadith of Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he caught up with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was in ruku', so he hurried and went into ruku' before entering the row. When the prayer was finished, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:Sunan Abi Dawud 683Sahih (Al-Albani) and he considered him to have caught up with the rak'ah. If the prayer is a quiet prayer, there is no doubt about the ma'mum reciting al-Fatihah.
And if it is a loud prayer, the ma'mum recites al-Fatihah in the imam's pauses. If the imam does not have pauses, he continues the recitation; he recites even if the imam is reciting, as narrated by the people of the Sunan from the hadith of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) turned away one day from the Fajr prayer, and the Companions were reciting behind him, so he said: meaning, do not compete with the Qur'an while he is reciting behind you. Then he said to them: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 311Sahih (Darussalam) Yes.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.
The questioner : O Shaykh, regarding the prayer of the ma'mum behind the imam
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : When does the ma'mum behind the imam recite al-Fatihah in the loud prayers?
The Shaykh : Reciting al-Fatihah is obligatory in every prayer and obligatory in every rak'ah for the imam, the one praying alone, and the ma'mum, except that there is one exception for the ma'mum: if he arrives while the imam is in ruku', then al-Fatihah is dropped from him in this case.
Likewise, if he arrives while the imam is standing and has begun the prayer and begun al-Fatihah, and then the imam goes into ruku' and he fears that if he completes it, the imam will have raised his head from ruku', then in that case, what he did not catch up with of al-Fatihah is dropped from him, and he is considered to have caught up with the rak'ah.
And its evidence is the hadith of Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he caught up with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was in ruku', so he hurried and went into ruku' before entering the row. When the prayer was finished, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:
May Allah increase your eagerness! But do not do it again.
زادك الله حرصا ولا تعدAnd if it is a loud prayer, the ma'mum recites al-Fatihah in the imam's pauses. If the imam does not have pauses, he continues the recitation; he recites even if the imam is reciting, as narrated by the people of the Sunan from the hadith of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) turned away one day from the Fajr prayer, and the Companions were reciting behind him, so he said: