The Ruling on the Imam’s Long Pause After Reciting al-Fatihah

The Shaykh : Third and finally: The recitation of the Basmalah aloud, and the principle that a thing is mentioned by its like. The long pause after the imam finishes reciting al-Fatihah: if it had been done by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), even if only on some occasions, the motivations for transmitting it would have been present, just as the motivations were present for transmitting a pause of similar length. This is as reported in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allah to the end of the well-known supplication. It is among the most authentic, indeed the most authentic, of the supplications that have come in the opening supplications. You see here that when the noble Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) noticed this pause, they wondered in themselves: what is the Messenger doing in this pause? Is he silent, or is he reciting secretly? So they asked him, and he answered: ‘I am reciting this supplication.’ If the Prophet (peace be upon him) had also made this long pause, for the duration it takes the follower to recite al-Fatihah, they would not have limited their question to the first pause. They would have said to him: ‘What about your silence after the takbir and after you finish al-Fatihah? What do you say?’ He would have said: ‘After the takbir of ihram, I say such and such, and after al-Fatihah, I pause so that those behind me can recite al-Fatihah, for there is no prayer for one who does not recite it.’ Or he would have said: ‘I recite secretly so that those behind me can also recite al-Fatihah secretly.’ But it was never transmitted that any of the Companions asked the Prophet about this long pause. Therefore, I say that if such a pause had occurred from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the motivations for transmitting it would have been present, just as they were for transmitting the first pause after the takbir of ihram.