Saying Amin in Salah

"In the prayers that are read in an audible voice, amin should be said loudly following the recitation of Surah al-Fatihah. This applies to the one praying by himself, the one being led by another, as well as the one leading others."

The Imam and Those Being Led Saying Amin

As for the imam saying amin loudly, it is quite clear from the hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in which he said: “If the imam says amin, then say amin as well”1. Here, the amin [of those being led] is predicated on the imam’s, which means that the amin of the imam must be loud enough that he can be heard. Otherwise, predicating our amin on his would be completely meaningless. Moreover, it would have represented a hardship on this ummah [as they would not know when to say amin due to not being able to hear their imam say it]. Also, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to say amin in a loud voice, elongating it.2 Those following the imam should say amin loudly, as the companions used to do so when praying behind the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), to the extent that it was as if the masjid would tremor and convulse from the loudness of their voices.3 This is an authentic, well-established Sunnah.

The One Praying By Himself Saying Amin

As for the one praying by himself, if he recites aloud then he should likewise say amin aloud. If he chooses to recite quietly he may say it quietly. The evidence of this is that when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would pray the inaudible prayers like al-Dhuhr and al-Asr, he would not say the amin loudly. This indicates that anyone who recites quietly in salah should also say his amin quietly. For example, the one praying the night prayer by himself may recite aloud as this may facilitate a more present heart; cultivating a greater degree of attentiveness and allow him to ward off sleep. He may recite loudly as the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did when he led Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (رضي الله عنه)4. If he recites aloud, then he should also say amin aloud. At other times, he may find reciting quietly to be better, closer to full submissiveness and solemnity, while distancing himself from showing off to others. Or he may be prevented from reciting loudly for example, if there are people sleeping close by or the likeness of such a circumstance. Here, if he chooses to recite quietly then he should also say the amin quietly.

The Meaning of Amin

As for the word amin, it means “O Allah Answer [my invocation]!”. The jurists have stated: It is haram to pronounce the mim with a shaddah (مٌ) when saying Amin. This is because pronouncing it in this way (آمٌين) would have changed the meaning to “intend something” in the plural. For this reason, they say: Pronouncing it thus is haram and will invalidate the salah because the ones pronouncing it this way would have said words whilst praying that are considered from the speech of the creation [and not of salah].5

When to Say Amin in Salah

[Q]: When should amin be said in salah?

[A]: As for the imam and the one praying by himself, he should say it upon saying wa-la dallin [at the end of Surah al-Fatihah].

As for those praying behind an imam, some scholars say: He should say it when the imam finishes saying his amin. They evidence this stance with the apparent meaning of his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying: “If the imam says amin, then say amin as well”. They say: This is the same as his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying: “If he [the imam] says the takbir, then say the takbir as well”6. It is well-known that the one praying behind the imam does not say his takbir until he hears his imam say the takbir first. In the same way, we interpret his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying “If the imam says amin” to mean: completed saying it. However, this opinion is weak as explicitly stated in another wording of the hadith: “If the imam says: wa-la dallin, then say amin”7. In consideration of this, we may interpret his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying: “If the imam says amin” as meaning: reaches the point in the recitation at which it is appropriate to say amin which is after wa-la dallin [at the end of Surah al-Fatihah]. Or, if the imam begins saying amin then say it such that your amin and his coincide.

Despite this, we sometimes hear congregations say it prematurely. To the extent that the imam has not even reached the nun (ن) at the end of wa-la dallin (وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ) except that they have already begun saying amin. This is contrary to the Sunnah and represents a form of preceding the imam. As the imam himself has not reached the point in the salah where it is appropriate to say amin which is after having said wa-la dallin.

Endnotes:

[1] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhari: 780 and Muslim: 410.

[2] Authentic: narrated by Abu Dawud: 932 and al-Tirmidhi: 248. Graded authentic by Shaykh al-Albani in Sahih Sunan Abi Dawud: 863.

[3] Weak: narrated by Ibn Majah: 853 and graded weak by Shaykh al-Albani in Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Daifah: 952.

[4] Authentic: narrated by Muslim: 772.

[5] Referencing the authentic hadith narrated by Muslim on the authority of Muawiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami (رضي الله عنه), the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Indeed, it is unsuitable for this salah to contain the speech of mankind. Rather, it is but tasbih, tahmid, and recitation of the Quran”.

[6] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhari: 734 and Muslim: 414.

[7] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhari: 782.

Source: Al-Sharh al-Mumti 3: 66-71

Translated by: Riyad al-Kanadi