When we perform our
Salaah behind the Imam
and he
recites“Waladdaalleen”
loudly we say Amin
quietly. This is because
Amin is a dua and it
should always be read
quietly. Some people
say thatwhen
performing Salaah
behind the Imam you
should say Amin loudly
with rhythm.
We argue that there is
no such Hadith, which
mentions that, the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) ordered this
action and He (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) never
encouraged anyone to
do this.
The people who follow
this action put forward
one Hadith, which says
that the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace) said
Amin loudly in the
Salaah.
We claim that it is true
by saying that the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) said Amin loudly
a few times. The
Prophet used to carry
out actions only to
educate people, for
example, in Salaah-ul-
Zuhr part of the Qur’an
was recited loudly.
Imam Bukhari and
Imam Muslim write:
When the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace) was
performing his Zuhr and
Asr prayers, he recited
part of the Qur’an
loudly, which we could
hear. (Bukhari and
Muslim, chapter on
Qiraat, Zuhr and Asr)
After reading this
Hadith no one in the
whole Ummah says
that the Imam should
recite any part of the
Qur’an loudly in the Zuhr
and Asr Salaah. This is
because everyone
knows that the Prophet
(May Allah bless him
and grant him peace)
only did this to educate
the people. In the same
way, the Hadith that
mentions that the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) said Amin loudly
does not mean that it is
Sunnah to say Amin
loudly. There is also
proof from the Qur’an
and Sunnah that Amin
should be said quietly
behind the Imam.
Proof from the
Qur’an to say Amin
quietly behind the
Imam
Hafidh Ibn Kathir writes:
When someone finishes
reciting surat-ul-Fatiha,
it is preferable to say
Amin.
Amin means “Oh Allah,
accept our du’a”
There is proof from the
Qur’an that Amin is a
du’a. For example, Allah
Ta’ala says in the
Qur’an that Prophet
Musa (May Allah be
pleased with Him)
prayed to Allah by
saying:
"Oh Allah, destroy the
wealth of
Pharaoh" (Surah Yunus:
Verse 87)
The Prophet Musa’
brother Haroon (May
Allah be pleased with
Him) was standing
beside him and said
Amin. Allah accepted
their du’a by saying:
"I except both of your
du’as" (Surah Yunus: 89)
The Prophet Musa (May
Allah be pleased with
Him) supplicated to
Allah whereas Haroon
only said Amin. But Allah
attributed the du’a to
both of them.
This proves that Amin
is a du’a.(Tafsir Ibn
Kathir. Under Surah
Fatihah)
Qadhi Shawkani and
Imam Qurtubi also
write, in the
interpretation of Surah
Fatihah, that Amin is a
du’a.
(Qurtabi and Fathul
Qadeer under surah
Fatiha)
Now that it has been
proved that Amin is a
dua, we should
supplicate quietly to
Allah. Proof from the
Qur’an and Sunnah
show that du’a should
be recited quietly.
Proof from the
Qur’an and Sunnah
that du’a should be
recited quietly
Allah Ta’ala says in the
Qur’an:
“Invoke your lord with
humility and in secret.
He likes not the
aggressors.” (Surah al-
a’raf: 55)
It is proved from the
above verse that all
should supplicate to
Allah with humility and
secrecy.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“And remembering your
lord by your tongue and
within yourself, humbly
and with fear without
loudness in words.”
(Surah al-a’raf: 205)
Qadhi Shawkaani
writes:
In the above verse the
word “remember”
means du’a and du’a
should be said secretly.
(Fath ul qadeer. Under
verse 205 Surah al-
a’raf)
Allah Ta’ala says in the
Qur’an:
“This is a mention of
mercy of your Lord to
his slave Zakariyya.
When he called out his
Lord (Allah) – a call in
secret.
(Surah Maryam: 2-3)
Proof from Hadith
for doing du’a
secretly
Imam Ahmad Ibn
Hanbal writes:
The Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) said that Allah
Ta’ala is pleased with
those who remember
him secretly.
(Musnad Ahmad,
narration of Saad bin
Abi Waqqaas, volume 1
p.172)
It is proven from the
Qur’an and Sunnah that
du’a should be
supplicated to Allah
quietly and as Amin is
also a du’a so it should
be said quietly also.
That is the reason why
all du’as are read
silently. For example
Thanaa, Takbeer,
Ta’awwudh, Tasbeeh,
Tashahhud, salutation
and the final sitting’s
du’a are all read silently,
so Amin should also be
included in the above.
The reason why the
Imam says the
Takbeer loudly is only to
inform his followers
that he is moving from
one position to another.
Proof from Hadith to
say Amin quietly
Imam Muslim and Imam
Bukhari write:
The Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) said that when
the Imam says
“Waladdaalleen”then
you must say Amin
because the Angels also
say Amin and
whosoever’s Amin
coincides with that of
an Angel, their past sins
will be forgiven.
(Bukhai and Muslim
Chapter on Ta’meen)
There are two ways in
which Amin can be
similar to the angels’
Amin:
1) To say Amin with
the Imam
2) To say Amin silently
because the angels say
Amin with the Imam
and also silently.
If someone proclaims
Amin loudly it would not
be similar to the Angels’
as no one hears the
Angels.
Imam Muslim writes:
Abu Hurairah reported
that the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace) said
that when the Imam
says “Sami’allaahu
liman Hamidah” you
should say “Rabbanaa
lakal Hamd”. Whoever’s
Tahmeed becomes
similar to the Angels’,
their past sins would be
forgiven.(Muslim Bab
Ta’meen)
The Hadith of Amin and
Tahmeed are written
under the same
chapter.
Both of these Hadith
mention that
whosoever’s Amin or
Tahmeed coincides with
that of the Angels’
their past sins will be
forgiven. It is clear now
that Amin should be
said as “Rabbanaa lakal
hamd” i.e. silently and
individually, without
rhythm.
Imam Nasaa’ee writes:
The Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) said that when
the Imam says
“Waladdaalleen”, you
should say “Amin”. This
is because the angels
and the Imam also say
Amin. Whosoever’s
Amin coincides with the
Angels’, his past sins
would be forgiven.
(Nasaa’ee, Ibn Maajah,
Daarimi, chapter
Tahmeed, musnad
Ahmad narration of Abu
Hurairah)
This Hadith proves that
Amin should be said as
the Imam says his
Amin. No one hears the
Imam’s Amin, so no
one should hear the
follower’s Amin. The
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) has also ordered
us to follow the Imam,
so we should say Amin
quietly.
One doubt
Some people claim that
the Imam should say
Amin loudly.
Imam Dar Qutni writes:
Wyle said that the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) led the Salaah
and read Amin loudly.
(Tirmidhi and Dar Qutni,
chapter Ta’meen)
This Hadith provides
evidence that Amin
should be said loudly.
There is also another
Hadith which Imam Dar
Qutni wrote:
It is reported by Abu
Hurairah that The
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) led the Salaah
and said Amin loudly.
(Dar Qutni, chapter
Ta’meen)
There is also a third
Hadith which is reported
by Umm Haseen:
She said that the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) read the Salaah
and said Amin loudly.
(Zalee, Chapter on
Ta’meen)
All the above narrations
prove that the Imam
should say Amin loudly
and the followers
should also say Amin
loudly.
We clear this doubt by
saying
· That Bukhari or Muslim
did not write the above
narrations.
· Secondly, all these
narrations prove that
the Imam says Amin
loudly sometimes.
· Thirdly, the Prophet
(May Allah bless him
and grant him peace)
said Amin loudly
sometimes.
· Fourthly, the Prophet
(May Allah bless him
and grant him peace)
said Amin loudly so that
his followers would
know that after
“Waladdaalleen”,
“Amin” should be said.
· Fifthly, these
narrations cannot be
used as evidence
because they are not
authentic.
Examining the
Narrators
The first narrator was
called Muhammad bin
Kathir.
Imam Dhahabi and
Hafidh Asqalani write:
Imam Ahmad said that
Muhammad bin Kathir is
weak. Imam Nasaa’ee
said that he is not
reliable in the science of
Hadith. Abdullah bin
Ahmad said that he
narrates false
narrations of Hadith,
which is why the
scholars of Hadith
reject his narrations and
say that Muhammad bin
Kathir is weak. Imam
Bukhari, Imam Abu
Dawood, Imam Salih,
and Hafidh Jazrah say
that he made many
mistakes in his
narrations, all his
narrations are weak
and that his narrations
are difficult to
understand. Imam Ibn
Adhi mentions his
unknown narrations in
his book Kamil. Imam
Ibn Habbaan said
Muhammad bin Kathir is
authentic but made
many mistakes. Imam
Laith and Ibn Mu’een
praised him.
(Meezan ul I’tidaal,
Tahdheeeb-ut-
tahdheeb, biography of
Muhammad bin Kathir)
The other narrator of
these narrations is
Muhammad bin Khalid.
Imam Dhahabi and
Hafidh Asqalani write:
Muhammad is a truthful
man but is unknown.
Imam Ibn Abi Khatim
said that I asked my
Father about
Muhammad but he
replied that he was
unaware of his
existence.
(Meezaan ul I’tidaal,
biography of
Muhammad bin Khalid)
Another narrator of
these narrations is
called Abdul Jabbar bin
Wyle.
Hafidh Asqalani writes:
Imam Bukhari, Imam
Tirmidhi and Imam ibn
Habbaan said that bin
Wyle had never heard
any Hadith from his
Father. The other
scholars of Hadith say
that he was born after
his Father's death that
is why it’s not possible
that he would have
heard any Hadith from
his Father. Imam Ibn
Sa’ad said that ibn Wyle
has only narrated a few
Hadith.(Tahdheeb ut-
tahdheeb, biography of
Abdul Jabbar bin Wyle)
Abdul Jabbaar’s
narrations cannot be
used as evidence
because he said that he
narrated directly from
his Father whereas his
Father had died before
his birth.
Is-haaq bin Ibrahim az
Zubedi was another
narrator of these
narrations
Imam Dhahabi writes:
Imam Dawood and
Imam Nasaaee said
that he had no
knowledge of Hadith
and he was not
authentic. Imam Atee
said that he was a liar.
(Meezaan ul I’tidaal,
biography of Is-haaq bin
Ibraaheem uz Zubaidi)
Another narrator of
these narrations is
called Abdullah bin Salim.
Imam Dhahabi writes:
He was a NAasbee
(from a misled sect),
Abdullah bin Salim
contempted Hadrat Ali
(Radiall hu anhu) and he
used to say that Hadrat
Ali (Radiall hu anhu)
helped those people
who killed Hadrat Abu
Bakr (Radiall hu anhu)
and Hadrat Umar
(Radiall hu anhu).
(Meezaan ul ‘itidaal,
biography of Abdullah
bin Salim)
Another narrator of
these narrations is
Isma’il bin Muslim
Makkee.
Imam Dhahabi and
Hafidh Asqalani write:
Imam Ahmad, Imam
Abu Zurah, Imam
Nasaaee, Imam Ali, and
Imam Bukhari say that
he is weak and that he
narrates unknown
Hadith. This is why the
scholars of Hadith
began to avoid his
narrations. Imam ibn
Mo’een said that he
combined the text from
one Hadith into another.
(Meezaan ul I’tidaal,
tahdheeb ut-tahdheeb,
biography of Isma’il bin
Muslim Makkee)
How can the above
narrations be used as
evidence when the
narrators of these
Ahadith have been
highly criticized by the
scholars of Hadith. The
Ahadith that have been
narrated by these
narrators cannot be
authentic; they can only
prove that “Amin” is to
be said loudly by the
Imam, not that the
followers say Amin
loudly together with the
Imam. If this was the
case, the narrators of
these Ahadith who are
the companions of the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) should have said
“When the Prophet
(May Allah bless him
and grant him peace)
said Amin loudly, we
also said Amin loudly.
But they only reported
that the Prophet said
Amin loudly.
It is established that
the Imam says Amin
loudly sometimes. The
way of the companions
was to follow this and
to listen to the Amin
quietly, not to read
Amin loudly themselves.
Secondly, there are
other Ahadith that
mention that the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) used to say
Amin silently.
Imam Ibn Abi Shaibah
writes:
Wyle reported that he
performed Salaah
behind the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace) and he
said Amin silently.
(Musannaf ibn Abee
Shaiba. Chapter
Ta’meen)
Imam Ahmad bin
Hanbal writes:
Wyle reported that the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) led the Salaah
and said Amin silently.
(Musnad Ahmad bin
Hambal, narrations of
Wyle bin Hajjar)
Both of the above
narrations prove that
when the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace) led the
Salaah, he said Amin
silently.
Imam Abu Dawood
writes:
When the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace) led the
Salaah, after saying
“Waladdaalleen”, he
became silent.
(Abu Dawood. Chapter
Al Qiraa’t)
The above narration
proves that when the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) became silent, it
was to say Amin
silently. If the Prophet
(May Allah bless him
and grant him peace)
was to say Amin loudly
then, there was no
point in Him remaining
silent after saying
“Waladdaalleen”.
Let us now examine the
evidence of those
people who say Amin
loudly behind the Imam.
First Evidence
Imam Bukhari writes:
Ata bin Rubah said that
“Amin” is a du’a. Abd
Allah and the people
who were behind him
said Amin loudly and
this sound echoed
throughout the masjid.
(Bukhari. Chapter on
ta’meen)
They conclude from this
Hadith that Amin should
be said loudly so that
the sound echoes
throughout the masjid.
We argue that although
this narration is written
in Bukhari, but he did
not write the chain of
this narration. Imam
Bukhari was born at the
very end of the 2nd
century after Hijrah and
Abdullah bin Zubair died
in the 73rd year of
Hijrah. This means that
Imam Bukhari was born
125 years after the
death of Abdullah bin
Zubair. How could
Bukhari know that the
masjid echoed with the
sound of Amin, at the
time of Abdullah bin
Zubair?
Ta’leeq (To Suspend)
When a scholar of
Hadith writes a Hadith
without mentioning the
chain between himself
and the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace), or he
mentions a little part of
the chain, a Hadith such
as this is called Hadith
Mu’allaq (suspended
Hadith). This is because
this type of Hadith is
chain-less. The scholars
of Hadith call it a
suspended Hadith.
Hafidh Asqalani writes:
When a scholar of
Hadith writes a
chainless Hadith directly
from the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace) or
from a companion, or a
student of a
companion, this type of
narration is not
accepted because he
never met the
companion of the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) or the
companion’s student. It
is not known whether
the narrators, which he
does not mention, are
authentic or weak. The
majority of scholars of
Hadith agree that if a
scholar, who writes a
chainless Hadith, claims
that the narrators are
authentic, his claim will
not be accepted until he
mentions their names.
Both Muslim and Bukhari
contain some chain-less
Hadith which cannot be
accepted.
(Sharh un nukhbah and
muqaddamah Fath ul
Baari. Chapter on Hadith
Mu’allaq by Hafidh
Asqalani)
According to the
majority of scholars
chainless narrations are
not acceptable. Ibn
Zubair’s above narration
is a chain-less narration
and so it cannot be
accepted as evidence.
Secondly, it is not clear
from Ibn Zubair’s
narration if the
followers said “Amin”
after “Waladdaalleen”
or during the du’a in the
Fajr Salaah. It is also not
clear if the followers in
the Salaah said Amin in
all their Salaah or just
once. Thirdly, it doesn’t
say that the Prophet
ordered to say Amin.
The above mentioned
Hadith cannot be used
to prove that Amin
should be said behind
the Imam.
Second Evidence
Imam Ibn Majah wries:
Bishar bin Rafir said that
Abu Hurairah’s cousin
Abu Abdullah told me
that he heard Abu
Hurairah saying that the
people have stopped
saying Amin although
the Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) used to say
Amin after
Waladdaalleen. The
people in the first row
offering Salaah could
hear him. The sound
echoed throughout the
masjid.
(Ibn Maajah, Chapter
Ta’meen)
Examination of the
narrators
The first narrator of
this narration is Abu
Abdullah.
Imam Dhahabi writes:
He is Abu Hurairah’s
cousin, but is unknown.
Imam Bukhari and
Imam Muslim did not
take this narration from
him.
(Meezaan ul I’tidaal,
biography of Abu
Abdullah)
The second narrator is
Bishar bin Rafir.
Imam Dhahabi and
Hafidh Asqalani write:
Imam Bukhari said that
no one could verify his
narration. Imam Ahmad
said that his narrations
are weak and he has no
knowledge of Hadith.
Imam Yahya bin Mo’een
said that his narrations
are unknown. Imam
Nisaaee said that he is
not strong in the
knowledge of Hadith.
Imam Ibn Habbaan said
that he narrates false
Ahadith. Imam Abu
Khatim and Imam
Tirmidhi say that he is
weak and that he
narrates unknown
Hadiths. This is the
reason why his
narrated Ahadiths are
weak. Imam ibn Abdul
Barr said that all the
scholars of Hadith agree
that all his narrations
should be thrown away.
The scholars of Hadith
did not accept his
narrations. Imam
Bukhari and Muslim did
not take any narrations
from him. There were
the only two or three
people who praised him.
(Meezaan ul I’tidaal,
tahdheeb ut tahdheeb,
biography of Bishar bin
Rafir il Harsee)
The above statements
show that the
narrators of these
narrations have been
highly criticized by the
scholars of Hadith.
The Text of Hadith
Abu Hurairah said that
the people had stopped
saying Amin.
Abu Hurairah was a
famous companion of
the Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) and he died in 59
AH. He complained that
the people had stopped
saying Amin. In his
time, a large number of
the companions were
alive, if it was a sunnah
to say Amin loudly
behind the Imam, then
the companions would
have done so and Abu
Hurairah needn’t have
complained.
Abu Hurairah saw this
in the time of the
Kulafa but did not
mention that they, or
their followers used to
say Amin loudly; it has
been proven that the
khulafa and their
followers did not
practice this.
Abu hurairah continued
to say that when the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) used to say
Amin, the people in the
first row heard it and
the sound echoed
throughout the masjid.
This statement proves
that the Prophet (May
Allah bless him and
grant him peace) used
to say Amin sometimes
to teach the people, but
the people behind him
did not say Amin loudly
and that
The following sentence
“The sound echoed
throughout the masjid”
requires attention
because the sound can
only echo if the place is
made of cement and
also has a dome. The
roof of the masjid, at
the time of the Prophet
(May Allah bless him
and grant him peace),
was made from palm-
tree branches and no
cement was used. This
means that it is not
possible for the sound
to have echoed
throughout the masjid.
The interesting thing is
that Imam Dawood
also wrote this
narration in his chapter
on ta’meen, but did not
mention the above
words (i.e. “The sound
echoed throughout the
masjid”).
The above narration is
not authentic and the
text does not prove
that Amin should be
said loudly behind the
Imam. This is because
in the whole narration
there is no proof that
the companions of the
Prophet (May Allah
bless him and grant him
peace) used to say
Amin loudly behind the
Imam
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