Do the muqtadis need to recite anything while praying behind the imam, whether it is during silent salah or loud salah?

Question

When praying the fard of Dhuhr/Zuhr and Asr salah in congregation behind the imam, the imam recites everything silently.

According to some websites, it is makrooh tahrimi to recite anything behind the imam during salah in the Hanafi madhab, be it silent or loud prayer.

However, they also state that reciting surah Fatiha during congregation is wajib in the Shaf'iee madhab.

Why do the 2 madhabs have such opposite rulings for this incidence?

Question: Do the muqtadis need to recite anything while praying behind the imam, i.e. surahs, salawat, dua e masura, whether it is during silent salah or loud salah?

_{Please answer from all 4 madhabs view in this with evidence to support each claim}

Answer 1

The question according to Hanafi Fiqh is answered here. According to it:

The position of the Hanafi school is that the follower does not recite any Qur’an behind the imam regardless of the prayer being prayed.

Practically this entails that when praying behind the imam:

1. One says the opening takbir (Allahu Akbar)

2. One says the thana (Subhanakallah…)

3. One does not recite anything after that (So no Audhubillah, bismillah or fatiha). One merely stands and concentrates as much as possible

4. One says the ‘ameen’ silently, when the imam finishes the faitha.

5. One does not recite anything after that (so no verse is recited)

6. One says all the takbirs of movement silently with the imam (so one says “allahu akbar” for going into ruku, prostration and coming up from prostration)

7. When coming up from ruku only the imam says “sami allahu liman hamidah”, and the follower says: “Allahumma rabbana wa laka al-hamd” silently (or its shorter versions without the ‘allahumma’ and the ‘wa’)

8. One recites all the tasbihs in ruku and prostration silently (subhana rabbi yal adheem and subhana rabbi yal ala)

9. One recites the tashhahud (attahiyat), peace and blessings on the prophet (durud), the du’a and the salams with the imam. All of these silently as well.

Although no evidence is provided on that site, here you can read a fatwa containing two hadith in support of this. A reference to an hadith mentioned in the fatwa together with a detailed discussion can be found in this blogpost.

Answer 2

There are controversies regarding reciting surah Fatiha while praying behind an Imam. As I was researching on this matter I came to know different opinion and hadit on different websites.

• Some says salah will not be valid if surah Fatiha is not recited, and you have to recite it in every rakah while praying behind an Imam whether its loud or silent prayer.

• Some says you have to remain silent and listen to imam when he is reciting outloud, and when he is not reciting outloud you have to recite.

I was confused with all these and was not sure which one I should follow. Then I saw this lecture (10:12 min) from Sheikh Mumtaz Ul Haq and this lecture (13:43 min) from Dr Yasir Qadhi which helped me to clear my confusion.

According to both of them, both of the above methods are permissible and allowed. Now it will depend on your preference, but before you decide anything I highly recommend to watch both of their lectures.

As for me, I think its better to listen when the Imam is reciting and when he is not reciting then recite yourself, its also seems logical to me. I haven't added any source other then these two videos, So please go watch these two lectures and I hope it will help.

UPDATE

Please see this video (1:03:12) too, it describes step by step of praying salah. And may answer some other questions.

Allah knows the best.

Answer 3

There is disagreement on this among the schools of thought.

According to the Hanafis it is makruh tahrimi for people following an Imam in congregational prayer to recite the Quran during the prayer. This includes Surah al-Fatiha and this includes both loud prayers (Fajr, Maghrib, Isha) and Silent prayers (Zuhr, Asr). However the prayer will be valid even if he violated this rule. Their evidence is the verse:

وإذا قرئ القرآن فاستمعوا له وأنصتوا لعلكم ترحمون

When the Qur’ān is recited, listen to it and be silent, so that you may be blessed.

^{— Quran 7:204}

As it is recorded in its tafsir that this verse was revealed when some of the Sahaba recited the Quran during congregational prayers behind the Prophet ﷺ.

This stance is also supported by the ahadith:

إنما الإمام ليؤتم به فإذا كبر فكبروا وإذا قرأ فأنصتوا

The Imam is appointed to be followed, so when he says the takbir, say the takbir, and when he recites, be silent.

^{— Nasai , Muslim}

من كان له إمام فإن قراءة الإمام له قراءة

Whoever has an Imam, the recitation of the Imam is his recitation

^{— Ibn Majah}

According to the Malikis and Hanbalis, it is not obligatory on them to recite the Quran. Their evidence are the ahadith mentioned above. They also state that it is mustahab (recommended) for them to recite Surah al-Fatiha in silent prayers. Some of them have stated that it is obligatory in silent prayers.

According to the Shafi'is it is obligatory on them to recite Surah al-Fatiha - in both silent and loud prayers. And this can be done during the time when the Imam pauses if it is a loud prayer. This is based on interpreting the following hadith in general terms:

‏ لا صلاة لمن لم يقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب

Whoever does not recite Al-Fatiha in his prayer, his prayer is invalid.

^{— Bukhari}