By: Dr. Mubarak Ali
HOW TO PERFORM PRAYER - AS-SALAT
8. Recite Surah Al-Fatihah
It is an obligatory[1] requirement to recite Surah Al-Fatihah in every rak’ah of the Salat and aloud in this case. I t is also a Sunnah to say ‘ameen’[2] after its recitation, whether in Salat or otherwise. Surah Al-Fatihah is recited loudly[3] as follows:
Transliteration:
Bismil-lah-hir-rahmaan-nir rahim (1)
Alhamdu lil-lahi rabbil ‘aalamin (2). Ar-rahmaan-nir-rahmim (3). Maaliki yaumid-din (4). Iy-yaaka n’abudu wa iy-yaaka nasta ‘in (5) Ihdi nas-siraatal mustaqim (6). Siraatal-lazina an’amta ‘alaihim ghairil maghdubi ‘alaihim wa lad-daal-lin (7). (Ameen)
Translation:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful (1).
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds (2). The Beneficent, the Merciful (3). Master of the Day of Judgement (4). You do we worship and You do we beseech for help (5). Guide us on the right path (6), the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favours, not those upon whom wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray (7). (Ameen)
(Source: The Muslim Handbook by Dr. Mubarak Ali)
(To be continued)
[1] Confirming this position, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
There is no prayer for one who does not recite the opening of the Book (Al Fatihah) (‘Ibadah ibn As-Sumit in Ahmad, Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud, Muslim, and Ibn Majah)
We were ordered to recite the opening chapter of the Quraan and what (else) was easy (for us) (Abu Sa’eed in Abu Dawud).
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) once said: “Before you go out to the mosque, may I tell you which is the greatest (most important) Surah of the Holy Quraan?” And thereafter he grasped my hand. When we were just going out of the mosque I submitted: “O Messenger of Allah (pbuh), you had just promised to tell me as to which is the greatest Surah of the Holy Quraan. “ He said: “It is Surah Al-Fatihah’s seven verses which are so frequently used in prayers, and the glorious Quraan which has been revealed unto me” (Abu Sa’eed Rafai’ bin Al-Mualla in Al-Bukhari).
[2] It is Sunnah to say the Ta’meen (‘ameen) aloud when the recitation is said aloud. The Messenger (pbuh) would say ‘ameen’ with a RAISED AND PROLONGED VOICE, and so were his companions. One Hadith emphasizes this practice, as follows:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) recite, ‘…and not of those who have gone astray,’ and then say ‘ameen, and MAKE IT LONG WITH HIS VOICE (Wa’il ibn Jubair in Ahmad).
Moreover, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
When the Iman recites, ‘…and not of those with whom you are angered nor of those who have gone astray,’ then say ‘ameen (along with the Imam), for the angels say ‘ameen and the Imam says ‘ameen’. If his ‘ameen corresponds to the ‘ameen of the angels, he will have his previous sins forgiven (Abu Hurairah in Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and An-Nasa’i).
[3] There is no need to get embroiled in a futile argument regarding the Tasmia – ‘bismillah-hir-rahmaan-nir-rahim’. It is considered the opening part of the Quraan except for Surah Al-Taubah, chapter 9. Based on two different position, it is correct to begin recitation loudly or silently with the Tasmia when commencing recitation of a Surah for a Salat that is usually read aloud. The justification for reciting the Tasmia silently is as follows: “Anas said: ‘I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman and they did not recite it aloud’” (Anas in An-Nas’a’I, Ibn Hibban and At-Tahawi). The legal basis for reciting the Tasmia loudly is as follows: “I prayed behind Abu Hurairah and he recited “In the Name of Allah…[aloud] and then recited Al-Fatihah. He said: ‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, I have done what resembles how we prayed with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)” (Cited in As-Sayyid Sabiq, Fiqh us-Sunnah: Purification and Prayer).