The Fourteen Pillars of the Prayer: A pillar is that which must be performed during

the prayer, and if left out, whether intentionally or unintentionally, makes the prayer
invalid.
1. Standing, if one has the ability to do so
2. The opening Takbeer
3. Reciting Surah Al-Faatihah in every rak’ah
4. Bowing
5. Rising from Bowing
6. Prostrating on all seven limbs
7. Erecting oneself from it
8. Sitting between the two prostrations
9. Remaining tranquil (i.e. not rushing) during all of these pillars)
10. Maintaining the same Sequence
11. The final Tashahhud
12. Sitting during the Tashahhud
13. Sending Salaat on the Prophet
14. The (final) two Tasleems

Al-Faatihah is waived for the person praying behind the imam in two cases
74999
Question
If I enter the mosque when the imam is bowing and I bow with him, does that rak’ah count for me, even
though I have not recited al-Faatihah? If I join him before he bows but then he says takbeer and bows
when I have not completed al-Faatihah, what should I do? Should I bow with him and not complete al-
Faatihah, or should I complete al-Faatihah and then bow?.
Answer
Praise be to Allah.

In the answer to question no. 10995 we have stated that reciting al-Faatihah is a pillar or essential part
of the prayer for everyone who prays, whether his is praying as an imam, behind an imam, or on his
own, both in prayers when Qur’aan is recited out loud and those in which it is recited silently.

The evidence for that is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (756) from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may
Allaah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.”

See al-Majmoo’ 3/283-285

The obligation to recite al-Faatihah is not waived for the one who is praying behind the imam except in
two cases:
1 – If he catches up with the prayer when the imam is bowing, in which case he should bow with him,
and that rak’ah counts for him even if he did not recite al-Faatihah.

The evidence for that is the hadeeth of Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said that he
came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was bowing and he bowed
before he reached the row. He mentioned that to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and he said: “May Allaah make you more keen, but do not do it again.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
783.

The point here is that if catching up with bowing did not count as catching up with the rak’ah with the
imam, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have told him to make up that
rak’ah in which he did not catch up with the recitation, but no such thing has been reported from him.
This indicates that the one who catches up with bowing has caught up with the rak’ah.

See Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah, p. 230.

The second case in which the obligation to recite al-Faatihah is waived from the one who is praying
behind an imam is:

If he joins the imam in prayer just before he bows, and he is not able to complete al-Faatihah. In that
case he should bow with him and not complete al-Faatihah, and that rak’ah counts for him.

Al-Shiraazi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Muhadhdhab: If he catches up with him when he is
standing but he fears that he will miss out on reciting (al-Faatihah), he should leave the opening du’aa’
and focus on reciting al-Faatihah, because that is obligatory and he should not be distracted from it by
something that is supererogatory. If he recites part of al-Faatihah then the imam bows, there are two
scholarly points of view: one is that he should bow and stop reciting, because following the imam is
more important; hence if he catches up with him when he is bowing, the obligation to recite al-Faatihah
is waived. The second view is that he should complete al-Faatihah because he started reciting it and he
should finish it. End quote. Al-Majmoo’, 4/109

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: If I join the prayer just before the imam
bows, should I start reciting al-Faatihah or recite the opening du’aa’? If the imam bows before I
complete al-Faatihah, what should I do?

He replied:

Reciting the opening du’aa’ is Sunnah and reciting al-Faatihah is obligatory for the one who is praying
behind the imam, according to the correct scholarly opinion. If you fear that you will miss al-Faatihah,
then start with it, and if the imam bows before you have completed it, then bow with him, and the rest
of it is waived for you, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The imam
has been appointed to be followed, so do not differ from him. When he says takbeer then say takbeer;
when he bows then bow.” Agreed upon. End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/243-244

The Standing Committee was asked: If a worshipper catches up with the congregation and the imam is
reciting Qur’aan after al-Faatihah in a prayer where he recites out loud, such as Maghrib, should he
recite al-Faatihah or not? If he catches up with the imam when he is standing, and he recites “Al-hamdu
Lillaahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen (Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds)” only, then the imam says
takbeer, should he bow with him or complete his recitation?

They replied:

Reciting al-Faatihah in prayer is obligatory for the imam, the one who is praying alone and the one who
is praying behind an imam, in prayers where Qur'aan is recited silently and those where it is recited out
loud, because of the general meaning of the evidence about reciting al-Faatihah in the prayer. If a
person comes to the congregation and says takbeer with the imam, then he must recite it. If the imam
bows before he has completed it, he has to follow the imam, and that rak’ah counts for him, as is the
case when a person catches up with the imam when he is bowing – the rak’ah in which he caught up
with the imam bowing counts for him, according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, and
the obligation to recite al-Faatihah is waived for him, because he is not able to recite it. That is based on
the well known hadeeth of Abu Bakrah which is narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari. End quote.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 6/387

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about a person who joins the prayer
after the imam has finished the opening takbeer and recitation of al-Faatihah, then he starts to recite al-
Faatihah but then the imam bows. Should he bow too, or complete his recitation of al-Faatihah?

He replied:

If a person joins the prayer and the imam wants to bow, and the person praying behind him has not
completed his recitation of al-Faatihah, if only one verse or so is left, and he can complete it and join the
imam in bowing, that is fine. If he has a lot left and reciting it means that he will not catch up with the
imam in bowing, then he should bow with the imam even if he does not complete al-Faatihah. End
quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 15/106

Reciting al-Faatihah during prayer

Question 10995
My question relates to the correct manner of praying Farz salaat behind an Imaam, specifically the
recital of surah Al Fatiha.
1. Is it obligatory on us to quietly recite surah Al Fatiha whilst the Imaam recites it aloud, during the first
and second rakaat of a farz prayer?
2. Is it obligatory on us to recite the surah Al Fatiha in the same situation but in the third and/or fourth
rakaat, ie., the Imaam is silent in these rakaats?
This question arises due to our communitiy's wish to correct our method of praying. There are two
opinions amongst us, one being that when the Imaam leads a prayer, whether he recites them aloud
(1st and 2nd rakaat) or is silent (3rd and 4th rakaat) we must only listen; whilst others comment that
without the recitation of surah Al Fatiha, whether resited by the Imaam or not, a prayer is not valid.
Please advise with as many factual evidence as possible.

Answer
Praise be to Allah.

Reciting al-Faatihah is one of the essential parts of the prayer, and is to be recited in each rak’ah both by
the imaam and by those who are being led by him, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book [i.e., al-
Faatihah].” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 714). With regard to one who is following an imaam reciting al-
Faatihah behind the imaam in a prayer where Qur’aan is to be recited out loud, there are two scholarly
opinions.

The first opinion is that it is obligatory, the evidence for that being the general meaning of the hadeeth
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “There is no prayer for the one who does
not recite the Opening of the Book [i.e., al-Faatihah].” And because when the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught the one who had not prayed properly, he told him to recite al-
Faatihah.

It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
recite it in every rak’ah. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari: “It was proven that permission was
given to the one who is praying behind an imaam to recite al-Faatihah in prayers in which Qur’aan is to
be recited out loud, without any exceptions. That is what was narrated by al-Bukhaari in Juz’ al-Qiraa’ah,
and by al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibbaan and others, from Makhool from Mahmood ibn al-Rabee’ from ‘Ubaadah,
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stumbled in his recitation in Fajr, and
when he finished he said, “Perhaps you recite behind your imaam?” They said, “Yes,” He said, “Do not
do that, except for the Opening of the Book (al-Faaithah), for there is no prayer for the one who does
not recite it.”

The second opinion is that the recitation of the imaam is also the recitation of the one who is praying
behind him. The evidence for that is the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy” [al-A’raaf 7:204]
Ibn Hajar said: “Those who say that (the one who is praying behind an imaam) does not have to recite it
in prayers where Qur’aan is to be recited out loud, such as the Maalikis, quote as evidence the hadeeth,
‘When he recites then listen attentively.’ This is a saheeh hadeeth which was narrated by Muslim from
Abu Moosa al-‘Ash’ari.”
Those who say that it is obligatory say that it should be recited after the imaam has finished reciting al-
Faatihah and before he starts to recite another soorah, or that it should be recited when the imam
pauses. Ibn Hajar said: “He should listen when the imam is reciting, and recite it when he is silent.”

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said, “What is meant by when the imam pauses is when he pauses during al-Faatihah or
after reciting it, or in the soorah that he recites after it. If the imam does not pause, then the one who is
praying behind him has to recite al-Faatihah even if the imam is reciting, according to the more correct
of the two scholarly opinions.” (See Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, vol. 11, p. 221)

The Standing Committee was asked a similar question and replied as follows:

The correct scholarly opinion is that it is obligatory to recite al-Faatihah when praying alone and it is
obligatory upon the imam and those whom he is leading both in prayers where Qur’aan is to be recited
out loud and when it is to be recited silently, because of the soundness and specific nature of the texts
which indicate that. The aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy”

[al-A’raaf 7:204] is general in meaning. The hadeeth, “When the Qur’aan is recited then listen
attentively” is general and applies both to al-Faatihah and other soorahs. These two texts are general in
meaning, and the following hadeeth refer to an exception to that rule:

“There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.” Thus we may reconcile all
the proven evidence. The hadeeth “The recitation of the imaam is the recitation of the one who is
praying behind him” is da’eef (weak). It is not correct to say that the Ameen of the congregation to the
imaam’s recitation of al-Faatihah takes the place of their own recitation. The differences of opinion
among the scholars concerning this matter should not be taken as a means to hate one another, and to
divide and turn our backs on one another. Rather you have to study the matter in more detail and find
out more. If one of you is following a scholar who says that the one who is praying behind an imam has
to recite al-Faatihah during prayers in which Qur’aan is to be recited out loud, and others are following a
scholar who says that they must be silent and listen to the imam in prayers where Qur’aan is to be
recited out loud, and that the imam’s recitation of al-Faatihah is sufficient, there is nothing wrong with
that. There is no need for one group to denounce the other, or to hate one another because of that.

They have to be open-minded about differences of opinion among the scholars, and about the reasons
for that, and ask Allaah to guide them in matters concerning which there are differences of opinion as to
what is correct, for He is the All-Hearing, Ever-Responsive.
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad

Question
have been praying behind imam for about three months withiout reciting Al fatiha,following enough and
sound evidences from hanafi school.now I know the weakness of the hadith ,I ask if I should make up all
those prayers.if yes ,I have an holiday in June ,I will have plenty time ,can I make them in june?
Answer Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:

With regard to the worshipper reciting al-Faatihah when he is praying behind the imam, this is one of
the issues concerning which there was a difference of opinion among the scholars (may Allah have
mercy on them).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The (scholarly) opinions boil down to
three: two opposite views and one in the middle. One of the two opposite views is the view that he
should not recite behind the imam in any circumstances. The second view is that he should recite behind
the imam in all circumstances. The third view, which is the view of the majority of the early generations,
is that if he can hear the recitation of the imam, he should listen attentively and not recite.

End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 23/265

The opinion followed on this website is that reciting al-Faatihah is obligatory for the one who is praying
behind an imam both in prayers in which the recitation is done quietly and those in which it is done out
loud. This has been explained in the answer to question no. 10995

Secondly:

If a person does not recite al-Faatihah following the opinion of a scholar who says that it is not
obligatory, or he does not do so because he is unaware that it is obligatory, there is no blame on him
and his prayer is valid.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If he does not recite it – i.e., al-Faatihah – because
he thought that it was only required of one who is praying on his own or the imam, or because he was
unaware of the shar‘i ruling, then his prayer is valid, because he did not deliberately do something that
Allah has forbidden or omit something that Allah has made obligatory; rather he did not do it either on
the basis of what he thought was correct or out of ignorance of the shar‘i ruling. So in this case his
prayer is valid. But in the case of one who was aware of the shar‘i ruling and believed that it was
obligatory upon him, but he omitted it deliberately, this renders his prayer invalid, because he went
against what he believed and he went against what he knew to be the truth.

End quote from Fataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb, 12/344

Based on that, you do not have to make up the past prayers, because they were valid.

And Allah knows best.

Question
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has instructed us to listen quietly and attentively when the
Qur’aan is being recited: “So, when the Quran is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive
mercy” [al-A‘raaf 7:204]. And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) warned us that
any prayer in which al-Faatihah is not recited is invalid.
I hope that you can tell me what I should do to avoid falling into that which goes against either of these
two injunctions, if the imam does not leave enough time for the people praying behind him to recite al-
Faatihah. What is the correct opinion regarding this matter?.
Answer
Praise be to Allah.

In the answer to question no. 10995 we explained that reciting al-Faatihah is one of the pillars or
essential parts of the prayer for the imam, the one who is praying behind an imam and the one who is
praying on his own.

Secondly:

With regard to the pause that some imams leave after reciting al-Faatihah, it is not long enough for the
one who is praying behind the imam to recite al-Faatihah; rather it is only a brief pause that serves to
separate between the recitation of al-Faatihah and the recitation of another soorah.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The pause between the recitation of al-Faatihah and another soorah was not narrated from the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), despite the view of some of the fuqaha’, that the imam
should pause so as to allow those praying behind him to recite al-Faatihah. Rather it is a brief pause that
is intended for one to catch one’s breath on the one hand, and to allow the one who is praying behind
the imam, on the other hand, to start to recite (al-Faatihah) and he should complete it, even if the imam
is reciting, because it is a brief pause, not a long one. End quote.

Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam, p. 323-324

If the imam does not pause for a long time after reciting al-Faatihah, then the one who is praying behind
him has to recite al-Faatihah, even if that is at the same time as the imam is reciting the other soorah,
because this is what was the Prophet (blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed his
companions to do in Fajr prayer.

Abu Dawood (823) narrated that ‘Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were
behind the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in Fajr prayer. The Messenger
of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited, and he found it difficult to recite (due to
interference). When he finished praying he said: “Perhaps you were reciting behind your imam?” We
said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: “Do not do that, apart from the Opening of the Book (al-
Faatihah), because there is no prayer for the one who does not recite it.”

Classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi; classed as saheeh by al-Bayhaqi, al-Khattaabi and others. This is a clear
statement that it is obligatory for the one who is praying behind an imam to recite al-Faatihah in a
prayer in which recitation is done out loud.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said: If the imam does not pause, the one who is praying behind him has to recite al-
Faatihah even if that is when the imam is reciting (the other soorah), according to the more correct
scholarly view.

End quote from Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 11/221

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

If it is asked: if the imam does not pause, when should the one who is praying behind him recite al-
Faatihah? The answer is: he should recite al-Faatihah when the imam is still reciting, because the
Sahaabah used to recite al-Faatihah with the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and
he said: “Do not do that except with the Essence of the Book (al-Faatihah), because there is no prayer
for the one who does not recite it. End quote.

Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam, p. 322

With regard to the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning): “So, when the Quran is recited, listen
to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy” [al-A‘raaf 7:204], this is general in meaning, except
when one has to recite al-Faatihah, in the sense that it is obligatory to listen attentively to the imam’s
recitation of Qur’aan in prayer, except when the one who is praying behind him is reciting al-Faatihah
only. This is based on the words of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “Do not
do that, apart from the Opening of the Book (al-Faatihah), because there is no prayer for the one who
does not recite it.” And that was in Fajr prayer, which is a prayer in which recitation is done out loud, as
is well known.

So the one who is praying behind the imam is enjoined to listen attentively except when he is reciting al-
Faatihah. And Allah knows best.