Saying Ameen after reciting Surah Al-Fatihah- The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta'

[AbuMaryam Abdulqadir]

Fatwa no. 20036
Q: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Say, “Amen” when the Imam says, “Amen”, for if anyone’s utterance of “Amen” coincides with that of the angels, he will be forgiven his past sins. But, one finds people today neglecting this Sunnah (action following the teachings of the Prophet) even in Al-Masjid Al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque in Makkah). Please, elaborate on this matter. What do you say to Imams of Masjids (mosques) who are obliged to direct people to this rite of worship?
A: First, the mentioned Hadith is recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith in the wording: Say, “Amen”, when the Imam says, “Amen”, for if anyone’s utterance of “Amen” coincides with that of the angels, he will be forgiven his past sins.
Second, the majority of scholars held the opinion that the Ma’mum (a person being led by an Imam in Prayer) is to say “Amen” with the Imam. They explain the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Hadith: Say, “Amen”, when the Imam says, “Amen” with that when the Imam is going to say “Amen”. This is substantiated by what is authentically reported in the Two Sahih on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: When the Imam says, ...not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (i.e. those who knew the Truth, but did not follow it) nor of those who went astray (i.e. those who did not follow the Truth out of ignorance and error). , say, “Amen” for the Angels say, “Amen” and the Imam says, “Amen”; if anyone’s utterance of “Amen” coincides with that of the angels, he will be forgiven his past sins.
(Part No. 5; Page No. 351)
May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta'

Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
Shaykh Salih Al-Fawzan
Shaykh Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan
Shaykh Abdul-`Aziz Al Al-Shaykh
Shaykh Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz

Source: http://alifta.net/Fatawa/FatawaChapters ... 1&BookID=7