Aameen must be Said Softly

In the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, every person who is offering Salah, be it the Imam (the person leading) or Muqtadi (the one following the Imam) or someone offering Salah individually, and whether the Salah is Jahri (in which the worshipper recites the Quran loudly) or Sirri (in which the worshipper recites Quran in a low voice), whatever the situation may be, Aameen will be recited softly. The arguments made in favor of this claim are as follows:

Reciting Aameen in a low voice is in conformity with the command of Almighty Allah and His Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ, whereas reciting it loudly is against the orders of the Holy Quran as well as Hadith and Sunnah. Almighty Allah states in the Holy Quran:

اُدْعُوْا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَّ خُفْیَةًؕ-

“Supplicate to your Lord in humility and softly.”

(Aa`raf 7:55)

And Aameen is also a form of prayer. Therefore, it should be recited softly.

Imam Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmed, Malik, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Nasai and Ibn-e-Maja have narrated the following Hadith on the authority of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہ that the Holy Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ said:

إِذَا أَمَّنَ الإِمَامُ فَأَمِّنُوا فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ وَافَقَ تَأْمِينُهُ تَأْمِينَ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

“When the Imam says Aameen, say Ameen, for the person whose Aameen is similar to the Ameen of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven.”

We learn from this Hadith that forgiveness of sins is for that person whose Aameen is similar to the Aameen of the angels and it is obvious that the angels say Aameen softly as we have never heard them say it. Hence, our Aameen should also be in a low voice so that it is similar to that of the angels and our sins are forgiven.

Imam Bukhari, Shafi’ee, Malik, Abu Dawood and Nasai have reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہ that the Noble Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ said:

إِذَا قَالَ الإِمَامُ ‏ غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّیْنَ۠ ‏فَقُولُوا آمِينَ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ وَافَقَ قَوْلُهُ قَوْلَ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ ‏‏

“When the Imam says:

غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّیْنَ۠(۷)

say: Aameen, for the one whose Aameen is similar to the Aameen of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven.”

The aforementioned Hadith proves two rulings: The first one is that the Muqtadi is not supposed to recite Sura Fatiha behind the Imam. If Muqtadi were meant to recite it, then the Holy Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ would have said, “When you say وَ لَا الضَّآلِّیْنَ, say Aameen”. Hence, we come to know that we only say Aameen, while the Imam does the recitation.

The 2^nd principle proved by this Hadith is that Aameen must be recited softly, because correspondence to the angels does not refer to correspondence in time, rather, it means correspondence in the manner of saying Aameen. Because the time of saying Aameen is already the same for both the angels and the worshipper i.e. when the Imam finishes reciting Sura Fatiha because our guardian angels accompany us in our Salah and say Aameen at the same time.

Imam Ahmed, Abu Dawood Tayalisi, Darqutni and Hakim in his Mustadrak have reported this Hadith on the authority of Sayyiduna Waa’il Bin Hajar رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہ:

عَن وَائل ابنِ حجر انہ صلی مع النبی صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ فلما بلغ غَیْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّیْنَ قال آمین واخفی بھا صوتہ

“Sayyiduna Waa’il Bin Hajar offered Salah with the Holy Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ. When the Holy Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ recited “وَ لَا الضَّآلِّیْنَ”, he said Aameen and he kept his voice low while saying it.”

The above-mentioned Hadith clarifies that saying Aameen softly has been proven from the Holy Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ and saying it loudly is against the Sunnah.

Imam Tabrani in Tahzeeb -ul- Aasaar and Imam Tahawi have narrated on the authority of Sayyiduna Waa’il Bin Hajar رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہ that he said, “Sayyiduna Umar and Ali رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہُمَا did not use to recite بِسْمِ اللہِ and Aameen loudly.” This Hadith shows that saying Aameen softly has also been the practice of the blessed companions of the Holy Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ.

This position of the Ahnaf that Aameen should be said softly is also backed by logic and common sense because Aameen is neither a verse of the Holy Quran nor a word from the Quran nor was it brought by Sayyiduna Jibreel عَلَیْہِ السَّلَام and nor has it been written in the Glorious Quran. In fact, it is a supplication and invocation similar to Sana, At-Tahiyyat, Durood-e-Ibrahimi and other supplications which have been stated in the blessed Ahadith. Therefore, as all these are recited softly, similarly, Ameen must also be recited softly. Moreover, we have come to know that saying it loudly goes against the teachings of the Holy Quran and the action of the Holy Prophet صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ and his blessed companions رِضْوَانُ اللہِ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِمْ اَجْمَعِیْن.

May Almighty Allah enable us to act upon the true teachings of Islam and offer Salah properly!