reciting aloud because those around him are asleep, or for some similar reason. If he recites quietly, then he says “Amin” quietly and does not say it aloud.

His statement, “with ‘Amin’”:

It means: “O Allah, answer [our prayer].” Accordingly, it is a noun functioning as an imperative supplication. A noun functioning as a verb conveys the meaning of a verb without containing its letters.

“Halam” is a noun functioning as a verb, since it means “Come.” “Sah” is a noun functioning as a verb, meaning, “Be silent.” At times I say “sahin,” and at other times I say “sah”; there is a difference between them. If you say “sahin,” it means: Be silent about everything. If you say “sah,” it means: Be silent about a particular matter.

The jurists said: If one pronounces the mim in “Amin” with a shaddah, the prayer is invalidated, because in that case it means “those intending.” Hence, they said that it is forbidden to pronounce the mim with a shaddah, and that doing so invalidates the prayer, because he has uttered speech of the kind spoken by people.

If it is asked: When should he say “Amin”?

The answer is: As for the imam, he says it when he reaches the end of his recitation of “nor of those who go astray”; the same applies to one praying alone.

As for the person praying behind an imam, some scholars (1) said that he says “Amin” once the imam has finished saying “Amin.”

They cited as evidence the outward wording of the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “When the imam says ‘Amin,’ then say ‘Amin.’” (2) They said: This is like his statement: “When he says the takbir, then say the takbir.” (3) It is well known that you do not say the takbir until he has finished