is not to be taken in an absolute sense. On that basis we regard it as preferable—and indeed legislated—to recite the istiʿādhah in every rakʿah, by virtue of the general wording of the Almighty’s statement: “So when you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah” (Q 16:98). This is the sounder view within the Shāfiʿī school and was likewise adopted by Ibn Ḥazm in al-Muḥallā. Allah knows best.

Concerning the taʾmīn (uttering Āmīn), the author says: “It is recommended for every person praying to say Āmīn after finishing al-Fātiḥah; he should raise his voice with it in an audible prayer and lower it in a silent prayer. Nuʿaym al-Mujammir reported: ‘I prayed behind Abū Hurayrah. He said, “In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy,” then he recited Umm al-Qurʾān (al-Fātiḥah). When he reached “nor those who go astray,” he said Āmīn, and the people said Āmīn…’ ”

I say: The ḥadith has already been cited under the discussion of the basmalah. Just as we noted there that it contains no explicit mention of reciting the basmalah aloud, so we say here that it does not indicate saying Āmīn aloud. It merely proves the legitimacy of the taʾmīn itself, not of raising one’s voice with it.

The author further states: “Ibn al-Zubayr said Āmīn, and those behind him said it until the mosque echoed with a roar.”

I reply: This is the only report that speaks of the congregation’s taʾmīn aloud, and it carries no evidentiary weight because it is not traced back to the Prophet ﷺ. Numerous ḥadiths establish that the Prophet ﷺ himself said Āmīn aloud, yet not one of them records the Companions raising their voices with him. It is well-known that taʾmīn is a form of supplication, and the default for supplication is to say it quietly, in keeping with His words: “Call upon your Lord with humility and privately; indeed, He does not love the transgressors” (Q 7:55). One should not depart from this principle without sound proof. We have made an exception only for the imam’s audible taʾmīn, since that is authentically established from the Prophet ﷺ, and we have confined the ruling to that. Perhaps for this very reason al-Shāfiʿī retracted his earlier position, saying in al-Umm 1/65:

“When the imam finishes his Qur’an recitation he should say Āmīn and raise his voice with it so that those behind him may follow. When he says it, they too should say it, making sure that they themselves can hear it, but I do not like for them to raise their voices with it; if they do….”