reciting another passage is better. It is not recommended for him to recite al-Fātihah when he is listening to its recitation. The disapproval expressed by most of the early scholars concerning recitation behind the imam relates to cases in which he recites aloud. Most imams did not pause for long after al-Fātihah, and few worshippers recited while the imam was reciting aloud. This is prohibited by the Quran and Sunnah, and the majority of earlier and later scholars maintain this prohibition. Whether doing so invalidates the prayer is disputed.

Some scholars, however, hold that the worshipper should recite al-Fātihah while the imam recites aloud. Whether his prayer is invalid if he does not recite it is also disputed. Thus, there is disagreement on both sides. Nevertheless, those who prohibit reciting along with the imam constitute the majority of earlier and later scholars, and their position is supported by the Quran and authentic Sunnah. As for those who require the worshipper praying behind the imam to recite in these circumstances, the hadith they rely upon, narrated by Abū Dāwūd, has been judged weak by the leading hadith scholars.

The wording in the hadith of Abū Mūsā, “When he recites, listen attentively,” was graded authentic by Ahmad, Ishāq, Muslim ibn al-Hajjāj and others. Al-Bukhārī considered it defective because of differences in its transmission, but this does not undermine its authenticity. By contrast, the other hadith was not included in the Sahīh, and its weakness is established on several grounds. It is merely a statement of ‘Ubādah ibn al-Sāmit.

Rather, during the imam’s pause, the worshipper should offer the prescribed opening supplication and seek refuge in Allah. If the imam does not pause long enough for this, or the worshipper misses his pause, should he offer the opening supplication and seek refuge in Allah while the imam recites aloud?

There are three reported positions:

The first is that he offers the opening supplication and seeks refuge in Allah while the imam recites aloud, even though he does not recite, because