Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
It is sunnah to say Ameen after Al-Fatihah whether he is an imam or a follower or praying alone.
Answering your questions, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
The word Ameen means: O Allah, accept our prayer or supplication. It is not part of Surat Al-Fatihah.
However, it is an act of Sunnah to say ‘Ameen’ after the conclusion of Al-Fatihah as well after offering duaa.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once heard a person making an intense supplication; and he said, “He would elicit an answer from Allah, if he seals it off” ‘When asked, how does he seal it off; he replied, ‘by saying Ameen before closing it.” (Abu Dawud)
We also read from another report that Jibreel taught the Prophet to say Ameen after reading Al-Fatihah.
Furthermore, the Prophet said, “If the imam says ghayr al-maghdhoobi alayhim wala al-daalleen, you should say, Ameen. The angels will say Ameen; and the imam also says Ameen.
So, if one’s Ameen coincides with the ‘Amen‘ of the angels, his past sins will be forgiven.” (An-Nasa’i and others)
The Ruling
Based on this, Imam Nawawi concludes that it is recommended for everyone who reads Al-Fatihah to say Ameen-regardless of whether he is an imam or a follower or praying alone.
One should read it aloud in loud prayers; and he should read it silently in silent prayers.
Likewise, it is also recommended to say Ameen while concluding a duaa (supplication).
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.