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Is it permissible for a Maliki to pray behind a Shafi'i imam without reciting the Fatiha after him in a loud prayer?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A Maliki is permitted to follow a Shafi'i imam in prayer. He may omit reciting the Fatiha behind the imam in a loud prayer, and his prayer is not invalidated if he differs from the imam, as long as he is following someone who does not deem the recitation of the Fatiha commendable. Differences in secondary rulings do not prevent following an imam. Praying behind those who differ in secondary rulings is valid and not disliked, because the Companions and the Successors used to pray behind each other despite their differences in secondary rulings. The follower is not obliged to abandon his madhhab regarding recitation or similar matters when praying behind an imam who differs from him in secondary rulings.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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