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Is it permissible for a worshiper to recite the Basmalah before the Fatihah in a loud prayer if the Imam does not recite it aloud?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

According to the majority of scholars, the Basmala is prescribed in prayer at the beginning of Al-Fatiha and at the beginning of every surah, except that Malik and Al-Awza'i hold the view that it should not be recited at the beginning of Al-Fatiha. Some scholars have preferred the cautious approach of reciting the Basmala silently at the beginning of Al-Fatiha to avoid disagreement. Therefore, there is no harm in reciting it when performing Al-Fatiha behind the Imam, whether the Imam recites it silently or not at all.

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

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