Question
If a worshipper finishes reciting al-Fātiḥah and another sūrah in a silent prayer before the imām bows, should he remain silent?
Answer
Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Muḥammad al-ʿUthaymīn (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE) ؒ replied:
The person following the imām should not remain silent after finishing al-Fātiḥah and another sūrah before the imām bows. Rather, he should continue reciting until the imām bows.
This applies even in the two rakʿahs after the first tashahhud: if he has finished al-Fātiḥah and the imām has not yet bowed, he should recite another sūrah until the imām bows. There is no prescribed silence in prayer except when the follower is listening to the imām’s recitation.
References
Al-ʿUthaymīn, Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Muḥammad, Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām, question 304. p. 372;
