Imam Marc Manley will be sharing some excerpts from our Mālikī Fiqh class at Middle Ground. Look for more:

I thought I’d share some outtakes and vignettes from my class on Mālikī Fiqh at Middle Ground. Here’s one on the recitation of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah for the one who leads prayer, follows an imām, or prays by themself:

إشارات في الفقه المالكي من (التسهيل لمعاني مختصر خليل) للأستاذ الطاهر عامر

في (حكم قراءة الفاتحة):

Dispatches of Mālikī Fiqh – from the word by Dr. Ṭāhir ‘Āmir, may Allāh preserve him – al-Tas’hīl li ma’ānī Mukhtaṣar Khalīl (Facilitating the Meaning of Khalil’s Manual on Mālikī Fiqh): Ruling(s) related to reciting Sūrah al-Fātiḥah:

حُكْمُ قِرَاءَةِ الفَاتِحَةِ – قَالَ الْمُصَنِّفُ: وَفَاتِحَةٌ بِحَرَكَةِ لِسَانٍ عَلَى إِمَامٍ وَفَذٍّ؛ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُسْمِعْ نَفْسَهُ: قِرَاءَةُ الفَاتِحَةِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ هِيَ الرُّكْنُ الخَامِسُ مِنْ أَرْكَانِهَا، وَتَجِبُ عَلَى الإِمَامِ كَمَا تَجِبُ عَلَى مَنْ صَلَّى مُنْفَرِدًا، أَمَّا المَأْمُومُ فَهِيَ غَيْرُ وَاجِبَةٍ عَلَيْهِ؛ لأَنَّ الإِمَامَ يَحْمِلُهَا عَنْهُ، وَلَا يَكْفِي إِجْرَاؤُهَا عَلَى القَلْبِ دُونَ حَرَكَةِ اللِّسَانِ، وَيَكْفِي فِي حَرَكَةِ اللِّسَانِ أَنْ يُسْمِعَ نَفْسَهُ خُرُوجًا مِنَ الخِلَافِ.

“The ruling on reciting al-Fātiḥah: The author states: ‘Reciting al-Fātiḥah (a pillar of ṣalāh), done by moving the tongue, is obligatory for both the imām (the one leading the ṣalāh) and the individual praying alone; As for the follower (ma’mūm), it is not obligatory because the imām carries the obligation on his/their behalf. It is not sufficient to recite it in the heart without moving the tongue. It is sufficient, however, if the tongue moves such that he hears himself to avoid disagreement/confusion.”