Amin

It is a word uttered after the prayers meaning let it be, accept our prayers and it is true. It is especially uttered at the end of the chapter of al-Fatiha in salah (prayer). It is one of the words accepted as a verbal noun in Arabic. There are some opinions that the word is of Hebrew origin. The Christians and the Jews who use the same word as “amen” state that the word is derived from the Syriacword "amin". Although the word is uttered in salah, it is known that it does not exist in the Qur’an. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) especially ordered that "amin" be recited after reading al-Fatiha in salah. He said, “After the imam completes al-Fatiha and recites amin, you, too, recite "amin". The former sins of those people, who utter "amin" at the same time as the angels’ uttering "amin", are forgiven. (Muslim, Salah, 72; Abu Dawud, Salah, 167-168; Tirmidhi, Mawaqit ass-Salah, 116).

According to these hadiths, it is sunnah to recite "amin" after al-Fatiha in salah. According to Abu Hanifa, it is sunnah to say "amin" silently by both the imam and the congregation; according to Imam Shafi’i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, it is sunnah to recite it with the imam aloud. (Sunan Abu Dawud Translation and Commentary, Istanbul 1988, III, 470-474).