Is it permissible for a follower to interrupt recitation of Al-Fatiha when the Imam pauses, resume, and then complete it during a subsequent pause?
Chapter on the Description of Prayer
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
It is commendable for the follower who begins reciting Al-Fatiha during the Imam's initial pause, stops when the Imam begins reciting, and then resumes reading the remainder of Al-Fatiha during the Imam's second pause. This practice does not invalidate the follower's recitation because the silence observed is a silence commanded by the ritual action of prayer. If the interruption invalidated the recitation, no benefit would be gained, as the follower would not recite any more in the second instance than was recited in the first.