Answered by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Question:
Dua after Salah
Answer:
Those prayers in which there are no sunnahs afterwards, for example in Fajr and Asr Salah, the Imam has a choice of sitting on his right or left; should he wish to make an announcement then he should sit directly in front of the congregation. Sitting on the right and left is both permissible.
(Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband p.139 v.4, Fatawa Mahmoodiyah p.126 v.2 & Aapke Masaail p.252 v.2)
For Zuhr, Asr and Maghrib Salah the Imam should do a short dua so the congregation may engage in their sunnah prayers.
In reference to your question, Dua after jamaat is not only confirmed by hadith and fiqh but also considered to be a time of acceptance where one should pray to Allah for ones need.
It is mentioned in a hadith that the Prophet of Allah was asked which supplication is most readily listened to and the Prophet of Allah replied “that which is offered in the latter part of the night and after the prescribed (Farz) prayers”. (Sunan Tirmizi p.187 v.2)
Having said that, to make congregational dua where the Imam recites aloud the dua and the followers say Ameen this is not confirmed by hadith. The jurists have stated that it is only permissible to make dua in this manner and to consider it necessary is incorrect. However, if the intention was to educate the Ummah then by all means it would be correct. If in the situation where the congregation do consider it necessary and they rebuke the Imam for not reciting the dua aloud, then this practice will become unacceptable and unfound. (Fatawa Mahmodiyah p.238 v.10)
As mentioned above, it is not necessary for the Imam to make congregational dua but if he does wish to do so he should confirm his intention by reciting the beginning and ending of the dua aloud, so that the followers aware. (Fatawa Mahmodiyah p.248 v.10)
Brothers who leave the prayer after completing the farz prayer just to show their disapproval are acting against the sunnah as dua made after salah even if it were made individually is confirmed by many ahadith:
Mughira Ibn-Shubah relates that the Prophet of Allah used to say after completing his prayer “There is no God Allah, alone without partner, He is the dominion, His is the praise and the power over all things. O Allah, none can without what You bestow, none can bestow what you withhold and the fortune of the fortune avails nothings against you”. (Sahih Bukhari p.937 v.1)
Saaidah Aaisha narrates that she asked the Prophet of Allah about the punishment of the grave. He replied: “Yes, the punishment of the grave is true.” Saaidah Aaisha reports that she did not see the Prophet of Allah after each Salah except he used to seek refuge from the punishment of the grave. (Sunan Nasaii p.192 v.1)
Only Allah Knows Best
Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham