Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I am not sure if I am supposed to recite any surahs when praying behind an imaam. Before, for example, when praying in jamaat behind an imaam, I used to recite surah fatihah and another surah in duhr salaat in the 1st 2 rakaats and surah fatihah in the 3rd and 4th. Is this right or am I supposed to not recite these surahs in jamaat?
Walaikum assalam,
In the Hanafi school, the follower does not recite any Qur’an, including the Fatiha, behind the Imam, even in quiet prayers such as Zuhr and Asr. It is prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman) for the follower to recite any Qur’an.
This is the position of Abu Hanifa and his Companions, and it is the only relied upon position in the Hanafi school, as transmitted in its primers, commentaries, and major fatwa works.
Some of the evidence for it has been discussed previously on the Hanafi list: search for “Qur’an follower” using the search feature at http://www.SunniPath.com
Note, however, that the follower must still recite the supplications and invocations of the prayer.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani.