Reciting Al-Faatihah behind the Imaam
7-3-2016 | IslamWeb
Question:
When Ataa ibn Yasaar, may Allaah be pleased with him, enquired from Zaid bin Thaabit, may Allaah be pleased with him, concerning reciting behind the imam, he replied, “There is no recitation whatsoever behind the imam.” [Muslim, vol. 1, pg. 410] Jaabir, may Allaah be pleased with him, mentioned, “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite Surah Al-Faatihah in the prayer except for the one who performs the prayer behind an imam (he will not even recite Surah Al-Faatihah when following the imam).” [Tirmidhi]. Imam Tahaawi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, has narrated from Ali, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the person who recites the Quran while following the imam is not a follower of the natural religion. Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, was reported to have said, “Remain silent for the recitation of the Quran because prayer is an occupation and the imam will suffice for you.” Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, was also reported to have said, “If only the mouth of that person who recites while behind the imam is filled with soil.” Abu Jamra, may Allaah be pleased with him, asked Abdullaah ibn Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, whether he should recite the Quran while behind the imam. He replied in the negative. Abdullaah ibn Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, never recited Quran behind the imam and when it was asked of him whether one should recite, he replied, “When any of you perform the prayer behind an imam, then the recitation of the imam will suffice for him as well.” Do the above-mentioned narrations not prove that we should not recite Al-Faatihah behind the imam?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
What you have mentioned in the question, dear brother, are statements of the Companions if their chains of narrators are authentic. They are not attributed to the Prophet . Other Companions are of the view that the worshipers led in prayer must recite Al-Faatihah because, as it is known, the Companions differed in opinion in regard to reciting Al-Faatihah while being led by an imaam.
Imam Al-Baghawi said in Sharh as-Sunnah:
“The scholars from among the Companions and the Taabi’is (the generation that followed that of the Companions) and those who came after them differed in opinion regarding reciting Al-Faatihah behind the imaam. One group among them is of the view that it is obligatory to recite Al-Faatihah behind the imaam regardless of whether the latter recites it silently [like in the Thuhr and ‘Asr prayers] or loudly [like in the Maghrib, Isha, and Fajr prayers]. This was reported from 'Umar, ‘Uthmaan, ‘Ali, Ibn Abbaas, Mu’aath, and Ubayy ibn Ka'b. This is also the view of Mak-hool, Al-Awzaa’i, Ash-Shaafi'i, and Abu Thawr. The person led in prayer either recites when the imaam pauses for a while [after his recitation of Al-Faatihah] or he should recite at the same time with him [repeating each verse after the imaam has recited it].
Another group are of the view that the person led in prayer should recite in prayers when the imaam recites silently but should not recite when the imaam recites loudly. It was said that this is the view of ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar, and this was reported from ‘Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr, Al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad, and Naafi’ ibn Jubayr. This is also the view of Az-Zuhri, Maalik, Ibn Al-Mubaarak, Ahmad, and Is-haaq; as well as one view of Ash-Shaafi’i.
A third group are of the view that the person led in prayer should not recite behind the imaam regardless of whether the imam recites silently or loudly. This is narrated from Zayd ibn Thaabit and Jaabir.” [End of quote]
Since the companions differed, the view of some of them is not evidence against that of the others; the evidence can only be in the hadeeth of the Prophet . Indeed, some scholars attributed to most scholars among the Companions and Taabi’is that the person led in prayer should recite behind the imaam.
Imaam at-Tirmithi 
said, “The scholars differed in regard to reciting (Al-Faatihah) behind the imaam, and most scholars among the Companions of the Prophet and the Taabi’is and those who came after them are of the view that one should recite behind the imaam…” [End of quote]
On the other hand, Imaam Al-Bayhaqi stated it is probable that the Companions who are of the view that one should not recite behind the imaam meant not reciting loudly and not that one should leave the recitation altogether.
Tuhfatul-Ahwathi, authored by Mubaarak Poori, reads, “Al-Bayhaqi said in Kitaab Al-Qiraa’ah, 'It is the view of Zayd 
which we interpreted to refer to reciting loudly along with the imaam and there is no one among the companions and other Taabi’is who said what could be used as evidence by those who are of the view that one should not recite behind the imaam except that what it means is abandoning the recitation loudly.'” [End of quote]
What proves this is that it was authentically reported that Ali himself used to recite in silent prayers. Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ad-Daaraqutni as well as Al-Bayhaqi reported from Az-Zuhri from ‘Ubaydullah ibn Abi Raafi’ that 'Ali used to order or urge (the worshipers) to recite Al-Faatihah and one Soorah (Chapter) behind the imaam in the Thuhr and ‘Asr prayers; and in the last two rak'ahs (units of prayer) Al-Faatihah only.” Ad-Daaraqutni said, "This is a correct chain of narrators.” Al-Albaani stated this in Al-Irwaa’.
Allaah knows best.