Ameen
آمِين
Āmīn
O Allah, answer (our dua).
Sahih al-Bukhari 780
Ameen, O Allah, answer our dua
Ameen (آمِين) means "O Allah, answer it". Yes, Muslims say it: after any dua, and after Surah Al-Fatiha in every prayer, as the Prophet ﷺ taught.
Often added after a dua
آمِين يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Āmīn yā rabbal-ʿālamīn
Answer us, O Lord of the worlds.
A common addition
Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.
Guide
Meaning, use and source
Ameen (آمِين) is a short dua in itself. It means "O Allah, answer it" or "O Allah, accept". Muslims say it after making dua, when someone else makes dua for them, and after Surah Al-Fatiha in salah.
Do Muslims say amen?
Yes. Ameen and the amen of Jews and Christians come from the same Semitic root, which carries the idea of firmness and truth. Muslims say it with a long first vowel, āmīn. A short first vowel, amīn, is also correct Arabic. Scholars warn against āmmīn with a doubled m, which changes the meaning.
Ameen after Al-Fatiha
The Prophet ﷺ said: "When the imam says ameen, say ameen. Whoever's ameen coincides with the ameen of the angels will have his past sins forgiven" (Sahih al-Bukhari 780, Sahih Muslim 410). So ameen is said after Al-Fatiha in every rakah, by the imam, the follower and the one praying alone. Ameen is not part of the Quran, so it is never written in the mushaf.
Aloud or silently in salah?
Hanafi position
Ameen is a sunnah after Al-Fatiha for the imam, the follower and the one praying alone, and it is said quietly in every prayer, including Fajr, Maghrib and Isha.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i and Hanbali
- In the prayers where Al-Fatiha is recited aloud, the imam and the followers say ameen aloud. In the quiet prayers it is said quietly.
- Maliki
- The follower and the one praying alone say ameen quietly. In the well-known view of the school, the imam says it in the quiet prayers but not after reciting aloud.
Allahumma ameen and other forms
People also say Allahumma ameen ("O Allah, answer"), ameen ya rabbal alameen ("answer, O Lord of the worlds") and ameen ya rabb. All of these are good. There is no fixed reply to someone's ameen.
Spellings
Ameen, amin, aameen and ameen ameen are all used in English. The Arabic is one word, آمِين.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 780; Sahih Muslim 410.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Bab Sifat as-Salah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know
What does ameen mean?
O Allah, answer it, or O Allah, accept. It is said after a dua.
Do Muslims say amen?
Yes. Muslims say ameen after dua and after Al-Fatiha in every prayer. It shares its root with the amen used by Jews and Christians.
Is ameen said out loud in prayer?
In the Hanafi school it is said quietly in every prayer. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools say it aloud in the prayers where Al-Fatiha is recited aloud.
What does allahumma ameen mean?
O Allah, answer. It adds a call to Allah before ameen.