Surah Al- Fatiha has to be read in every raka’at in prayer while standing after reading iftitah. Ubada bin Samit, Radhiyallahu Anhu, reported that Allah’s Messenger, Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam, said,
His prayer is invalid who does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha, the first surah of the Qur’an in his prayer. (Bukhari: 756, Muslim: 394).
Al-Fatiha is,
بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين
الرَّحمـنِ الرَّحِيم
مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّين
إِيَّاك نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِين
اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيم
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّين
Bismillaahirrohmaanirrohiim
Alhamdulillaahirobbil ‘aalamiin
Arrohmaanirrohiim
Maaliki yawmiddiin
Iyyaaka na’budu wa iyyaa ka nasta’iin
ihdinashiroothol mustaqiim
shiroothol ladziina an ‘amta ‘alaihim ghoiril maghduubi ‘alaihim wa ladhdholliin
1. In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
2. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the Creator, Owner, Sustainer of the worlds.
3. The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
4. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)
5. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).
6. Guide us to the Straight Way
7. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray.
The Prophet, Sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam, recited Surah Al-Fatiha with stops in every verse, the verse does not connect with the next verse, so he read,
(then stop) بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
(then stop) الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين
and so on.
He read bismillaahirrohmaanirrohiim, with the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful in a low voice. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu ‘Awanah, Thahawi, and Ahmad).
Therefore, we often hear the imam directly reading, alhamdulillaahirobbil ‘aalamiin, because he recites bismillaahirrohmanirrohiim in a low voice.
Sometimes he recited مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّين with a shortened reading of maa which became maliki yawmiddiin.
Wail bin Hujr Radhiyallahu Anhu reported, I heard Allah’s Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam as reciting,
غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّين
(ghoiril maghduubi ‘alaihim wa ladhdholliin) and he said Aamiin prolonging his voice. (Tirmidhi: 248, Abu Dawud: 932).
Abu Hurairah, Radhiyallahu Anhu, reported Allah’s Messenger, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, as saying : When the imam says Aamen, you also say Aamen and whose saying of Aamen coincides with the saying of Aamen by the Angels, his past sins would be pardoned. (Bukhari: 780, Muslim: 410).
References:
The Prayer of Muhammad (SAW) with help of authentic narrations of the Prophet by Dr. Syed Shafiq Ur-Rahman
Shifatu Shalaati An-Nabiyyi Shallallaahu ‘Alahi wa Sallama min At-Takbiiri ilaa At-Tasliimi Ka-annaka Taraahaa by Muhammad Nashiruddin Al-Albani
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