What is the ruling for concluding a congregational prayer audibly in the mosque?

 

The issue of concluding prayers, whether audibly or silently, is capacious and scholarly contentions on the matter are only minor. The Divine command concerning the manner of concluding prayer is open since the textual basis for them is unrestricted. Allah the Almighty says,And when ye have performed the prayers, remember Allah, standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides.

[An-Nisaa`: 103]

General matters must remain unrestricted until something in Islamic law comes to restrict them. There is substantive proof in the sunnah concerning making dhikr (remembrance of Allah) after prayers. Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, "During the time of the Prophet, people would raise their voices in dhikr after prescribed prayers.' He continued, "I would know that they had finished when I heard their voices" [Bukhari and Muslim]. In another version of the hadith, he said, "I would know that the Prophethad finished his prayer when I heard takbeer (saying Allahu Akbar) being made."

The scholars who adopted the apparent meaning of the report maintained the permissibility of making dhikr audibly after prayers and others, who favored silent dhikr after prayers, indicated that it was for the sake of instruction, though both groups have agreed that either manner is permissible.

The author of Maraqi Al-Falah who reconciled the hadiths with the opposing scholarly opinions on the preference of making dhikr silently or audibly, said, "This differs depending on people, circumstances, times, and purposes. It is preferable to make dhikr silently if a person fears dissimulation or if someone is harmed by loud voices; otherwise it is better to make dhikr audibly."

The ruling
Muslims must not let this matter be a cause of disunity between them since one cannot object to issues where there is a difference of opinion. The right thing to do is to let people behave naturally. A person may choose either to make dhikr audibly or silently because the matter is open and capacious. What is important is that a person is to make dhikr in the fashion that most appeals to him and which resonates in his heart.

Allah the Almighty knows best.