Reciting Invocations for a Group

Question :

When some of our brothers go on a journey or make 'Umrah, they appoint one person from among them, whose job is to recite those invocations that the Prophet advised us to say in both the morning and the evening. Meanwhile everyone else in the group listens to him. What is the ruling regarding this practice?

Answer:

To himself, and not to an audience, the Messenger of Allah used to read specific invocations, both in the morning and in the evening. His Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, learned from him these invocations, and they too used to read them both in the morning and in the evening, each Companion reading them alone, by himself. From what we know of the authentically related Sunnah, and from what we know from the practices of the Companions, neither the Messenger of Allah nor his Companions used to read those invocations in unison or with one of them reading while the others listened.

Every Muslim must follow the guidance of the Messenger of Allâh and of his Companions in this regard, and in regard to everything else that is legislated in Islam; all evil and all harm is in going against their way. So doing what you described is an innovation, about which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"Whoever introduces into our matter that which does not belong to it, then it is rejected."

He ﷺ also said:
"Beware of newly invented matters, for every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance."

From the authentically related invocations for the morning and evening, Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, said, "The Messenger of Allâh never abstained from saying these words in the morning and in the evening:
"O Allah, I ask You for pardon and for well-being in my religious and worldly affairs, in my family and my wealth. O Allah, veil my weaknesses and set at ease my dismay. O Allah, preserve me from the front and from behind and on my right and on my left and from above, and I take refuge with You from being treacherously murdered."

Another such invocation was related by Abu Hurairah, may Allâh be pleased with him, who said, "In the morning, Allah's Messenger would say:
"O Allah, by your leave we have reached the morning and by Your leave we have reached the evening, by Your leave we live and die and unto You is our resurrection."

In the evening he would say the same except:
"And to You is our return."

And Allah is the Granter of success. May Allah, send peace and blessings upon Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.