Home » Hanafi Fiqh » Qibla.com » What should a follower recite in prayer? RE: What to recite in silent prayers?

What should a follower recite in prayer? RE: What to recite in silent prayers?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

I am a bit confused on the aspects of salat that the follower still recites during the silent and loud prayers in congregation. Do they recite the invocation after the first takbir which I know as Thana (Subhana kallahuma wa bihamdika wa tabaarak asmuka….) And also the Ta’awuz and Basmala.

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Walaikum assalam,

One can either be:

a)      praying alone,

b)      leading others, or

c)       praying behind another.

The spoken actions of the prayer are:

a) Takbirs, dhikrs, and supplications;

b) Qur’anic recitation.

When praying alone or leading others, one does both.

When praying behind someone, one does all the takbirs, dhikrs, and supplications of the prayer. However, one does not recite the Qur’an [not even the Fatiha] behind the imam.

Imam Tumurtashi explains in his Tanwir al-Absar that,

“Followers does not recite Qur’an at all in prayer. If they recite, it is prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman). Rather, they remain silent and listen.”

Imam Haskafi and Imam Ibn Abidin confirmed this in their works on the Tanwir. [Haskafi/Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar `ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar Sharh Tanwir al-Absar, 1.366]

This was confirmed by the main commentators of the Hidaya, including the mujtahid imam, Kamal ibn al-Humam, who was arguably the most brilliant scholar of the late Hanafi school. What Kamal ibn al-Humam said is borne about before him by the authors of all the major primers (mutun) of the school, including Quduri, Kanz al-Daqa’iq, al-Mukhtar, and al-Wiqaya, the main commentaries in the school, and its major fatwa references…

Our dear teacher, Shaykh Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf explained the proofs for this ruling at length in his English work on the proofs of the Hanafi school in matters of worship, Fiqh al-Imam. This is a work going into its third edition, and it of great benefit for all Hanafis. The following are but brief extracts from it:

“Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad are unanimous in their opinion regarding this issue. They state that it is forbidden for the follower to recite any portion of the Holy Qur’an, whether it be Surat al-Fatiha or any other verse, in both the silent and loud prayers behind the imam. Whatever has been related about Imam Muhammad saying that it is more preferable for the follower to recite in the silent prayers is a weak report. Ibn al-Humam has called this an erroneous accusation on Imam Muhammad. He states, “The truth is that Imam Muhammad’s opinion is the same as that of Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Abu Yusuf.” Imam Muhammad has clearly stated his view to be the same as that of Imam Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf in his Muwatta and Kitab al-athar. [Fath al-Mulhim 2:20]

1. Allah says in the Qur’an: “So, when the Qur’an is recited, listen to it, and remain silent, that you may receive mercy [i.e. during the compulsory congregational prayers when the Imam is leading.]”[al-Qur’an 7:204]

This verse is sufficient proof that no recitation whatsoever should be undertaken by the follower, and it makes it obligatory for him to remain silent and listen attentively whilst the imam’s recitation is in progress.

Ibn Qudama writes in his book al-Mughni,

“Imam Ahmad states after a report from Abu Dawud, ‘The people are unanimous that this verse was revealed concerning prayer.'”[al-Mughni 1:601]

Both Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim in their commentaries [tafasir], and Imam Bayhaqi in his Kitab al-recitation have related a hadith from Mujahid,

“This verse was revealed concerning some companions of Rasulullah reciting behind the imam.”

1. Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri narrates, “Rasulullah delivered a sermon in which he outlined our Way [sunnah] for us and taught us our prayer. He instructed, “When you prepare for prayer, straighten your rows, then one of you [should become the imam to] lead the others in prayer. When he proclaims the takbir you also proclaim it, when he recites remain silent, and when he reaches ‘Ghayri ‘l-maghdhubi ‘alayhim wala ‘l-dallin’ say amin, and Allah will answer you [i.e. your prayer].” [Sahih Muslim 1:174]

2. Abu Hurayra narrates that Rasulullah said, “The imam has been assigned to be followed. When he proclaims the takbir you also proclaim it, when he recites remain silent, and when he says ‘Sami‘allahu liman hamidah’ say ‘Rabbana laka ‘l-hamd.” [Sunan Abi Dawud 1:96, Sunan al-Nasa’i 46]

‘Allama ‘Ayni writes in ‘Umdat al-qari, his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, that it was the opinion of approximately eighty companions that the follower should not recite behind the imam. Some of them very strictly implemented and enforced their opinion. A few of their reports and comments are mentioned here to gauge the seriousness of this issue.

1. ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar inquired from Zayd ibn Thabit regarding recitation when behind the imam. He answered, “There is no recitation behind the imam.” [Sahih Muslim 1:215]

2. Malik reports from Nafi‘ that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was asked whether anything should be recited behind the imam. He replied, Whenever one of you performs prayer behind the imam, the recitation of the imam is sufficient for him, but when he prays alone he should recite for himself.” The narrator reports that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar would not recite behind the imam. [Muwatta Imam Malik 51, I‘la’ al-sunan 4:76]

3. ‘Ubaydullah ibn Muqsim narrates that he inquired from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, Zayd ibn Thabit and Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah [regarding this issue]. They informed him that there should be no recitation behind the imam in any prayer. [Athar al-sunan 1:116, I‘la’ al-sunan 4:81]” [from: Sh. Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf, Fiqh al-Imam (3rd Ed, going to print)]

I close with what Allama Ibn Abidin pointed out in his Sharh Uqud Rasm al-Mufti:

“Understanding evidences (dalil) is only (truly) possible for someone at the level of ijtihad, for it depends on knowing that the evidence is free of that which opposes it, which depends on having complete awareness of the primary sources, which is not possible for other than a mujtahid. As for merely knowing that a given mujtahid took a given ruling from a given set of evidences, it is of little true consequence…” (Sharh Uqud Rasm al-Mufti, in Rasa’il Ibn Abidin, 1: 30)

And Allah alone gives success.

Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani

This answer was indexed from Qibla.com, which used to have a repository of Islamic Q&A answered by various scholars. The website is no longer in existence. It has now been transformed into a learning portal with paid Islamic course offering under the brand of Kiflayn.

Read answers with similar topics: