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Hadith 44
اُردوEn
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " إِنَّمَا الإِمَامُ لِيُؤْتَمَّ بِهِ فَلا تَخْتَلِفُوا عَلَيْهِ، فَإِذَا كَبَّرَ فَكَبِّرُوا، وَإِذَا رَكَعَ فَارْكَعُوا، وَإِذَا قَالَ : سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ، فَقُولُوا : اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، فَإِذَا سَجَدَ فَاسْجُدُوا، وَإِذَا صَلَّى جَالِسًا فَصَلُّوا جُلُوسًا أَجْمَعِينَ "
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The imam is appointed so that he may be followed (in prayer); do not oppose him. Thus, when he says «اللہ أکبر», you should say «اللہ أکبر»; when he bows (in ruku‘), you should also bow; when he says «سمع اللہ لمن حمده», you should (in response) say «اللهم ربنا لك الحمد»; when he prostrates (in sujud), you should also prostrate; and when the imam prays sitting, you should also pray sitting."
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Abdullah Shameem
Explanation of the Hadith:
From this statement of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the greatness and status of the Imam is established, that in the conditions of prayer, one should follow and emulate the Imam with complete sincerity, so that the purpose of making him the one to be followed and obeyed is fully achieved.
Therefore, it should also be kept in mind that during the prayer, the follower (muqtadi) does not have the right to precede or equal the Imam in any matter; rather, in every matter, he should follow his Imam.
However, it should be remembered that following the Imam in prayer is limited only to the outward actions, as is indicated by the statement of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), «اِذَا رَكَعَ» when he bows, etc. See! [فتح الباري: 178/2]
From this clarification, it is understood that what is meant are the bowing (ruku‘), prostration (sujud), standing (qiyam), and sitting (qa‘dah), etc., not the internal actions, such as the recitations of glorifications (tasbihat), etc.
**The Imam and Followers Saying "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka al-hamd":**
When rising from bowing (ruku‘), both the Imam and the followers should say "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka al-hamd"; this is the correct view, as the generality of the aforementioned hadith indicates this. It includes both your state as an Imam and your state as a follower. Although you (the Prophet) used to be the Imam, you also performed prayer behind ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf (radi Allahu anhu), as is found in the hadith in Muslim and Abu Dawud. [صحيح مسلم، كتاب الصلوٰة، رقم: 321/105 - سنن ابو داود، باب المسح على الخفين، رقم: 149]
Some people say that in the hadith it is mentioned that you (the Prophet) said:
«اِذَا قَالَ الْاِمَامُ سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ فَقُوْلُوْا رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ»
"When the Imam says 'Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah,' you should say 'Rabbana laka al-hamd.' Therefore, the Imam should say 'Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah,' and the follower should only say 'Rabbana laka al-hamd.'"
Imam al-Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) says:
«وَلَا حُجَّةَ لَهُمْ فِيْهِ لِاَنَّهُ اَمَرَ بِاَنْ يَّقُوْلُ: اَللّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ وَنَحْنُ نَقُوْلُهُ فَاَمَّا اِذَا قَالَ مَعَهُ غَيْرَهُ فَلَيْسَ بِمَذْكُوْرٍ فِىْ هٰذَا ..........» [مختصر خلافيات، للبيهقي: 393/1]
"There is no evidence in this hadith for those people; thus, you (the Prophet) commanded to say 'Rabbana laka al-hamd,' and we say this, but when someone else says 'Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah' along with the Imam, this is not mentioned in this hadith."
And it is an established principle that the absence of mention is not evidence for negation. And from the generality of the other hadith, it is established that the follower also says "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah." If this hadith is understood as it is, then it would mean that the Imam should only say "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah" and not "Rabbana laka al-hamd," whereas many authentic hadiths indicate that the Imam should say both "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah" and "Rabbana laka al-hamd" in the same way. (For details, see: [فتح الباري: 180/2 - مختصر خلافيات: 1/ 391-393])
According to the Hanafis, Imam Muhammad, Qadi Abu Yusuf, and Imam Tahawi hold the view that the Imam should combine both the tasmi‘ (Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah) and the tahmid (Rabbana laka al-hamd). [عقود الجواهر المنيفة فى ادلة الامام ابي حنيفة، ص: 63]
When, according to them, the Imam says both tasmi‘ and tahmid, then there is no contradiction with this hadith, so if the follower also combines both tasmi‘ and tahmid, it is exactly in accordance with the hadith and correct. Therefore, the follower should also say "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah."
In summary, both the Imam and the followers should recite both supplications in any case.
**When the Imam Leads the Prayer Sitting, Then All Should Pray Sitting:**
In the "Sahihayn" (Bukhari and Muslim), the reason for this hadith is mentioned. It is as follows: Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), due to illness, once led the prayer sitting in his house, and some people were following him standing. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gestured to them to sit down. When the prayer was finished, he addressed them and said: The Imam is only appointed to be followed. To the end. [صحيح بخاري: 169/1 ، كتاب الأذان، باب انما جعل الإمام ليؤتم به - صحيح مسلم: 309/1 ، كتاب الصلوٰة، باب ائتمام الماموم بالامام.]
Those who hold the view that if the Imam leads the prayer sitting, the followers should also pray sitting, base their opinion on this hadith.
Regarding the abrogation of this issue, Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah) has narrated from his teacher, Allamah Humaydi (rahimahullah): This method of prayer—if the Imam leads the prayer sitting, the followers should also follow him sitting—is abrogated. Because the statement of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), «إِذَا صَلَّى جَالِسًا فَصَلُّوا جُلُوسًا اَجْمَعِيْنَ .», was during the time of illness, and that too in the beginning, whereas during the illness of death, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) led the people in prayer sitting, but they performed the prayer standing, and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not give any instruction to perform the prayer sitting.
In such a case, the followers must perform the prayer standing. And as for the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu), it is abrogated, as the statement of Humaydi (rahimahullah) has already been mentioned. See! [شرح السنة: 422/3]
A hadith is narrated from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha):
«وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَاعِدًا، يَقْتَدِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ بِصَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالنَّاسُ يَقْتَدُونَ بِصَلَاةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ"» ([شرح السنة: 464/3 - صحيح مسلم، كتاب الصلوٰة، باب استخلاف الامام، رقم: 418/90])
It is understood from this that if the Imam leads the prayer sitting, the followers should pray standing, and this hadith also abrogates the last part of the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu). Those scholars who do not consider the last part of this narration to be abrogated say: In the narration from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha), there is a contradiction in the wording, in that the narration which al-Aswad (radi Allahu anhu) narrated from her contains the words: "Indeed, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was the Imam," and the narration which Masruq (radi Allahu anhu) narrated from her contains the following words:
«صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ فِي مَرَضِهِ الَّذِي مَاتَ فِيهِ قَاعِدًا» (See! [سنن الترمذي، ابواب الصلوٰة، رقم: 362])
Similarly, in "Sunan al-Tirmidhi," there is a narration from Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu), in which there is mention of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) following Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) in prayer. The wording is as follows:
«صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي مَرَضِهِ خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ قَاعِدًا فِي ثَوْبٍ مُتَوَشِّحًا بِهِ» [سنن ترمذي، رقم: 363 ، وقال: هذا حديث حسن صحيح.]
Sometimes the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) led the prayer sitting, sometimes he prayed behind al-Siddiq al-Akbar (radi Allahu anhu), and sometimes the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was leading the prayer sitting while al-Siddiq al-Akbar (radi Allahu anhu) was standing, leading the people in prayer while following the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). That is why Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah), considering this hadith to be abrogating, says: «وَلَهُ يَدٌ طُوْلٰي.»
Some scholars have reconciled between these two aforementioned hadiths. Among them, someone has said that when the Imam leads the prayer sitting due to illness, the followers should also pray sitting, as is clear from the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu). And if the Imam starts the prayer standing and then sits down later, then in this case, the followers should remain in their initial state and not sit down.
Some scholars have said that from the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu), the obligation for the followers to sit is established, and the narration of Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha) has abrogated the obligation for the followers to sit. It is thus understood that sitting for the followers is recommended, not obligatory. The reliable opinion in this matter is that the last part of the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu) is abrogated by the action of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) during his final illness. [فتح الباري: 2/ 176 ، 177]
From this statement of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the greatness and status of the Imam is established, that in the conditions of prayer, one should follow and emulate the Imam with complete sincerity, so that the purpose of making him the one to be followed and obeyed is fully achieved.
Therefore, it should also be kept in mind that during the prayer, the follower (muqtadi) does not have the right to precede or equal the Imam in any matter; rather, in every matter, he should follow his Imam.
However, it should be remembered that following the Imam in prayer is limited only to the outward actions, as is indicated by the statement of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), «اِذَا رَكَعَ» when he bows, etc. See! [فتح الباري: 178/2]
From this clarification, it is understood that what is meant are the bowing (ruku‘), prostration (sujud), standing (qiyam), and sitting (qa‘dah), etc., not the internal actions, such as the recitations of glorifications (tasbihat), etc.
**The Imam and Followers Saying "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka al-hamd":**
When rising from bowing (ruku‘), both the Imam and the followers should say "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka al-hamd"; this is the correct view, as the generality of the aforementioned hadith indicates this. It includes both your state as an Imam and your state as a follower. Although you (the Prophet) used to be the Imam, you also performed prayer behind ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf (radi Allahu anhu), as is found in the hadith in Muslim and Abu Dawud. [صحيح مسلم، كتاب الصلوٰة، رقم: 321/105 - سنن ابو داود، باب المسح على الخفين، رقم: 149]
Some people say that in the hadith it is mentioned that you (the Prophet) said:
«اِذَا قَالَ الْاِمَامُ سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ فَقُوْلُوْا رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ»
"When the Imam says 'Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah,' you should say 'Rabbana laka al-hamd.' Therefore, the Imam should say 'Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah,' and the follower should only say 'Rabbana laka al-hamd.'"
Imam al-Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) says:
«وَلَا حُجَّةَ لَهُمْ فِيْهِ لِاَنَّهُ اَمَرَ بِاَنْ يَّقُوْلُ: اَللّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ وَنَحْنُ نَقُوْلُهُ فَاَمَّا اِذَا قَالَ مَعَهُ غَيْرَهُ فَلَيْسَ بِمَذْكُوْرٍ فِىْ هٰذَا ..........» [مختصر خلافيات، للبيهقي: 393/1]
"There is no evidence in this hadith for those people; thus, you (the Prophet) commanded to say 'Rabbana laka al-hamd,' and we say this, but when someone else says 'Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah' along with the Imam, this is not mentioned in this hadith."
And it is an established principle that the absence of mention is not evidence for negation. And from the generality of the other hadith, it is established that the follower also says "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah." If this hadith is understood as it is, then it would mean that the Imam should only say "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah" and not "Rabbana laka al-hamd," whereas many authentic hadiths indicate that the Imam should say both "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah" and "Rabbana laka al-hamd" in the same way. (For details, see: [فتح الباري: 180/2 - مختصر خلافيات: 1/ 391-393])
According to the Hanafis, Imam Muhammad, Qadi Abu Yusuf, and Imam Tahawi hold the view that the Imam should combine both the tasmi‘ (Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah) and the tahmid (Rabbana laka al-hamd). [عقود الجواهر المنيفة فى ادلة الامام ابي حنيفة، ص: 63]
When, according to them, the Imam says both tasmi‘ and tahmid, then there is no contradiction with this hadith, so if the follower also combines both tasmi‘ and tahmid, it is exactly in accordance with the hadith and correct. Therefore, the follower should also say "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah."
In summary, both the Imam and the followers should recite both supplications in any case.
**When the Imam Leads the Prayer Sitting, Then All Should Pray Sitting:**
In the "Sahihayn" (Bukhari and Muslim), the reason for this hadith is mentioned. It is as follows: Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), due to illness, once led the prayer sitting in his house, and some people were following him standing. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gestured to them to sit down. When the prayer was finished, he addressed them and said: The Imam is only appointed to be followed. To the end. [صحيح بخاري: 169/1 ، كتاب الأذان، باب انما جعل الإمام ليؤتم به - صحيح مسلم: 309/1 ، كتاب الصلوٰة، باب ائتمام الماموم بالامام.]
Those who hold the view that if the Imam leads the prayer sitting, the followers should also pray sitting, base their opinion on this hadith.
Regarding the abrogation of this issue, Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah) has narrated from his teacher, Allamah Humaydi (rahimahullah): This method of prayer—if the Imam leads the prayer sitting, the followers should also follow him sitting—is abrogated. Because the statement of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), «إِذَا صَلَّى جَالِسًا فَصَلُّوا جُلُوسًا اَجْمَعِيْنَ .», was during the time of illness, and that too in the beginning, whereas during the illness of death, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) led the people in prayer sitting, but they performed the prayer standing, and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not give any instruction to perform the prayer sitting.
In such a case, the followers must perform the prayer standing. And as for the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu), it is abrogated, as the statement of Humaydi (rahimahullah) has already been mentioned. See! [شرح السنة: 422/3]
A hadith is narrated from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha):
«وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَاعِدًا، يَقْتَدِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ بِصَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالنَّاسُ يَقْتَدُونَ بِصَلَاةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ"» ([شرح السنة: 464/3 - صحيح مسلم، كتاب الصلوٰة، باب استخلاف الامام، رقم: 418/90])
It is understood from this that if the Imam leads the prayer sitting, the followers should pray standing, and this hadith also abrogates the last part of the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu). Those scholars who do not consider the last part of this narration to be abrogated say: In the narration from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha), there is a contradiction in the wording, in that the narration which al-Aswad (radi Allahu anhu) narrated from her contains the words: "Indeed, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was the Imam," and the narration which Masruq (radi Allahu anhu) narrated from her contains the following words:
«صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ فِي مَرَضِهِ الَّذِي مَاتَ فِيهِ قَاعِدًا» (See! [سنن الترمذي، ابواب الصلوٰة، رقم: 362])
Similarly, in "Sunan al-Tirmidhi," there is a narration from Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu), in which there is mention of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) following Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) in prayer. The wording is as follows:
«صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي مَرَضِهِ خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ قَاعِدًا فِي ثَوْبٍ مُتَوَشِّحًا بِهِ» [سنن ترمذي، رقم: 363 ، وقال: هذا حديث حسن صحيح.]
Sometimes the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) led the prayer sitting, sometimes he prayed behind al-Siddiq al-Akbar (radi Allahu anhu), and sometimes the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was leading the prayer sitting while al-Siddiq al-Akbar (radi Allahu anhu) was standing, leading the people in prayer while following the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). That is why Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah), considering this hadith to be abrogating, says: «وَلَهُ يَدٌ طُوْلٰي.»
Some scholars have reconciled between these two aforementioned hadiths. Among them, someone has said that when the Imam leads the prayer sitting due to illness, the followers should also pray sitting, as is clear from the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu). And if the Imam starts the prayer standing and then sits down later, then in this case, the followers should remain in their initial state and not sit down.
Some scholars have said that from the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu), the obligation for the followers to sit is established, and the narration of Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha) has abrogated the obligation for the followers to sit. It is thus understood that sitting for the followers is recommended, not obligatory. The reliable opinion in this matter is that the last part of the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu) is abrogated by the action of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) during his final illness. [فتح الباري: 2/ 176 ، 177]
Source: Sahifa Hammam bin Munabbih: Commentary by Hafiz Abdullah Shameem, Page: 44
