Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says: "And when the Qur'an is recited, listen to it attentively and remain silent." [Surah al-A'raf: 204]
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah Almighty have mercy on him) said in his earlier (old) opinion: "In our view, this ruling applies specifically to recitation that is heard."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / Q2885
(a) Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The believer has latitude regarding listening to the recitation of the Qur'an, except in an obligatory prayer, or on Friday, or on the day of Eid al-Fitr, or on the day of Eid al-Adha; meaning: "And when the Qur'an is recited, listen to it attentively and remain silent." [Surah al-A'raf: 204]
(b) Through another, weak chain it has reached us that Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) about this verse: Is it for every reciter? He said: No, rather it is only for the prayer.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2885
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:حسن
Hadith Takhrij«حسن۔ اخرجه ابن ابي حاتم في التفسير 9493»
(a) Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was reciting in prayer, and he heard a young man of the Ansar reciting, so this verse was revealed: "And when the Qur'an is being recited, listen attentively and keep silent." [Surah al-A'raf: 204]
(b) Through another chain it has reached us from Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: This verse is about the Friday sermon; and in a third narration the words are "in the prayer and the sermon".
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2886
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said about this verse, "And when the Qur'an is being recited, listen attentively and keep silent" [Surah al-A'raf: 204], that people used to talk during prayer, so this blessed verse was revealed.
In the narration of Ibn Abdan it says that people (in the early days) used to keep talking during prayer, until this verse was revealed.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2887
(a) Awn bin Musa (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I heard Mu'awiyah bin Qurrah (may Allah have mercy on him) say that people used to talk and the like during prayer, so Allah Almighty revealed this blessed verse: "When the Qur'an is recited, listen to it attentively and remain silent." [Surah al-A'raf: 204]
(b) Sa'id bin Mansur narrated this hadith from Awn and added in it: "So the storytellers applied it to their storytelling."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2888
(a) Hittan bin Abdullah al-Raqashi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We prayed with Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him); then he mentioned the full hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In it is: "When the imam says the takbir, say the takbir, and when he recites, remain silent."
(b) Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him), after mentioning this narration through Ishaq bin Ibrahim, said: In the hadith of Jarir from Sulayman from Qatadah there is the addition: "When he recites, remain silent."
(c) Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I heard Abu Ali al-Hafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) say: In this hadith Jarir, narrating from al-Taymi, contradicted all the students of Qatadah. What is preserved from Qatadah is the narration of Hisham al-Dastuwa'i, Hammam, Sa'id bin Abi Arubah, Ma'mar bin Rashid, Abu Awanah, al-Hajjaj bin al-Hajjaj and those who followed them, that is, without this wording. Salim bin Nuh narrated it from Ibn Abi Arubah and Umar bin Amir from Qatadah, and he erred in it.
Abu Dawud al-Sijistani said: His words "and remain silent" are not preserved (mahfuz) and are of no worth.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2889
Hittan bin Abdullah al-Raqashi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in prayer and said that whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in prayer, he would tell us: "The imam is appointed only to be followed, so when he says the takbir, say the takbir, and when he recites, be silent."
Ali bin Umar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Salim bin Nuh is not strong.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2890
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The imam is appointed only to be followed, so do not differ with him. When the imam says the takbir, say the takbir; when he recites, be silent; when the imam says "Not of those who have incurred wrath, nor of those who are astray" [Surah al-Fatihah: 7], say Amin; when he bows, you too bow; when the imam says 'Sami'allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears the one who praises Him), say 'Allahumma rabbana lakal-hamd' (O Allah, our Lord, to You belongs all praise); when he prostrates, prostrate; and when he leads the prayer sitting, all of you pray sitting."
In the narration of Ibn Ajlan it says: "When he recites, remain silent."
This is an error (wahm) on the part of Ibn Ajlan. Yahya bin Ma'in said about the words "When he recites, remain silent" in the hadith of Ibn Ajlan: It is nothing. Abu Hatim said: This phrase is not preserved; it is among the confusions of Ibn Ajlan. Kharijah bin Mus'ab also narrated it, and Kharijah too is not strong. Yahya bin al-Ala al-Razi also narrated it as they did, and Yahya bin al-Ala is matruk (abandoned).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2891
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) finished a prayer in which the recitation is aloud and said: "Who among you was reciting along with me in the prayer just now?" A man said: O Messenger of Allah, I was reciting. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That is why I was thinking: what is the reason that reciting the Qur'an is becoming difficult for me?" From then on, people stopped reciting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the prayers in which the recitation is aloud.
Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Ma'mar, Yunus and Usamah bin Zayd narrated this hadith of Ibn Ukaymah from al-Zuhri with the same meaning as the narration of Malik.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2892
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in a prayer, which we think was the morning (Fajr) prayer. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the prayer, he said: "Did any of you recite along with me just now?" A man said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That is why I was saying (within myself): 'What is the matter with me that the Qur'an is being contested with me?' (or that the Qur'an is becoming difficult for me)."
Ma'mar reports from al-Zuhri that people stopped reciting in the prayers in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited aloud.
Ali said: One day Sufyan said to me: I looked in my book, and these words were in it: Without doubt, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the morning (Fajr) prayer.
Musaddad stated in his narration that Ma'mar said: People stopped reciting in the prayers in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited aloud.
Ibn al-Sarh said in his narration: Ma'mar reported, via al-Zuhri, from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that people stopped reciting.
Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Zuhri narrated that Sufyan said: Al-Zuhri said a word which I did not hear, so Ma'mar said that he had said: "So the people stopped."
Abu Dawud said: Abd al-Rahman bin Ishaq narrated this hadith from al-Zuhri, and his narration ends at "What is the matter with me that the Qur'an is being contested with me?" Al-Awza'i narrated it from al-Zuhri, and in it are al-Zuhri's words: "Then the Muslims took heed of this, and they would not recite with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the prayers in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited aloud."
Abu Dawud said: I heard Muhammad bin Yahya bin Faris say that "So the people stopped" is from the words of al-Zuhri.
Imam al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Likewise, Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) reported it in al-Tarikh and said that these words are al-Zuhri's.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2893
Sa'id bin al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) said that he heard Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) say that people recited with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a prayer in which the recitation is aloud. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) finished the prayer, he turned towards them and said: "Did any of you recite with me?" They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I too was saying: why is reciting the Qur'an becoming difficult for me!" Al-Zuhri said: The Muslims took heed of this, and they would not recite with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Awza'i preserved the fact that these words are al-Zuhri's own and separated them from the hadith, but he did not preserve its chain. The correct version is what Ibn Uyaynah narrated from al-Zuhri, who said: I heard Ibn Ukaymah narrating to Sa'id bin al-Musayyib; and Yunus bin Yazid al-Ayli said the same.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2894
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Buhaynah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Did any of you recite along with me just now?" They said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I too was thinking: what is the reason that reciting the Qur'an is becoming difficult for me!"
(b) Then the people stopped reciting.
(c) Imam al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Abu al-Sa'ib narrates from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever does not recite Surah al-Fatihah in the prayer, his prayer is deficient." (Abu al-Sa'ib said:) I said: O Abu Hurayrah, what should I do when I am behind the imam? He took hold of my arm, pressed it and said: O Persian, recite it within yourself.
(d) The fact that both of these hadiths are reported from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) is evidence that the narration of Ibn Ukaymah is weak.
Ya'qub bin Sufyan said: This is an error, without any doubt or uncertainty. The authenticity of this hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is questionable, because it is the narration of Ibn Ukaymah al-Laythi, who is majhul (unknown); he narrated nothing but this one hadith, no one but al-Zuhri narrated from him, and al-Zuhri knew no more of him than that he saw him narrating to Sa'id bin al-Musayyib. Al-Humaydi said about the hadith of Ibn Ukaymah: This is a hadith narrated by an unknown man from whom no one else ever narrated.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2895