Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed while people behind him were reciting, and a man from among the Companions began forbidding them from reciting in the prayer. When they finished the prayer, a man turned to him and said: Were you forbidding me from reciting behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? They argued until they put the matter before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is praying behind the imam, the recitation of the imam is his recitation." [Munkar (rejected). Abu Hatim said so in al-'Ilal 282]
A group narrated it thus from Abu Hanifah as connected (mawsul), while Abdullah bin al-Mubarak narrated it from him as mursal, without mentioning Jabir, and that is the preserved (mahfuz) version.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2896
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is praying in congregation with an imam, the recitation of the imam is his recitation."
Likewise Ali bin al-Hasan bin Shaqiq narrated it from Ibn al-Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him), and likewise it was reported by reliable narrators such as Sufyan bin Sa'id al-Thawri, Shu'bah bin al-Hajjaj, Mansur bin al-Mu'tamir, Sufyan bin Uyaynah, Isra'il bin Yunus, Abu Awanah, Abu al-Ahwas, Jarir bin Abd al-Hamid and others. This same narration was reported as connected (mawsul) by al-Hasan bin Umarah through Musa, and al-Hasan bin Umarah is matruk (abandoned).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2897
Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is following an imam, the recitation of the imam is his recitation."
Jabir al-Ju'fi and Layth bin Abi Sulaym are not used as evidence, and everyone who corroborated them in this is weaker than both of them or than one of them.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2898
(a) Wahb bin Kaysan said that he heard Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) say: Whoever prays even one rak'ah in which he does not recite Surah al-Fatihah, such a prayer is valid only behind the imam, and not otherwise.
(b) It may also be that Jabir's (may Allah be pleased with him) position on this matter was not to recite (behind the imam) in the prayers recited aloud, as opposed to the silent prayers. Yazid al-Faqir narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): We used to recite behind the imam in the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr and Asr Surah al-Fatihah and another surah, and in the last two rak'ahs only Surah al-Fatihah. Likewise, this seems to be the position of Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).
This is the authentic report from Jabir as his own statement, not marfu' (attributed to the Prophet). Yahya bin Sallam and other weak narrators raised it to the Prophet from Malik, and that is something which it is not permissible to narrate as a proof.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2899
(a) It is narrated from Abu Wa'il that a man asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) about reciting behind the imam. He said: Remain silent for (listening to) the Qur'an, for in prayer there is enough to occupy you, and the imam's recitation is sufficient for you.
(b) "Remain silent for the Qur'an" is said when the Qur'an is being heard, not when it is not being heard. (That is, in loud recitation a person can hear it, but not in the silent prayers.)
(c) Alqamah said: I prayed beside Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and I did not know that he was reciting until he recited a verse of Surah Ta-Ha aloud (which I heard), namely: "And say: My Lord, increase me in knowledge." [Surah Ta-Ha: 114]
(d) It has been narrated to us through Abdullah bin Ziyad al-Asadi that he said: I stood beside Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and prayed behind the imam, and I heard him reciting in Zuhr and Asr (behind the imam).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2900
(a) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "Whoever prays behind the imam, the recitation of the imam is sufficient for him."
(b) Through another chain it is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "Whoever is praying with an imam, the recitation of the imam is sufficient for him."
(c) Abu al-Azhar said that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about reciting behind the imam, and he said: "I feel shy before the Lord of this House (the Ka'bah) to offer a prayer in which I do not recite Surah al-Fatihah."
This is the authentic report from Ibn Umar as his own statement. The version narrated from Suwayd bin Sa'id from Ali bin Mushir from Ubaydullah as marfu' (attributed to the Prophet) is an error; Suwayd's memory changed towards the end of his life, so errors multiplied in his narrations. It was also narrated from Kharijah bin Mus'ab from Ayyub from Nafi' as marfu', and Kharijah is not used as evidence. Abdan bin Muhammad al-Hafiz al-Marwazi said: The hadith of Kharijah from Ayyub from Nafi' from Ibn Umar from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "Whoever has an imam", is a munkar (rejected) error; it is only Ibn Umar's own statement, although the opposite of it has also been narrated from Ibn Umar.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2901
(a) It is narrated from Abu al-Aliyah al-Barra' that Abdullah bin Safwan (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): O Abu Abd al-Rahman, do you recite in every prayer? He said: I feel shy before the Lord of this House, that is, the Ka'bah, to pray two rak'ahs in which I do not recite Surah al-Fatihah or more. In one narration the word is "fa-za'idan" (and more), and in another "fa-sa'idan" (and upwards).
(b) It is as though he considered reciting behind the imam correct only in the prayers in which the imam recites quietly, that is, the silent prayers. Malik bin Anas (may Allah have mercy on him) based (his position) on this; the opposite has also been narrated from him.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2902
Qasim bin Muhammad said that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would not recite behind the imam, whether the prayer was silent or loud, while other men used to recite behind the imam.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2903
Usamah bin Zayd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked Qasim bin Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him) about reciting behind the imam, and he said: If you recite, then great people whose lives are an example, and whose way is followed, also recited; and if you do not recite, then many people whose lives are an example for us also did not recite.
Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not recite.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2904
Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was leading the people in prayer, and a man behind him was reciting (aloud). When he finished the prayer, he said: "Who was it that was contending with me over my surah (the one I was reciting)?" Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade reciting behind the imam. Hajjaj is alone in this narration.
Ibn Sa'id said that Hajjaj is alone in narrating his words "So he forbade reciting behind the imam."
Shu'bah said: I asked Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him): Did he (peace and blessings be upon him) perhaps dislike it? He said: Had he disliked it, he would certainly have forbidden it.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2905
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:صحيح
Hadith Takhrij«صحيح۔ الا زياده ’’فنهي عن القرأة خلفه‘‘ منكره»
Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the Zuhr prayer one day, and a man stood behind him (in the congregation) and recited "Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High" [Surah al-A'la: 1]. When he finished the prayer, he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Who was the one reciting?" The man said: It was I. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I realised that one of you was contending with me over it."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2906
(a) Shu'bah said: "I said to Qatadah: Perhaps he did not approve of reciting behind the imam?" He said: "Had he not approved of it, he would certainly have forbidden it."
(b) It has been narrated to us from Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "No prayer is valid without Surah al-Fatihah." If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved of the one reciting behind him, it was his reciting aloud that he disliked, not reciting within oneself (that is, he disapproved of his recitation because he was reciting aloud, which was disturbing his own recitation).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2907
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Abdullah bin Hudhafah (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed and began reciting aloud, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ibn Hudhafah, do not make me hear it; rather, make Allah hear it."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2908
Kathir bin Murrah al-Hadrami (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I heard Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: Is there (required) recitation in every prayer? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes (it is required)." A man from the Ansar said: Recitation has become obligatory. I was the closest of all the people to him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I think that the imam's recitation is sufficient for the followers."
Abu Salih, the scribe of al-Layth, narrated it thus and erred in it; likewise Zayd bin al-Hubab narrated it so in one of the two narrations from him, and he made a mistake in it. The correct version is that Abu al-Darda said this to Kathir bin Murrah.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2909
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:منكر
Hadith Takhrij«منكر۔ قال الدار قطني والنسائي الصحيح انه موقوف»
(a) Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a man stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), is recitation required in every prayer? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes." A man from among the people said: Recitation has become obligatory. Then Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said, while I was beside him: "O Kathir (this is the narrator's name), I think that the imam's recitation is sufficient for the followers."
(b) Ali said: The correct view is that this is the statement of Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) himself, as Ibn Wahb narrated it; Zayd bin al-Hubab erred in it. Zayd also narrated it as Ibn Wahb narrated it, and Abd al-Rahman bin Mahdi, who is an imam and a hafiz, narrated it from Mu'awiyah bin Salih and made it the statement of Abu al-Darda. It has been narrated to us from Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) that he held the view of reciting behind the imam, while Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) did not hold the view of reciting behind the imam.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2910
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:صحيح
Hadith Takhrij«صحيح۔ وقد تقدم الكلام عليه في الذي قبله»
(a) Ata bin Yasar narrated that he asked Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) about reciting with the imam, and he said: I do not recite with the imam in anything.
(b) This is to be understood as referring to reciting aloud along with the imam.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2911
(a) Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever recites behind the imam, his prayer is not valid.
(b) If this hadith is authentic with these words, and there is doubt about that, it is to be understood as referring to reciting aloud. And Allah Almighty knows best.
Abdullah bin al-Walid al-Adani differed from him and narrated it from Sufyan from Umar bin Muhammad from Musa bin Sa'd from Zayd, without mentioning his father in its chain. Al-Bukhari said: With this chain, it is not known that some of them heard from others, and the like of it is not authentic.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2912