The Hadith on Recitation Behind the Imam – Chain is Invalid
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
What is the authenticity of the following narration?
❀ Narrated from Sayyidunā ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (RA):
قال رجل للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : أقرأ خلف الإمام أو أنصت؟ قال : بل أنصت فإنه يكفيك.
“A man asked the Prophet ﷺ: ‘Should I recite behind the Imam or remain silent?’ He replied: ‘Rather, remain silent, for the recitation of the Imam is sufficient for you.’”
(Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 1/330)
❖ Answer:
Its chain is invalid (bāṭil).
① Ghassān ibn Rabīʿ – weak.
② Qays ibn Rabīʿ – weak.
③ Muḥammad ibn Sālim al-Hamdānī – weak and abandoned (matrūk).
④ al-Ḥārith ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Aʿwar – weak.
Conclusion:This narration regarding not reciting behind the Imam has a false/invalid chain due to the presence of multiple weak and abandoned narrators.
