Section: The follower (ma'mum) shall not perform the takbir until his Imam has finished the takbir. Abu Hanifa said: He should perform it with him, just as he bows with him. Our position is that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The Imam is only appointed to be followed, so when he performs the takbir, then perform the takbir." This is unanimously agreed upon (22). Bowing is similar to that, for one only bows after him, except that his prayer is not invalidated by bowing with him because he has already entered the prayer, whereas here it is otherwise. If he performs the takbir before his Imam, his takbir is not established, and he must repeat the takbir after the Imam's takbir.
Section: The takbir is part of the prayer. The companions of Abu Hanifa said: It is not part of it, based on the evidence of its attribution to the prayer in his statement: "Its prohibition is the takbir," and a thing is not attributed to itself. Our position is the statement of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) concerning the prayer: "It is only tasbih, takbir, and the recitation of the Qur'an." Narrated by Muslim [and Abu Dawud] (23). What they have mentioned is an error; for the parts of a thing are attributed to it, such as a human's hand, his head, and his limbs.
(22) Narrated by al-Bukhari in: Chapter on Prayer on Rooftops, the Minbar, and Wood, from the Book of Prayer; and in: Chapter: The Imam is only appointed to be followed, Chapter: Straightening the Rows is Part of Completing the Prayer, Chapter: The Obligation of Takbir and Opening the Prayer, and Chapter: Inclining with Takbir when Prostrating, from the Book of Adhan; and in: Chapter: The Prayer of the Person Sitting, from the Book of Shortening the Prayer; and in: Chapter: Gesturing in Prayer, from the Book of Forgetfulness; and in: Chapter: If One Visits a Sick Person and the Prayer Time Arrives, from the Book of the Sick. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/106, 176, 184, 187, 203, 2/59, 89, 7/152. And Muslim, in: Chapter: The Following of the Imam by the Ma'mum, and Chapter: The Prohibition of Preceding the Imam in Takbir and Other Things, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/308-311. It was also narrated by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter: The Imam Praying from a Sitting Position, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/141, 142. And al-Tirmidhi, in: Chapter: What Was Reported Concerning If the Imam Prays Sitting, Then You Pray Sitting, from the Chapters on Prayer. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/155, 156. And al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter: Following the Imam, and Chapter: Following the Imam Who Prays Sitting, from the Book of Imamate; and in: Chapter: {And when the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention, that you may receive mercy}, from the Book of Opening; and in: Chapter: What the Imam Says, from the Book of Tatbiq. Al-Mujtaba 2/65, 77, 109, 153, 154. And Ibn Majah, in: Chapter: If the Imam Recites, Then Listen, and Chapter: What Was Reported Regarding "The Imam is Only Appointed to be Followed," from the Book of Establishing the Prayer. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/276, 392. And al-Darimi, in: Chapter: What is Said After Raising the Head from Bowing, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan al-Darimi 1/300. And Imam Malik, in: Chapter: The Imam's Prayer While Sitting, from the Book of Congregation. Al-Muwatta 1/135. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 2/230, 314, 341, 376, 387, 411, 420, 438, 440, 452, 459, 475, 3/110, 154, 162, 200, 217, 4/401, 405, 6/51, 58, 68, 148, 194. (23) Omitted from the original. The hadith was narrated by Muslim, in: Chapter: The Prohibition of Speaking in Prayer, and the Abrogation of What Was Permissible of it, from the Book of Mosques. Sahih Muslim 1/381, 382. And Abu Dawud, in: Chapter: Saying 'Yarhamuk Allah' to the Sneezer in Prayer, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/213. It was also narrated by Imam Ahmad in Al-Musnad 5/447, 448.
