and His saying: "So recite what is easy of it" (9). This is also because the Fatiha and the rest of the Quran are equal in all other rulings, so it is the same in prayer. Our evidence is what Ubadah ibn al-Samit narrated from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), that he said: "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Fatihat al-Kitab)." It is agreed upon (10). Furthermore, because recitation is a pillar of the prayer, it is specifically designated, just like bowing (ruku') and prostration (sujud). As for their report, al-Shafi'i (11) narrated with his chain of transmission from Rifa'ah ibn Rafi' that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to the bedouin: "Then recite the Mother of the Quran (Umm al-Quran), and whatever Allah wills for you to recite." We interpret this to mean the Fatiha along with whatever is recited in addition to it, or it is possible that he (the bedouin) did not know the Fatiha. As for the verse, it is possible that he intended (12) the Fatiha and what is easy with it, or it is possible that it was revealed before the revelation of the Fatiha, because it was revealed in Mecca when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was commanded to perform night prayer, and Allah the Exalted abrogated that for him [later]. The meaning they mentioned is something we have reached a consensus against, for whoever omits the Fatiha is considered to have performed his prayer poorly (musi'), unlike the rest of the surahs.

149- Issue; He said: (And he begins it (1) with "In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful").

The sum of this is that the recitation of "In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" is legislated in prayer, at the beginning of the Fatiha and at the beginning of every surah, according to the view of the majority of scholars. Malik and al-Awza'i said: