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:
(9) Surah al-Muzzammil: 20. (10) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on the Obligation of Recitation for the Imam and the Follower... etc., from the Book of Adhan, Sahih al-Bukhari 1/192. And Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Obligation of Reciting the Fatiha in Every Rak'ah... etc., from the Book of Prayer, Sahih Muslim 1/295. And Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on One Who Leaves Reciting the Opening of the Book in His Prayer, from the Book of Prayer, Sunan Abi Dawud 1/189. It was also recorded by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter: There is No Prayer Except with the Opening of the Book, and The Chapter on Recitation Behind the Imam, and The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding Leaving Recitation Behind the Imam When He Recites Aloud, from the Chapters on Prayer, 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/46, 107, 110. And al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the Obligation of Reciting the Opening of the Book in Prayer, from the Book of Opening, al-Mujtaba 2/106. And Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on Recitation Behind the Imam, from the Book of Establishing Prayer, Sunan Ibn Majah 1/273. And al-Darimi, in: The Chapter: There is No Prayer Except with the Opening of the Book, from the Book of Prayer, Sunan al-Darimi 1/283. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 5/314, 316, 321, 322. (11) Tartib Musnad al-Shafi'i 1/71. (12) In (M): "Urid" (It was intended). (1) In the original: "wa yabtadi'u biha".
