853 - Ishaq narrated to us, saying: 'Isa ibn Yunus informed us, from 'Imran ibn Sulayman, from al-Sha'bi, that he was asked about "Bismillahi al-Rahmani al-Rahim," so he said: "It is a verse from the Book of Allah, placed as a separator between the surahs."

854 - I heard Ahmad ibn Sa'id say: Ibn al-Mubarak said: "Whoever omits the recitation of 'Bismillahi al-Rahmani al-Rahim' at the beginning of every surah has omitted one hundred and some odd verses from the Book of Allah."

• And Ahmad ibn Sa'id said: "Whoever does not recite 'Bismillahi al-Rahmani al-Rahim' whenever he recites the Opening of the Book in prayer, I fear that his prayer is not valid; because the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 'No prayer is sufficient in which the Opening of the Book is not recited,' and 'Bismillahi al-Rahmani al-Rahim' is a verse from the Opening of the Book."

855 - Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us, saying: Abu al-Ahwas narrated to us, saying: Abu Muhammad Yusuf ibn Asbat narrated to us, from 'A'idh ibn Shurayh, from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "I prayed behind the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, behind Abu Bakr, behind 'Umar, behind 'Uthman, and behind 'Ali, and I did not hear any of them recite 'Bismillahi al-Rahmani al-Rahim' aloud."

Chapter: Regarding the one who catches the last two rak'ahs with the Imam; should he consider them the beginning of his prayer or not?

• And I heard Abu 'Abd Allah Ahmad ibn Hanbal say—regarding the man who catches two rak'ahs of the Dhuhr prayer with the Imam—he said: "In what he performs later, he should recite in every rak'ah: the Hamd and a surah. And if he catches one rak'ah with the Imam, he should stand and recite the Hamd and a surah, then sit, then stand and recite the Hamd and a surah and not sit, then stand and recite the Hamd alone, then sit."