And their statement that it did not change (6) its structure nor its meaning is invalid; for he [the Prophet] moved it from the indefinite (al-tankir) to the definite (al-ta'rif), and it was implicitly containing a pronoun or a specific estimation, which then vanished. For his saying "Allahu Akbar" has the estimation: "greater than everything." It has not been reported in the speech of Allah the Almighty, nor in the speech of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), nor in the established conventions of eloquent speakers, except in this way. Thus, the unrestricted use of the word "takbir" refers to this [formula] to the exclusion of others, just as the unrestricted use of the word "tasmiyah" refers to the saying "Bismillah" to the exclusion of others. This indicates that other than it is not equivalent to it.

Section: The takbir is a pillar (rukn) in the prayer, without which the prayer is not established, whether one omits it intentionally or out of forgetfulness. This is the opinion of Rabi'ah, Malik, al-Thawri, al-Shafi'i, Ishaq, Abu Thawr, and Ibn al-Mundhir. Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, al-Hasan, al-Zuhri, Qatadah, al-Hakam, and al-Awza'i said: Whoever forgets the opening takbir, the takbir of the ruku' (bowing) suffices for them. Our position is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Its sanctity is the takbir." This indicates that one does not enter the prayer without it.

Section: The takbir is not valid unless it is performed in the correct order; if one reverses it, it is not valid, because (7) it would not be a takbir. It is obligatory for the person praying to make themselves hear it, whether they are an imam (8) or otherwise, unless there is a condition such as deafness or something preventing (9) them from hearing. In that case, they should perform it in such a way that if they were able to hear [or had no such condition] (10), they would have heard it. This is because it (11) is a dhikr (remembrance) whose place is the tongue, and it cannot be speech without sound; sound is that which is capable of being heard, and the closest of listeners to the person is their own self. Whenever they do not hear it, they do not know that they have performed the utterance. There is no difference between a man and a woman in what we have mentioned.

Section: It is recommended for the imam to say the takbir aloud, in a manner that the followers can hear