And al-Awza'i said: He does not recite it at the beginning of the Fatiha, due to the hadith of Anas (2). From Ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mughaffal, he said: My father heard me saying, "In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." He said: "O my son, this is an innovation (muhdath). Beware of innovation." He said: "And I did not see anyone (3) among the companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) who held innovation in Islam in greater hatred than he—meaning himself. For I prayed with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and with Abu Bakr, [and Umar, and Uthman], (5) and I did not hear any of them say it, so do not say it. When you pray, say: 'Al-hamdu lillahi rabb al-'alamin' (All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds)." It was recorded by al-Tirmidhi (6), who said: "A hasan (good) hadith."

As for us, there is what Nu'aym (7) al-Mujmir narrated, that he said: "I prayed behind Abu Hurayrah, and he recited: 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.' Then he recited the Mother of the Quran, and said: 'By Him in Whose hand is my soul, I am the closest of you in prayer to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)." It was recorded by al-Nasa'i (8). Ibn al-Mundhir recorded that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) recited in the prayer: "In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." And from Umm Salamah, that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) recited in the prayer: "In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," and counted it as a verse, and "Al-hamdu lillahi rabb al-'alamin" as two (9). As for the hadith of Anas, its answer has already been given (10). Then we interpret it to mean...