meaning that what was heard from them was: 'Al-hamdu lillahi rabb al-'alamin' (All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds). It has indeed come to be explicitly stated as such. Shu'bah and Shayban narrated from Qatadah, who said: I heard Anas ibn Malik say: I prayed behind the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Abu Bakr, and Umar, and I did not hear any of them recite 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' audibly. In another wording: 'All of them would recite 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' silently.' And in another wording: 'The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to recite 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' silently, as did Abu Bakr and Umar.' It was recorded by Ibn Shahin (11). The hadith of Ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mughaffal is also interpreted in light of this, to reconcile the narrations. Furthermore, because 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' is used to open all other chapters, its use to open the Fatiha is more appropriate, as it is the beginning of the Quran and its opening. Malik conceded this, for he said regarding the standing in Ramadan: 'He does not recite 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' at the beginning of the Fatiha, but he opens the rest of the chapters with it.'
150 - Issue; He said: (And he does not recite it audibly).
Meaning 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'. There is no difference of opinion in the narration from Ahmad that reciting it audibly is not Sunnah. Al-Tirmidhi (1) said: This is the practice according to the majority of the scholars, from the companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and those after them from the Tabi'un (Successors), among them Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. Ibn al-Mundhir mentioned it from Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn al-Zubayr, and 'Ammar. Al-Hakam, Hammad, al-Awza'i, al-Thawri, Ibn al-Mubarak, and the scholars of opinion (Ashab al-Ra'y) hold this view. It is narrated from 'Ata', Tawus, Mujahid, and Sa'id ibn Jubayr that they supported audible recitation. This is the school of al-Shafi'i, due to the hadith of Abu Hurayrah that he recited it (2) in prayer. And it is established from him (3) that he said: 'What the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) made us hear, we have made you hear; and what he concealed from us, we have concealed from you.'
(11) Abu Hafs 'Umar ibn Ahmad ibn 'Uthman, Ibn Shahin al-Baghdadi al-Hafiz, the hadith scholar of Iraq, author of various works, who died in the year 385 AH. Tadhkirat al-Huffaz 3/987-989. (1) In: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding Leaving the Audible Recitation of 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful', from the Chapters on Prayer. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/44. (2) In the original: "qara'a biha". (3) In (M): "annahu".
