Recitation is a pillar of the prayer, so the one capable of it is more worthy, just as the one capable of standing is more worthy than one who is incapable of it. If it is said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) only ordered the prioritization of the reciter because the Companions (9) who were most well-versed in recitation were also the most well-versed in jurisprudence, as they would not learn the Quran without learning its rulings alongside it; Ibn Mas'ud said: "We would not exceed ten verses until we knew its command, its prohibition, and its rulings." We reply: The wording is general, so it is obligatory to follow its generality rather than the specificity of the cause (sabab), and it is not to be particularized as long as no evidence (10) for its particularization is established. Moreover, there is that in the hadith which refutes this interpretation, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If they are equal, then the most knowledgeable of them in the Sunnah." He prioritized them based on knowledge of the Sunnah while they were equal in recitation. If he had prioritized the reciter due to his additional knowledge (11), he would not have shifted them, upon equality in that, to the one more knowledgeable of the Sunnah. If knowledge of jurisprudence were commensurate with recitation, equality in recitation would necessitate equality in it, yet the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The most well-versed of you in recitation is Ubayy, the most capable of you in judgment is Ali, the most knowledgeable of you regarding the lawful and the prohibited is Mu'adh ibn Jabal, and the most knowledgeable of you regarding inheritance (fara'id) is Zayd ibn Thabit" (12). Thus, he prioritized in jurisprudence one who is less distinguished in recitation, and he prioritized in recitation one who is less distinguished in judgment, inheritance, and the knowledge of the lawful and the prohibited.
= 5/191. And Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on Who is Most Entitled to Lead, from the Book of Prayer, Sunan Abi Dawud 1/138. And Al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on a Man Sufficing with Another's Adhan While Resident, from the Book of Adhan, and in: The Chapter on the Imamate of a Young Boy Before He Reaches Puberty, from the Book of Imamate, Al-Mujtaba 2/9, 63. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 3/475, 5/30, 71. (9) In A and M: "his Companions". (10) In M, there is an addition: "upon". (11) In A and M: "knowledge". (12) Recorded by Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on the Virtues of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), from the Introduction, with a longer context than this, Sunan Ibn Majah 1/55. It was also recorded by Al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on the Merits of Mu'adh ibn Jabal..., from the Chapters on Merits, 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 13/202; and Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad, and neither of them mentions Ali.
