757 - Ibn Abi Hazm narrated to us, saying: Bishr ibn 'Umar narrated to us, saying: Ibn Lahi'ah narrated to us, saying: 'Iyad ibn 'Abd Allah narrated to us, that Ibn 'Umar said: "For everything there is an adornment, and the adornment of prayer is the Takbir and raising the hands during prayer."

Chapter: Regarding someone who forgets the opening Takbir

• I asked Ahmad ibn Hanbal, saying: What about a man who forgot the opening Takbir until he finished the prayer? He said: "This person was not in a state of prayer; he must repeat the prayer."

• I asked Ahmad another time, saying: What about one who forgets a Takbir of the prayer, such as for bowing or prostration? He said: "He should perform the two prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw)." I said: Then what if he forgot the opening Takbir? He said: "This person was not in a state of prayer."

758 - Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Wazir al-Dimashqi narrated to us, saying: al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us, saying: Yunus ibn Yazid said to me: Ibn Shihab informed him, from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, regarding one who forgets the opening Takbir: that he must repeat [the prayer].

759 - al-Walid said: And Ibn Lahi'ah informed me, from Bukayr ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Ashajj, who said: "Whoever forgets the opening Takbir must repeat the prayer."

760 - al-Walid said: And 'Abd al-'Aziz informed me, from Abu Umayyah 'Abd al-Karim ibn Abi al-Mukhariq, who said: "If the Imam remembers that he did not say the opening Takbir while he is still in the prayer, he should say it when he remembers and restart his prayer. And if he remembers that after he has prayed, he must repeat it. And his companions, even if they had said the Takbir while he had not, their prayer's completeness is the completeness of the Imam's prayer," meaning: that they must all repeat it.