﴾بابٌ القَوْلُ في ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Chapter: The Discourse Concerning Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: الكَلامُ فِيها مِن وُجُوهٍ:
Abū Bakr said: The discussion concerning it is from several aspects:
أحَدُها: مَعْنى الضَّمِيرِ الَّذِي فِيها.
The first of them: the meaning of the implicit pronoun/verb within it.
والثّانِي: هَلْ هي مِنَ القُرْآنِ في افْتِتاحِهِ ؟
And the second: Is it from the Qur’ān at its opening?
والثّالِثُ: هَلْ هي مِنَ الفاتِحَةِ أمْ لا ؟
And the third: Is it from al-Fātiḥah or not?
والرّابِعُ: هَلْ هي مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ ؟
And the fourth: Is it from the beginnings of the Sūrahs?
والخامِسُ: هَلْ هي آيَةٌ تامَّةٌ أمْ لَيْسَتْ بِآيَةٍ تامَّةٍ ؟
And the fifth: Is it a complete verse or is it not a complete verse?
والسّادِسُ: قِراءَتُها في الصَّلاةِ.
And the sixth: its recitation in the prayer.
والسّابِعُ: تَكْرارُها في أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ في الصَّلاةِ.
And the seventh: its repetition at the beginnings of the Sūrahs in the prayer.
والثّامِنُ: الجَهْرُ بِها.
And the eighth: reciting it aloud.
والتّاسِعُ: ذِكْرُ ما في مُضْمَرِها مِنَ الفَوائِدِ وكَثْرَةِ المَعانِي فَنَقُولُ: إنَّ فِيها ضَمِيرَ فِعْلٍ لا يَسْتَغْنِي الكَلامُ عَنْهُ؛ لِأنَّ الباءَ مَعَ سائِرِ حُرُوفِ الجَرِّ لا بُدَّ أنْ يَتَّصِلَ بِفِعْلٍ إمّا مُظْهَرٍ مَذْكُورٍ، وإمّا مُضْمَرٍ مَحْذُوفٍ، والضَّمِيرُ في هَذا المَوْضِعِ يَنْقَسِمُ إلى مَعْنَيَيْنِ: خَبَرٍ وأمْرٍ، فَإذا كانَ الضَّمِيرُ خَبَرًا كانَ مَعْناهُ: أبْدَأُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، فَحُذِفَ هَذا الخَبَرُ وأُضْمِرَ؛ لِأنَّ القارِئَ مُبْتَدِئٌ، فالحالُ المُشاهَدَةُ مُنْبِئَةٌ عَنْهُ، مُغْنِيَةٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِهِ، وإذا كانَ أمْرًا كانَ مَعْناهُ: ابْدَءُوا بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، واحْتِمالُهُ لِكُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنَ المَعْنَيَيْنِ عَلى وجْهٍ واحِدٍ.
And the ninth: mentioning what is in its implication of benefits and abundance of meanings. So we say: Indeed, within it is an implicit verb that the speech cannot do without; because the letter bāʾ along with the rest of the prepositions must be connected to a verb, either one that is apparent and mentioned, or one that is implicit and omitted. And the implicit element in this place is divided into two meanings: a declarative statement and a command. So if the implicit element is a declarative statement, its meaning would be: I begin in the name of Allāh. This declarative statement was omitted and made implicit because the reciter is beginning, so the observed situation informs of it, making its mention unnecessary. And if it is a command, its meaning would be: Begin (you pl.) in the name of Allāh. And its potential for each of the two meanings is on a single level.
وفِي نَسَقِ تِلاوَةِ السُّورَةِ دَلالَةٌ عَلى أنَّهُ أمْرٌ، وهو قَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿إيّاكَ نَعْبُدُ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٥]
And in the sequence of the recitation of the Sūrah is an indication that it is a command, which is His, the Exalted’s, statement: {You alone we worship} [Al-Fātiḥah: 5].
ومَعْناهُ: قُولُوا إيّاكَ، كَذَلِكَ ابْتِداءُ الخِطابِ في مَعْنى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ﴾ وقَدْ ورَدَ الأمْرُ بِذَلِكَ في مَواضِعَ مِنَ القُرْآنِ مُصَرَّحًا وهو قَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ﴾ [العلق: ١] فَأُمِرَ في افْتِتاحِ القِراءَةِ بِالتَّسْمِيَةِ كَما أُمِرَ أمامَ القِراءَةِ بِتَقْدِيمِ الِاسْتِعاذَةِ، وهو إذا كانَ خَبَرًا فَإنَّهُ يَتَضَمَّنُ مَعْنى الأمْرِ؛ لِأنَّهُ لَمّا كانَ مَعْلُومًا أنَّهُ خَبَرٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ بِأنَّهُ يَبْدَأُ بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ فَفِيهِ أمْرٌ لَنا بِالِابْتِداءِ بِهِ والتَّبَرُّكِ بِافْتِتاحِهِ؛ لِأنَّهُ إنَّما أخْبَرَنا بِهِ لِنَفْعَلَ مِثْلَهُ، ولا يَبْعُدُ أنْ يَكُونَ الضَّمِيرُ لَهُما جَمِيعًا، فَيَكُونَ الخَبَرُ والأمْرُ جَمِيعًا مُرادَيْنِ، لِاحْتِمالِ اللَّفْظِ لَهُما فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: لَوْ صَرَّحَ بِذِكْرِ الخَبَرِ لَمْ يَجُزْ أنْ يُرِيدَ بِهِ المَعْنَيَيْنِ جَمِيعًا مِنَ الأمْرِ والخَبَرِ، كَذَلِكَ يَجِبُ أنْ يَكُونَ حُكْمُ الضَّمِيرِ في انْتِفاءِ إرادَةِ الأمْرَيْنِ، قِيلَ لَهُ:
Its meaning is: Say, “You alone…” Likewise is the beginning of the address in the meaning of His statement: {Bismillāh}. And the command for that has come in places in the Qur’ān explicitly, which is His, the Exalted’s, statement: {Read in the name of your Lord} [Al-ʿAlaq: 1]. So he was commanded at the opening of the recitation with the tasmiyah (saying Bismillāh), just as he was commanded before the recitation to precede it with the istiʿādhah (seeking refuge). And if it is a declarative statement, then it implies the meaning of a command; because when it is known that it is a declaration from Allāh that He begins in the name of Allāh, then in it is a command for us to begin with it and to seek blessing by opening with it; because He only informed us of it so that we would do likewise. And it is not improbable that the implicit element is for both of them together, so the declarative statement and the command are both intended, due to the word’s potential for them. So if a person were to say: If the declarative statement were mentioned explicitly, it would not be permissible to intend both meanings by it together, the command and the declarative statement. Likewise, the ruling of the implicit element must be the negation of the intention of both matters. It is said to him:
إذا أظْهَرَ صِيغَةَ الخَبَرِ امْتَنَعَ أنْ يُرِيدَهُما لِاسْتِحالَةِ كَوْنِ لَفْظٍ واحِدٍ أمْرًا وخَبَرًا في حالٍ واحِدٍ؛ لِأنَّهُ مَتى أرادَ بِالخَبَرِ الأمْرَ كانَ اللَّفْظُ مَجازًا، وإذا أرادَ بِهِ حَقِيقَةَ الخَبَرِ كانَ حَقِيقَةً، وغَيْرُ جائِزٍ أنْ يَكُونَ اللَّفْظُ الواحِدُ مَجازًا حَقِيقَةً، لِأنَّ الحَقِيقَةَ هي اللَّفْظُ المُسْتَعْمَلُ في مَوْضِعِهِ، والمَجازُ ما عُدِلَ بِهِ عَنْ مَوْضِعِهِ إلى غَيْرِهِ، ويَسْتَحِيلُ كَوْنُهُ مُسْتَعْمَلًا في مَوْضِعِهِ ومَعْدُولًا بِهِ عَنْهُ في حالٍ واحِدٍ؛ فَلِذَلِكَ امْتَنَعَ إرادَةُ الخَبَرِ والأمْرِ بِلَفْظٍ واحِدٍ، وأمّا الضَّمِيرُ فَغَيْرُ مَذْكُورٍ، وإنَّما هو مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِالإرادَةِ ولا يَسْتَحِيلُ إرادَتُهُما مَعًا عِنْدَ احْتِمالِ اللَّفْظِ لِإضْمارِ كُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُما، فَيَكُونُ مَعْناهُ حِينَئِذٍ: أبْدَأُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ عَلى مَعْنى الخَبَرِ، وابْدَءُوا أنْتُمْ أيْضًا بِهِ اقْتِداءً بِفِعْلِي وتَبَرُّكًا بِهِ غَيْرَ أنَّ جَوازَ إرادَتِهِما لا يُوجِبُ عِنْدَ الإطْلاقِ إثْباتَهُما إلّا بِدَلالَةٍ؛ إذْ لَيْسَ هو عُمُومَ لَفْظٍ مُسْتَعْمَلٍ عَلى مُقْتَضاهُ ومُوجَبِهِ.
If the form of the declarative statement is made apparent, it is impossible to intend both of them due to the impossibility of a single word being a command and a declarative statement in a single instance; because whenever one intends a command by a declarative statement, the word is figurative, and if one intends by it the reality of a declarative statement, it is literal. And it is not permissible for a single word to be figurative and literal [at the same time], because the literal is the word used in its proper place, and the figurative is what is diverted from its proper place to another. And it is impossible for it to be used in its proper place and diverted from it in a single instance. For that reason, intending both the declarative statement and the command with a single word is impossible. As for the implicit element, it is not mentioned; rather, it is connected to the intention, and it is not impossible to intend both of them together when the wording has the potential for the implication of each one of them. Its meaning then would be: I begin in the name of Allāh, in the sense of a declarative statement, and you also begin with it, in emulation of my action and seeking blessing by it. However, the permissibility of intending both of them does not necessitate, when used without restriction, their affirmation except with an indication; since it is not a general word used according to its requirement and what it necessitates.
وإنَّما الَّذِي يَلْزَمُ حُكْمَ اللَّفْظِ إثْباتُ ضَمِيرٍ مُحْتَمَلٍ لِكُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنَ الوَجْهَيْنِ.
Rather, what the ruling of the word necessitates is the affirmation of an implicit element that has the potential for each of the two aspects.
وتَعْيِينُهُ في أحَدِهِما مَوْقُوفٌ عَلى الدَّلالَةِ كَذَلِكَ قَوْلُنا في نَظائِرِهِ نَحْوُ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ «رُفِعَ عَنِ اُمَّتِي الخَطَأُ والنِّسْيانُ وما اسْتُكْرِهُوا عَلَيْهِ» لِأنَّ الحُكْمَ لَمّا تَعَلَّقَ بِضَمِيرٍ يَحْتَمِلُ رَفْعَ الحُكْمِ رَأْسًا ويَحْتَمِلُ المَأْثَمَ لَمْ يَمْتَنِعْ إرادَةُ الأمْرَيْنِ بِأنْ لا يَلْزَمَهُ شَيْءٌ، ولا مَأْثَمَ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ لِاحْتِمالِ اللَّفْظِ لَهُما وجَوازِ إرادَتِهِما، إلّا أنَّهُ مَعَ ذَلِكَ لَيْسَ بِعُمُومِ لَفْظٍ فَيَنْتَظِمُهُما، فاحْتَجْنا في إثْباتِ المُرادِ إلى دَلالَةٍ مِن غَيْرِهِ، ولَيْسَ يَمْتَنِعُ قِيامُ الدَّلالَةِ عَلى إرادَةِ أحَدِهِما بِعَيْنِهِ أوْ إرادَتِهِما جَمِيعًا.
And specifying it to one of them is contingent upon an indication. Likewise is our statement regarding its parallels, such as the statement of the Prophet ﷺ, “Lifted from my ummah are mistake, forgetfulness, and what they are coerced into.” Because when the ruling is connected to an implicit element that has the potential for the lifting of the ruling itself and has the potential for [the lifting of] the sin, it is not impossible to intend both matters, such that nothing is binding upon him, and there is no sin upon him with Allāh, due to the word’s potential for both and the permissibility of intending them. Except that, despite that, it is not a general word that would encompass them both, so we need, in order to affirm what is intended, an indication from other than it. And it is not impossible for an indication to exist for the intention of one of them specifically, or the intention of both of them together.
وقَدْ يَجِيءُ مِنَ الضَّمِيرِ المُحْتَمِلِ لِأمْرَيْنِ ما لا يَصِحُّ إرادَتُهُما مَعًا، نَحْوَ ما رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أنَّهُ قالَ: «إنَّما الأعْمالُ بِالنِّيّاتِ» . مَعْلُومٌ أنَّ حُكْمَهُ مُتَعَلِّقٌ بِضَمِيرٍ يَحْتَمِلُ جَوازَ العَمَلِ ويَحْتَمِلُ أفْضَلِيَّتَهُ فَمَتى أرادَ الجَوازَ امْتَنَعَتْ إرادَةُ الأفْضَلِيَّةِ؛ لِأنَّ إرادَةَ الجَوازِ تَنْفِي ثُبُوتَ حُكْمِهِ مَعَ عَدَمِ النِّيَّةِ، وإرادَةَ الأفْضَلِيَّةِ تَقْتَضِي إثْباتَ حُكْمِ شَيْءٍ مِنهُ لا مَحالَةَ مَعَ إثْباتِ النُّقْصانِ فِيهِ ونَفْيِ الأفْضَلِيَّةِ، ويَسْتَحِيلُ أنْ يُرِيدَ نَفْيَ الأصْلِ ونَفْيَ الكَمالِ المُوجِبِ لِلنُّقْصانِ في حالٍ واحِدٍ.
And there may come from an implicit element that has potential for two matters that which is not valid to intend both of them together, such as what was narrated from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: “Actions are but by intentions.” It is known that its ruling is connected to an implicit element that has the potential for the validity of the action and has the potential for its virtue. So whenever one intends validity, the intention of virtue is impossible; because the intention of validity negates the establishment of its ruling in the absence of intention, while the intention of virtue necessitates the establishment of some ruling for it, inevitably, along with the affirmation of deficiency in it and the negation of virtue. And it is impossible to intend the negation of the foundation and the negation of the perfection which necessitates deficiency in a single instance.
وهَذا مِمّا لا يَصِحُّ فِيهِ إرادَةُ المَعْنَيَيْنِ مِن نَفْيِ الأصْلِ وإثْباتِ النَّقْصِ، ولا يَصِحُّ قِيامُ الدَّلالَةِ عَلى إرادَتِهِما
And this is among that in which it is not valid to intend the two meanings of negating the foundation and affirming the deficiency, nor is it valid for an indication to exist for the intention of them both.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: وإذا ثَبَتَ اقْتِضاؤُهُ لِمَعْنى الأمْرِ انْقَسَمَ ذَلِكَ إلى فَرْضٍ ونَفْلٍ فالفَرْضُ هو ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ عِنْدَ افْتِتاحِ الصَّلاةِ في قَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿قَدْ أفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكّى﴾ [الأعلى: ١٤] ﴿وذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلّى﴾ [الأعلى: ١٥] فَجَعَلَهُ مُصَلِّيًا عَقِيبَ الذِّكْرِ، فَدَلَّ عَلى أنَّهُ أرادَ ذِكْرَ التَّحْرِيمَةِ وقالَ تَعالى: ﴿واذْكُرِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ وتَبَتَّلْ إلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلا﴾ [المزمل: ٨] قِيلَ إنَّ المُرادَ بِهِ ذِكْرُ الِافْتِتاحِ.
Abū Bakr said: And if its requirement of the meaning of a command is established, that is divided into obligatory (farḍ) and supererogatory (nafl). The obligatory is the mention of Allāh at the opening of the prayer, in His, the Exalted’s, statement: {He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself} [Al-Aʿlā: 14] {And mentions the name of his Lord and prays} [Al-Aʿlā: 15]. So He made him one who prays immediately following the mention, which indicates that He intended the mention of the taḥrīmah (the opening of the prayer). And He, the Exalted, said: {And remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with [complete] devotion} [Al-Muzzammil: 8]. It was said that what is intended by it is the opening mention.
رُوِيَ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ في قَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿وألْزَمَهم كَلِمَةَ التَّقْوى﴾ [الفتح: ٢٦] قالَ: هي ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾؛ وكَذَلِكَ هو في الذَّبِيحَةِ فَرْضٌ، وقَدْ أكَّدَهُ بِقَوْلِهِ: ﴿فاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْها صَوافَّ﴾ [الحج: ٣٦] وقَوْلِهِ: ﴿ولا تَأْكُلُوا مِمّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وإنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ﴾ [الأنعام: ١٢١]
It was narrated from al-Zuhrī regarding His, the Exalted’s, statement: {And imposed upon them the word of righteousness} [Al-Fatḥ: 26], he said: It is Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm. And likewise, it is obligatory for the slaughtered animal, and He has emphasized it with His statement: {So mention the name of Allāh upon them when lined up} [Al-Ḥajj: 36], and His statement: {And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allāh has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience} [Al-Anʿām: 121].
وهُوَ في الطَّهارَةِ والأكْلِ والشُّرْبِ وابْتِداءِ الأُمُورِ نَفْلٌ.
And it is supererogatory for purification, eating, drinking, and the beginning of affairs.
فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ هَلّا أوْجَبْتُمُ التَّسْمِيَةَ عَلى الوُضُوءِ بِمُقْتَضى الظّاهِرِ لِعَدَمِ الدَّلالَةِ عَلى خُصُوصِهِ مَعَ ما رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أنَّهُ قالَ: «لا وُضُوءَ لِمَن لَمْ يَذْكُرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ» قِيلَ لَهُ: الضَّمِيرُ لَيْسَ بِظاهِرٍ، فَيُعْتَبَرُ عُمُومُهُ، وإنَّما ثَبَتَ مِنهُ ما قامَتِ الدَّلالَةُ عَلَيْهِ؛ وقَوْلُهُ " لا وُضُوءَ لِمَن لَمْ يَذْكُرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ " عَلى جِهَةِ نَفْيِ الفَضِيلَةِ لِدَلائِلَ قامَتْ عَلَيْهِ.
If a person were to say, why did you not make the tasmiyah obligatory for ablution according to the requirement of the apparent meaning, due to the lack of an indication of its specificity, along with what was narrated from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: “There is no ablution for one who does not mention the name of Allāh upon it”? It is said to him: The implicit element is not apparent, such that its generality would be considered. Rather, only that for which an indication exists is established from it. And his statement, “There is no ablution for one who does not mention the name of Allāh upon it,” is in the sense of negating the virtue, due to indications that have been established for that.
فَصْلٌ
Section
وأمّا قِراءَتُها في الصَّلاةِ فَإنَّ أبا حَنِيفَةَ وابْنَ أبِي لَيْلى والثَّوْرِيَّ والحَسَنَ بْنَ صالِحٍ وأبا يُوسُفَ ومُحَمَّدًا وزُفَرَ والشّافِعِيَّ كانُوا يَقُولُونَ بِقِراءَتِها في الصَّلاةِ بَعْدَ الِاسْتِعاذَةِ قَبْلَ فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ، واخْتَلَفُوا في تَكْرارِها في كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ وعِنْدَ افْتِتاحِ السُّورَةِ؛ فَرَوى أبُو يُوسُفَ عَنْ أبِي حَنِيفَةَ أنَّهُ يَقْرَؤُها في كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ مَرَّةً واحِدَةً عِنْدَ ابْتِداءِ قِراءَةِ فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ، ولا يُعِيدُها مَعَ السُّورَةِ عِنْدَ أبِي حَنِيفَةَ وأبِي يُوسُفَ.
As for its recitation in the prayer, indeed Abū Ḥanīfah, Ibn Abī Laylā, al-Thawrī, al-Ḥasan ibn Ṣāliḥ, Abū Yūsuf, Muḥammad, Zufar, and al-Shāfiʿī used to hold the view of reciting it in the prayer after the istiʿādhah and before Fātiḥat al-Kitāb. And they differed regarding its repetition in every rakʿah and at the opening of a Sūrah. Abū Yūsuf narrated from Abū Ḥanīfah that he recites it in every rakʿah one time at the beginning of the recitation of Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, and he does not repeat it with the Sūrah according to Abū Ḥanīfah and Abū Yūsuf.
وقالَ مُحَمَّدٌ والحَسَنُ بْنُ زِيادٍ عَنْ أبِي حَنِيفَةَ: إذا قَرَأها في أوَّلِ رَكْعَةٍ عِنْدَ ابْتِداءِ القِراءَةِ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ أنْ يَقْرَأها في تِلْكَ الصَّلاةِ حَتّى يُسَلِّمَ، وإنْ قَرَأها مَعَ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ فَحَسَنٌ قالَ الحَسَنُ: وإنْ كانَ مَسْبُوقًا فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أنْ يَقْرَأها فِيما يَقْضِي؛ لِأنَّ الإمامَ قَدْ قَرَأها في أوَّلِ صَلاتِهِ، وقِراءَةُ الإمامَ لَهُ قِراءَةٌ.
Muḥammad and al-Ḥasan ibn Ziyād said, from Abū Ḥanīfah: If he recites it in the first rakʿah at the beginning of the recitation, it is not upon him to recite it in that prayer until he gives the salām. And if he recites it with every Sūrah, it is good. Al-Ḥasan said: And if he is one who joined late (masbūq), it is not upon him to recite it in what he makes up, because the Imām has already recited it at the beginning of his prayer, and the recitation of the Imām is a recitation for him.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: وهَذا يَدُلُّ مِن قَوْلِهِ عَلى أنَّهُ كانَ يَرى ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ مِنَ القُرْآنِ في ابْتِداءِ القِراءَةِ، وأنَّها لَيْسَتْ مُفْرَدَةً عَلى وجْهِ التَّبَرُّكِ فَقَطْ حَسَبَ إثْباتِها في ابْتِداءِ الأُمُورِ والكُتُبِ، ولا مَنقُولَةً عَنْ مَواضِعِها مِنَ القُرْآنِ.
Abū Bakr said: And this indicates from his statement that he held that Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm is from the Qur’ān at the beginning of the recitation, and that it is not isolated for the purpose of seeking blessing only, in the way it is affirmed at the beginning of affairs and books, nor is it transferred from its places in the Qur’ān.
ورَوى هِشامٌ عَنْ أبِي يُوسُفَ قالَ: سَألْتُ أبا حَنِيفَةَ عَنْ قِراءَةِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ قَبْلَ فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ وتَجْدِيدِها قَبْلَ السُّورَةِ الَّتِي بَعْدَ فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ، فَقالَ أبُو حَنِيفَةَ: يَجْزِيهِ قِراءَتُها قَبْلَ الحَمْدِ وقالَ أبُو يُوسُفَ: يَقْرَأُها في كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ قَبْلَ القِراءَةِ مَرَّةً واحِدَةً ويُعِيدُها في الأُخْرى أيْضًا قَبْلَ فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ وبَعْدَها إذا أرادَ أنْ يَقْرَأ سُورَةً قالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: فَإنْ قَرَأ سُوَرًا كَثِيرَةً وكانَتْ قِراءَتُهُ يُخْفِيها قَرَأها عِنْدَ افْتِتاحِ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ، وإنْ كانَ يَجْهَرُ بِها لَمْ يَقْرَأْها؛ لِأنَّهُ في الجَهْرِ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ بِسَكْتَةٍ
Hishām narrated from Abū Yūsuf, he said: I asked Abū Ḥanīfah about reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm before Fātiḥat al-Kitāb and renewing it before the Sūrah that is after Fātiḥat al-Kitāb. Abū Ḥanīfah said: It is sufficient for him to recite it before al-Ḥamd. Abū Yūsuf said: He recites it in every rakʿah before the recitation one time, and repeats it in the other [rakʿah] as well before Fātiḥat al-Kitāb and after it if he intends to recite a Sūrah. Muḥammad said: If he recites many Sūrahs and his recitation is one that he does inaudibly, he recites it at the opening of every Sūrah. And if he recites it aloud, he does not recite it, because in loud recitation he separates between the two Sūrahs with a pause.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: وهَذا مِن قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ يَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّ قِراءَةَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ إنَّما هي لِلْفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ أوْ لِابْتِداءِ القِراءَةِ، وأنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِنَ السُّوَرِ، ولا دَلالَةَ فِيهِ عَلى أنَّهُ كانَ لا يَراها آيَةً وأنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِنَ القُرْآنِ.
Abū Bakr said: And this, from the statement of Muḥammad, indicates that the recitation of Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm is only for separation between the two Sūrahs or for the beginning of the recitation, and that it is not from the Sūrahs. And there is no indication in it that he did not see it as a verse or that it is not from the Qur’ān.
وقالَ الشّافِعِيُّ: هي مِن أوَّلِ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ فَيَقْرَأُها عِنْدَ ابْتِداءِ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ
Al-Shāfiʿī said: It is from the beginning of every Sūrah, so he recites it at the beginning of every Sūrah.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: وقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ ومُجاهِدٍ أنَّها تُقْرَأُ في كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ وعَنْ إبْراهِيمَ قالَ: إذا قَرَأْتَها في أوَّلِ كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ أجْزَأكَ فِيما بَقِيَ.
Abū Bakr said: And it has been narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās and Mujāhid that it is recited in every rakʿah. And from Ibrāhīm, he said: If you recite it at the beginning of every rakʿah, it suffices you for what remains.
وقالَ مالِكُ بْنُ أنَسٍ: لا يَقْرَؤُها في المَكْتُوبَةِ سِرًّا ولا جَهْرًا، وفي النّافِلَةِ إنْ شاءَ قَرَأ وإنْ شاءَ تَرَكَ.
Mālik ibn Anas said: He does not recite it in the prescribed prayer, neither secretly nor aloud. And in the supererogatory prayer, if he wishes he recites, and if he wishes he leaves it.
والدَّلِيلُ عَلى أنَّها تُقْرَأُ في سائِرِ الصَّلَواتِ حَدِيثُ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ وأبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أنَّ «النَّبِيَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ كانَ يَقْرَأُ في الصَّلاةِ: ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ﴿الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٢]» .
And the evidence that it is recited in all prayers is the hadith of Umm Salamah and Abū Hurayrah that “the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to recite in the prayer: Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, {All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds} [Al-Fātiḥah: 2].”
ورَوى أنَسُ بْنُ مالِكٍ قالَ: «صَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وأبِي بَكْرٍ وعُمَرَ وعُثْمانَ فَكانُوا يُسِرُّونَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾»، وقالَ في بَعْضِها: يُخْفُونَ، وفي بَعْضِها: كانُوا لا يَجْهَرُونَ ومَعْلُومٌ أنَّ ذَلِكَ كانَ في الفَرْضِ؛ لِأنَّهم إنَّما كانُوا يُصَلُّونَ خَلْفَهُ في الفَرائِضِ لا في التَّطَوُّعِ؛ إذْ لَيْسَ مِن سُنَّةِ التَّطَوُّعِ فِعْلُها في جَماعَةٍ، وقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ عائِشَةَ وعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ المُغَفَّلِ وأنْسِ بْنِ مالِكٍ «أنَّ النَّبِيَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ كانَ يَفْتَتِحُ القِراءَةَ بِالحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ» .
Anas ibn Mālik narrated, he said: “I prayed behind the Prophet ﷺ, and Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān, and they used to recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm secretly.” And in some versions he said: they would conceal it, and in some: they would not recite it aloud. And it is known that this was in the obligatory prayer, because they only used to pray behind him in the obligatory prayers, not in the voluntary ones, since it is not from the sunnah of voluntary prayer to perform it in a congregation. And it has been narrated from ʿĀʾishah, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mughaffal, and Anas ibn Mālik “that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to open the recitation with ‘All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds’.”
وهَذا إنَّما يَدُلُّ عَلى تَرْكِ الجَهْرِ بِها ولا دَلالَةَ فِيهِ عَلى تَرْكِها رَأْسًا فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: رَوى أبُو زُرْعَةَ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ جَرِيرٍ عَنْ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قالَ: «كانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إذا نَهَضَ في الثّانِيَةِ اسْتَفْتَحَ بِ ﴿الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٢] ولَمْ يَسْكُتْ» .
And this only indicates the leaving of reciting it aloud, and there is no indication in it of leaving it altogether. So if a person were to say: Abū Zurʿah ibn ʿAmr ibn Jarīr narrated from Abū Hurayrah, he said: “When the Prophet ﷺ stood up for the second [rakʿah], he would begin with {All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds} [Al-Fātiḥah: 2] and would not pause.”
قِيلَ لَهُ: لَيْسَ لِمالِكٍ فِيهِ دَلِيلٌ مِن قِبَلِ أنَّهُ إنْ ثَبَتَ أنَّهُ لَمْ يَقْرَأْها في الثّانِيَةِ فَإنَّما ذَلِكَ حُجَّةٌ لِمَن يَقْتَصِرُ عَلَيْها في أوَّلِ رَكْعَةٍ، فَأمّا أنْ يَكُونَ دَلِيلًا عَلى تَرْكِها رَأْسًا فَلا.
It is said to him: There is no evidence in it for Mālik, because if it is established that he did not recite it in the second [rakʿah], then that is only an argument for one who restricts it to the first rakʿah. But as for it being evidence for leaving it altogether, then no.
وقَدْ رُوِيَ قِراءَتُها في أوَّلِ الصَّلاةِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ وعُمَرَ وابْنِ عَبّاسٍ وابْنِ عُمَرَ مِن غَيْرِ مُعارِضٍ لَهم مِنَ الصَّحابَةِ فَثَبَتَ بِذَلِكَ قِراءَتُها في الفَرْضِ والنَّفَلِ لِما ثَبَتَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وعَنِ الصَّحابَةِ مِن غَيْرِ مُعارِضٍ لَهم، وعَلى أنَّهُ لا فَرْقَ بَيْنَ الفَرْضِ والنَّفَلِ لا في الإثْباتِ ولا في النَّفْيِ كَما لا يَخْتَلِفانِ في سائِرِ سُنَنِ الصَّلاةِ.
And its recitation at the beginning of the prayer has been narrated from ʿAlī, ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Ibn ʿUmar, without any opposition to them from the Companions. Thus, its recitation in the obligatory and supererogatory prayers is established by what is established from the Prophet ﷺ and from the Companions without any opposition to them. And also because there is no difference between the obligatory and the supererogatory, neither in affirmation nor in negation, just as they do not differ in the rest of the sunnahs of the prayer.
وأمّا وجْهُ ما رُوِيَ عَنْ أبِي حَنِيفَةَ في اقْتِصارِهِ عَلى قِراءَتِها في أوَّلِ رَكْعَةٍ دُونَ سائِرِ الرَّكَعاتِ وسُوَرِها فَهو لِما ثَبَتَ أنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ؛ وإنْ كانَتْ آيَةً في مَوْضِعِها عَلى وجْهِ الفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ أمَرَنا بِالِابْتِداءِ بِها تَبَرُّكًا ثَمَّ ثَبَتَ أنَّها مَقْرُوءَةٌ في أوَّلِ الصَّلاةِ بِما قَدَّمْناهُ، وكانَتْ حُرْمَةُ الصَّلاةِ حُرْمَةً واحِدَةً وجَمِيعُ أفْعالِها مَبْنِيَّةً عَلى التَّحْرِيمَةِ، صارَ جَمِيعُ الصَّلاةِ كالفِعْلِ الواحِدِ الَّذِي يُكْتَفى بِذِكْرِ اسْمِ اللَّهِ تَعالى في ابْتِدائِهِ ولا يُحْتاجُ إلى إعادَتِهِ وإنْ طالَ، كالِابْتِداءِ بِها في أوائِلِ الكُتُبِ، وكَما لَمْ تُعَدْ عِنْدَ ابْتِداءِ الرُّكُوعِ والسُّجُودِ والتَّشَهُّدِ وسائِرِ أرْكانِ الصَّلاةِ، كَذَلِكَ حُكْمُها مَعَ ابْتِداءِ السُّورَةِ والرَّكَعاتِ ويَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّها مَوْضُوعَةٌ لِلْفَصْلِ ما حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا أبُو داوُدَ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا سُفْيانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ عَمْرٍو عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ، قالَ: «كانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لا يَعْرِفُ فَصْلَ السُّورَةِ حَتّى يَنْزِلَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾» .
As for the reasoning behind what was narrated from Abū Ḥanīfah in restricting its recitation to the first rakʿah, to the exclusion of the rest of the rakʿahs and their Sūrahs, it is because it is established that it is not from the beginnings of the Sūrahs. Even if it is a verse in its place for the purpose of separating between two Sūrahs, we were commanded to begin with it for blessing. Then it was established that it is recited at the beginning of the prayer by what we have presented. And the sanctity of the prayer is a single sanctity, and all of its actions are built upon the taḥrīmah. The entire prayer becomes like a single act for which mentioning the name of Allāh, the Exalted, at its beginning is sufficient, and there is no need to repeat it even if it is long, like beginning with it at the start of books. And just as it is not repeated at the beginning of the bowing, prostration, tashahhud, and the rest of the pillars of the prayer, likewise is its ruling with the beginning of the Sūrah and the rakʿahs. And what indicates that it is placed for separation is what Muḥammad ibn Bakr narrated to us, he said: Abū Dāwūd narrated to us, he said: Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah narrated to us from ʿAmr from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr from Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: “The Prophet ﷺ did not know the separation of a Sūrah until Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm was revealed.”
وهَذا يَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّ مَوْضُوعَها لِلْفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ، وأنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِنَ السُّوَرِ، ولا يُحْتاجُ إلى تَكْرارِها عِنْدَ كُلَّ سُورَةٍ فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: إذا كانَتْ مَوْضُوعَةً لِلْفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ فَيَنْبَغِي أنْ يُفْصَلَ بَيْنَهُما بِقِراءَتِها عَلى حَسَبِ مَوْضُوعِها قِيلَ لَهُ: لا يَجِبُ ذَلِكَ؛ لِأنَّ الفَصْلَ قَدْ عُرِفَ بِنُزُولِها.
This indicates that its placement is for separation between the two Sūrahs, and that it is not from the Sūrahs, and there is no need to repeat it at every Sūrah. So if a person were to say: If it is placed for separation between the two Sūrahs, then it is necessary to separate between them by reciting it according to its placement. It is said to him: That is not necessary, because the separation has been known by its revelation.
وإنَّما يُحْتاجُ في الِابْتِداءِ بِها تَبَرُّكًا؛ وقَدْ وُجِدَ ذَلِكَ في ابْتِداءِ الصَّلاةِ، ولا صَلاةَ هُناكَ مُبْتَدَأةٌ فَيُقْرَأُ مِن أجْلِها، فَلِذَلِكَ جازَ الِاقْتِصارُ بِها عَلى أوَّلِها.
It is only needed at the beginning for blessing, and that has been found at the beginning of the prayer. And there is no prayer there being initiated for which it would be recited. For that reason, it is permissible to restrict it to the beginning.
وأمّا مَن قَرَأها في كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ فَوَجْهُ قَوْلِهِ: إنَّ كُلَّ رَكْعَةٍ لَها قِراءَةٌ مُبْتَدَأةٌ لا يَنُوبُ عَنْها القِراءَةُ في الَّتِي قَبْلَها فَمِن حَيْثُ اِحْتِيجَ إلى اسْتِئْنافِ القِراءَةِ فِيها صارَتْ كالرَّكْعَةِ الأُولى، فَلَمّا كانَ المَسْنُونُ فِيها قِراءَتَها في الرَّكْعَةِ الأُولى؛ كانَ كَذَلِكَ حُكْمُ الثّانِيَةِ؛ إذْ كانَ فِيها ابْتِداءُ قِراءَةٍ، ولا يُحْتاجُ إلى إعادَتِها عِنْدَ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ لِأنَّها فَرْضٌ واحِدٌ، وكانَ حُكْمُ السُّورَةِ في الرَّكْعَةِ الواحِدَةِ حُكْمَ ما قَبْلَها لِأنَّها دَوامٌ عَلى فِعْلٍ قَدِ ابْتَدَأهُ، وحُكْمُ الدَّوامِ حُكْمُ الِابْتِداءِ كالرُّكُوعِ إذا أطالَهُ، وكَذَلِكَ السُّجُودُ وسائِرُ أفْعالِ الصَّلاةِ الدَّوامُ عَلى الفِعْلِ الواحِدِ مِنها حُكْمُهُ حُكْمُ الِابْتِداءِ، حَتّى إذا كانَ الِابْتِداءُ فَرْضًا كانَ ما بَعْدَهُ في حُكْمِهِ وأمّا مَن رَأى إعادَتَها عِنْدَ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ فَإنَّهم فَرِيقانِ:
As for the one who recites it in every rakʿah, the reasoning for his view is: that every rakʿah has an initiated recitation, and the recitation in the one before it does not substitute for it. So from the aspect that it is necessary to resume recitation in it, it becomes like the first rakʿah. So since what is sunnah in it is to recite it in the first rakʿah, likewise is the ruling of the second, since it contains a beginning of recitation. And there is no need to repeat it at every Sūrah because it is a single obligation, and the ruling of the Sūrah in a single rakʿah is the ruling of what is before it, because it is a continuation of an act that has been initiated. And the ruling of continuation is the ruling of initiation, like the bowing if one prolongs it, and likewise the prostration and the rest of the actions of the prayer. The continuation of a single act from them has the ruling of its initiation, such that if the initiation is obligatory, what comes after it is under its ruling. As for those who hold the view of repeating it at every Sūrah, they are two groups:
أحَدُهُما: مَن لَمْ يَجْعَلْها مِنَ السُّورَةِ، والآخَرُ مَن جَعَلَها مِن أوائِلِها فَأمّا مَن جَعَلَها مِن أوائِلِها فَإنَّهُ رَأى إعادَتَها كَما يَقْرَأ سائِرَ آيِ السُّورَةِ.
One of them: those who do not make it part of the Sūrah, and the other: those who make it part of their beginnings. As for those who make it part of their beginnings, they hold the view of repeating it just as one recites the rest of the verses of the Sūrah.
وأمّا مَن لَمْ يَرَها مِنَ السُّورَةِ فَإنَّهُ يَجْعَلُ كُلَّ سُورَةٍ كالصَّلاةِ المُبْتَدَأةِ فَيَبْتَدِئُ فِيها بِقِراءَتِها كَما فَعَلَها في أوَّلِ الصَّلاةِ؛ لِأنَّها كَذَلِكَ في المُصْحَفِ، كَما لَوِ ابْتَدَأ قِراءَةَ السُّورَةِ في غَيْرِ الصَّلاةِ بَدَأ بِها، فَلذَلِكَ إذا قَرَأ قَبْلَها سُورَةً غَيْرَها.
As for those who do not see it as part of the Sūrah, they make every Sūrah like an initiated prayer, so they begin in it by reciting it just as they did at the beginning of the prayer; because it is so in the Muṣḥaf. Just as if one were to begin reciting a Sūrah outside of prayer, he would begin with it. For that reason, [he does so] when he recites a different Sūrah before it.
وقَدْ رَوى أنَسُ بْنُ مالِكٍ أنَّ «النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قالَ: أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ سُورَةٌ آنِفًا ثُمَّ قَرَأ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ثُمَّ قَرَأ ﴿إنّا أعْطَيْناكَ الكَوْثَرَ﴾ [الكوثر: ١] إلى آخِرِها حَتّى خَتَمَها» ورَوى أبُو بُرْدَةَ عَنْ أبِيهِ أنَّ «النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَرَأ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿الر تِلْكَ آياتُ الكِتابِ وقُرْآنٍ مُبِينٍ﴾ [الحجر: ١]» فَهَذا يَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قَدْ كانَ يَبْتَدِئُ قِراءَةَ السُّورَةِ في غَيْرِ الصَّلاةِ بِها، وكانَ سَبِيلُها أنْ يَكُونَ كَذَلِكَ حُكْمُها في الصَّلاةِ.
And Anas ibn Mālik narrated that “the Prophet ﷺ said: A Sūrah was just now revealed to me. Then he recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, then he recited {Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar} [Al-Kawthar: 1] to its end, until he concluded it.” And Abū Burdah narrated from his father that “the Prophet ﷺ recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm {Alif, Lām, Rāʾ. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur’ān} [Al-Ḥijr: 1].” So this indicates that he, peace be upon him, used to begin the recitation of a Sūrah outside of prayer with it, and its way should be that its ruling is likewise in the prayer.
وقَدْ رَوى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ دِينارٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أنَّهُ كانَ يَفْتَتِحُ أُمَّ القُرْآنِ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ويَفْتَتِحُ السُّورَةَ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ .
And ʿAbdullāh ibn Dīnār narrated from Ibn ʿUmar that he used to open Umm al-Qur’ān with Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm and open the Sūrah with Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm.
ورَوى جَرِيرٌ عَنِ المُغِيرَةِ، قالَ: أمّا إبْراهِيمُ فَقَرَأ في صَلاةِ المَغْرِبِ: ﴿ألَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأصْحابِ الفِيلِ﴾ [الفيل: ١] حَتّى إذا خَتَمَها وصَلَ بِخاتِمَتِها ﴿لإيلافِ قُرَيْشٍ﴾ [قريش: ١] ولَمْ يَفْصِلْ بَيْنَهُما بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾
And Jarīr narrated from al-Mughīrah, he said: As for Ibrāhīm, he recited in the Maghrib prayer: {Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the companions of the Elephant?} [Al-Fīl: 1], until when he concluded it, he connected its conclusion with {For the accustomed security of Quraysh} [Quraysh: 1] and did not separate between them with Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm.
فَصْلٌ
Section
وأمّا الجَهْرُ بِها فَإنَّ أصْحابَنا والثَّوْرِيَّ قالُوا: يُخْفِيها.
As for reciting it aloud, indeed our companions and al-Thawrī said: He recites it inaudibly.
وقالَ ابْنُ أبِي لَيْلى: إنْ شاءَ جَهَرَ وإنْ شاءَ أخْفى.
Ibn Abī Laylā said: If he wishes, he recites aloud, and if he wishes, he recites inaudibly.
وقالَ الشّافِعِيُّ: يَجْهَرُ بِها.
Al-Shāfiʿī said: He recites it aloud.
وهَذا الِاخْتِلافُ إنَّما هو في الإمامِ إذا صَلّى صَلاةً يُجْهَرُ فِيها بِالقِراءَةِ.
And this difference is only regarding the Imām when he prays a prayer in which the recitation is done aloud.
وقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ الصَّحابَةِ فِيها اخْتِلافٌ كَثِيرٌ؛ فَرَوى عُمَرُ بْنُ ذَرٍّ عَنْ أبِيهِ، قالَ: صَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَ ابْنِ عُمَرَ فَجَهَرَ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ورَوى حَمّادٌ عَنْ إبْراهِيمَ، قالَ: كانَ عُمَرُ يُخْفِيها ثُمَّ يَجْهَرُ بِفاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ ورَوى عَنْهُ أنَسٌ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ قالَ إبْراهِيمُ: كانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وأصْحابُهُ يُسِرُّونَ قِراءَةَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ لا يَجْهَرُونَ بِها ورَوى أنَسٌ أنَّ أبا بَكْرٍ وعُمَرَ كانا يُسِرّانِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾، وكَذَلِكَ رَوى عَنْهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ المُغَفَّلِ.
And much difference has been narrated from the Companions regarding it. ʿUmar ibn Dharr narrated from his father, he said: I prayed behind Ibn ʿUmar, and he recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud. And Ḥammād narrated from Ibrāhīm, he said: ʿUmar used to recite it inaudibly, then recite Fātiḥat al-Kitāb aloud. And Anas narrated from him likewise. Ibrāhīm said: ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd and his companions used to recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm secretly; they would not recite it aloud. And Anas narrated that Abū Bakr and ʿUmar used to recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm secretly, and likewise did ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mughaffal narrate from him.
ورَوى المُغِيرَةُ عَنْ إبْراهِيمَ، قالَ: جَهْرُ الإمامِ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ في الصَّلاةِ بِدْعَةٌ.
And al-Mughīrah narrated from Ibrāhīm, he said: The Imām’s reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in the prayer is an innovation (bidʿah).
ورَوى جَرِيرٌ عَنْ عاصِمٍ الأحْوَلِ، قالَ: ذُكِرَ لِعِكْرِمَةَ الجَهْرُ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ في الصَّلاةِ، فَقالَ: أنا إذًا أعْرابِيٌّ ورَوى أبُو يُوسُفَ عَنْ أبِي حَنِيفَةَ، قالَ: بَلَغَنِي عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قالَ: الجَهْرُ في الصَّلاةِ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ أعْرابِيَّةٌ.
And Jarīr narrated from ʿĀṣim al-Aḥwal, he said: Reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in the prayer was mentioned to ʿIkrimah, and he said: I would then be a bedouin. And Abū Yūsuf narrated from Abū Ḥanīfah, he said: It has reached me from Ibn Masʿūd, he said: Reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in the prayer is a bedouin practice.
ورَوى حَمّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ كَثِيرٍ، قالَ: سُئِلَ الحَسَنُ عَنِ الجَهْرِ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ في الصَّلاةِ، فَقالَ: إنَّما يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ الأعْرابُ.
And Ḥammād ibn Zayd narrated from Kathīr, he said: Al-Ḥasan was asked about reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in the prayer, and he said: Only the bedouins do that.
واخْتَلَفَتِ الرِّوايَةُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ، فَرَوى شَرِيكٌ عَنْ عاصِمٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ أنَّهُ جَهَرَ بِها؛ وهَذا يُحْتَمَلُ أنْ يَكُونَ في غَيْرِ الصَّلاةِ.
And the narration from Ibn ʿAbbās differed. Sharīk narrated from ʿĀṣim from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr from Ibn ʿAbbās that he recited it aloud; and this could possibly be outside of the prayer.
ورَوى عَبْدُ المَلِكِ بْنُ أبِي حُسَيْنٍ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ في الجَهْرِ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ قالَ: ذَلِكَ فِعْلُ الأعْرابِ ورُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ أنَّهُ عَدَّها آيَةً، وأنَّهُ قالَ: هي تَمامُ السَّبْعِ المَثانِي، ولَمْ يَثْبُتْ عَنْهُ الجَهْرُ بِها في الصَّلاةِ.
And ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī Ḥusayn narrated from ʿIkrimah from Ibn ʿAbbās regarding reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud, he said: That is the action of the bedouins. And it was narrated from ʿAlī that he counted it as a verse, and that he said: It is the completion of the Seven Oft-Repeated, but it was not established from him that he recited it aloud in the prayer.
وقَدْ رَوى أبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ عَيّاشٍ عَنْ أبِي سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أبِي وائِلٍ، قالَ: كانَ عُمَرُ وعَلِيٌّ لا يَجْهَرانِ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ولا بِالتَّعَوُّذِ ولا بِآمِينَ.
And Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh narrated from Abū Saʿīd from Abū Wāʾil, he said: ʿUmar and ʿAlī would not recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud, nor the taʿawwudh, nor āmīn.
ورُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أنَّهُ جَهَرَ بِها في الصَّلاةِ فَهَؤُلاءِ الصَّحابَةُ مُخْتَلِفُونَ فِيها عَلى ما بَيَّنّا.
And it was narrated from Ibn ʿUmar that he recited it aloud in the prayer. So these Companions differed regarding it, as we have explained.
ورَوى أنَسٌ وعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ المُغَفَّلِ أنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وأبا بَكْرٍ وعُمَرَ وعُثْمانَ كانُوا يُسِرُّونَ، وفي بَعْضِها: كانُوا يُخْفُونَ؛ وجَعَلَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ المُغَفَّلِ حَدَثًا في الإسْلامِ ورَوى أبُو الجَوْزاءِ عَنْ عائِشَةَ، قالَتْ: «كانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَفْتَتِحُ الصَّلاةَ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ والقِراءَةِ بِ الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ ويَخْتِمُها بِالتَّسْلِيمِ» حَدَّثَنا أبُو الحَسَنِ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الحُسَيْنِ الكَرْخِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قالَ:
And Anas and ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mughaffal narrated that the Prophet ﷺ, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān used to recite it secretly. And in some versions: they used to conceal it. And ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mughaffal considered it something new in Islam. And Abū al-Jawzāʾ narrated from ʿĀʾishah, she said: “The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ used to open the prayer with the takbīr and the recitation with ‘All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds,’ and conclude it with the taslīm.” Abū al-Ḥasan ʿUbaydullāh ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Karkhī, may Allāh have mercy on him, narrated to us, he said:
حَدَّثَنا الحَضْرَمِيُّ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ العَلاءِ، حَدَّثَنا مُعاوِيَةُ بْنُ هِشامٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جابِرٍ عَنْ حَمّادٍ عَنْ إبْراهِيمَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قالَ:
Al-Ḥaḍramī narrated to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAlāʾ narrated to us, Muʿāwiyah ibn Hishām narrated to us from Muḥammad ibn Jābir from Ḥammād from Ibrāhīm from ʿAbdullāh, he said:
ما جَهَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ في صَلاةٍ مَكْتُوبَةٍ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ولا أبُو بَكْرٍ ولا عُمَرُ.
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ never recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in a prescribed prayer, nor did Abū Bakr, nor ʿUmar.
فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: إذا كانَ عِنْدَكَ أنَّها آيَةٌ مِنَ القُرْآنِ في مَوْضِعِها فالواجِبُ الجَهْرُ بِها كالجَهْرِ بِالقِراءَةِ في الصَّلَواتِ الَّتِي يُجْهَرُ فِيها بِالقُرْآنِ؛ إذْ لَيْسَ في الأُصُولِ الجَهْرُ بِبَعْضِ القِراءَةِ دُونَ بَعْضٍ في رَكْعَةٍ واحِدَةٍ.
So if a person were to say: If you hold that it is a verse of the Qur’ān in its place, then it is obligatory to recite it aloud, like reciting the recitation aloud in the prayers in which the Qur’ān is recited aloud; since it is not in the principles to recite part of the recitation aloud and not another part in a single rakʿah.
قِيلَ لَهُ: إذا لَمْ تَكُنْ مِن فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ عَلى ما بَيَّنّا، وإنَّما هي عَلى وجْهِ الِابْتِداءِ بِها تَبَرُّكًا، جازَ أنْ لا يَجْهَرَ بِها ألا تَرى أنَّ قَوْلَهُ تَعالى: ﴿إنِّي وجَّهْتُ وجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّماواتِ والأرْضَ﴾ [الأنعام: ٧٩] الآيَةَ هو مِنَ القُرْآنِ، ومَنِ اسْتَفْتَحَ بِهِ الصَّلاةَ لا يَجْهَرُ بِهِ، مَعَ الجَهْرِ بِسائِرِ القِراءَةِ، كَذَلِكَ ما وصَفْنا
It is said to him: If it is not from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, as we have explained, and it is only for the purpose of beginning with it for blessing, it is permissible not to recite it aloud. Do you not see that His, the Exalted’s, statement: {Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth} [Al-Anʿām: 79], the verse, is from the Qur’ān, and whoever opens the prayer with it does not recite it aloud, despite reciting the rest of the recitation aloud? Likewise is what we have described.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: وما ثَبَتَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِن إخْفائِها يَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِنَ الفاتِحَةِ؛ إذْ لَوْ كانَتْ مِنها لَجَهَرَ بِها كَجَهْرِهِ بِسائِرِها فَإنِ احْتَجَّ مُحْتَجٌّ بِما رَوى نُعَيْمٌ المُجَمِّرُ أنَّهُ صَلّى وراءَ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَقَرَأ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ثُمَّ لَمّا سَلَّمَ قالَ: إنِّي لَأشْبَهُكم صَلاةً بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وبِما رَوى ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أبِي مُلَيْكَةَ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ أنَّ «النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كانَ يُصَلِّي في بَيْتِها فَيَقْرَأُ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ﴿الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٢]»، وبِما رَوى جابِرٌ الجُعْفِيُّ عَنْ أبِي الطُّفَيْلِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ وعَمّارٍ أنَّ «النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كانَ يَجْهَرُ بِ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾» .
Abū Bakr said: And what is established from the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ of reciting it inaudibly indicates that it is not from al-Fātiḥah; for if it were from it, he would have recited it aloud like he recited the rest of it aloud. So if an arguer argues with what Nuʿaym al-Mujmir narrated, that he prayed behind Abū Hurayrah and he recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, then when he gave the salām, he said: Indeed, I am the most similar of you in prayer to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. And with what Ibn Jurayj narrated from Ibn Abī Mulaykah from Umm Salamah that “the Prophet ﷺ used to pray in her house and would recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, {All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds} [Al-Fātiḥah: 2].” And with what Jābir al-Juʿfī narrated from Abū al-Ṭufayl from ʿAlī and ʿAmmār that “the Prophet ﷺ used to recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud.”
قِيلَ لَهُ: أمّا حَدِيثُ نُعَيْمٍ المُجَمِّرِ عَنْ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَلا دَلالَةَ فِيهِ عَلى الجَهْرِ بِها؛ لِأنَّهُ إنَّما ذَكَرَ أنَّهُ قَرَأها، ولَمْ يَقُلْ إنَّهُ جَهَرَ بِها وجائِزٌ أنْ لا يَكُونَ جَهَرَ بِها وإنْ قَرَأها، وكانَ عِلْمُ الرّاوِي بِقِراءَتِها إمّا مِن جِهَةِ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ بِإخْبارِهِ إيّاهُ بِذَلِكَ أوْ مِن جِهَةِ أنَّهُ سَمِعَها لِقُرْبِهِ مِنهُ وإنْ لَمْ يَجْهَرْ بِها كَما رُوِيَ أنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ «كانَ يَقْرَأُ في الظُّهْرِ والعَصْرِ ويُسْمِعُنا الآيَةَ أحْيانًا»، ولا خِلافَ أنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَجْهَرُ بِها.
It is said to him: As for the hadith of Nuʿaym al-Mujmir from Abū Hurayrah, there is no indication in it of reciting it aloud; because he only mentioned that he recited it, and did not say that he recited it aloud. And it is possible that he did not recite it aloud even though he recited it, and the narrator’s knowledge of his recitation was either from Abū Hurayrah informing him of that, or from the fact that he heard it due to his proximity to him, even if he did not recite it aloud, just as it was narrated that the Prophet ﷺ “used to recite in Dhuhr and ʿAṣr and would let us hear a verse sometimes,” and there is no disagreement that he did not used to recite it aloud.
وقَدْ رَوى عَبْدُ الواحِدِ بْنُ زِيادٍ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا عُمارَةُ بْنُ القَعْقاعِ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا أبُو زُرْعَةَ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ جَرِيرٍ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا أبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، قالَ: «كانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إذا نَهَضَ في الثّانِيَةِ اسْتَفْتَحَ بِالحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ ولَمْ يَسْكُتْ» وهَذا يَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ أنَّها مِن فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ؛ وإذا لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنها لَمْ يُجْهَرْ بِها؛ لِأنَّ كُلَّ مَن لا يَعُدُّها آيَةً مِنها لا يَجْهَرُ بِها.
And ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Ziyād narrated, he said: ʿUmārah ibn al-Qaʿqāʿ narrated to us, he said: Abū Zurʿah ibn ʿAmr ibn Jarīr narrated to us, he said: Abū Hurayrah narrated to us, he said: “When the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ stood up for the second [rakʿah], he would begin with ‘All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds’ and would not pause.” And this indicates that he did not hold that it was from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb; and if it is not from it, it is not recited aloud, because everyone who does not count it as a verse from it does not recite it aloud.
وأمّا حَدِيثُ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، فَرَوى اللَّيْثُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أبِي مُلَيْكَةَ عَنْ مُعَلّى أنَّهُ سَألَ أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ قِراءَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَنَعَتَتْ قِراءَتَهُ مُفَسَّرَةً حَرْفًا حَرْفًا فَفي هَذا الخَبَرِ أنَّها نَعَتَتْ قِراءَةَ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ ولَيْسَ فِيهِ ذِكْرُ قِراءَتِها في الصَّلاةِ ولا دَلالَةَ فِيهِ عَلى جَهْرٍ ولا إخْفاءٍ لِأنَّ أكْثَرَ ما فِيهِ أنَّهُ قَرَأها؛ ونَحْنُ كَذَلِكَ نَقُولُ أيْضًا، ولَكِنَّهُ لا يَجْهَرُ بِها وجائِزٌ أنْ يَكُونَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أخْبَرَها بِكَيْفِيَّةِ قِراءَتِهِ فَأخْبَرَتْ بِذَلِكَ ويُحْتَمَلُ أنْ تَكُونَ سَمِعَتْهُ يَقْرَأُ غَيْرَ جاهِرٍ بِها، فَسَمِعَتْهُ لِقُرْبِها مِنهُ؛ ويَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ أنَّها ذَكَرَتْ أنَّهُ كانَ يُصَلِّي في بَيْتِها، وهَذِهِ لَمْ تَكُنْ صَلاةَ فَرْضٍ؛ لِأنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ كانَ لا يُصَلِّي الفَرْضَ مُنْفَرِدًا بَلْ كانَ يُصَلِّيها في جَماعَةٍ وجائِزٌ عِنْدَنا لِلْمُنْفَرِدِ والمُتَنَفِّلِ أنْ يَقْرَأ كَيْفَ شاءَ مِن جَهْرٍ أوْ إخْفاءٍ.
As for the hadith of Umm Salamah, al-Layth narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUbaydillāh ibn Abī Mulaykah from Muʿallā that he asked Umm Salamah about the recitation of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, and she described his recitation, articulated letter by letter. So in this report is that she described the recitation of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and there is no mention in it of reciting it in the prayer, nor any indication in it of reciting aloud or inaudibly, because the most that is in it is that he recited it; and we say that as well, but he does not recite it aloud. And it is possible that the Prophet ﷺ informed her of the manner of his recitation, so she informed of that. And it is possible that she heard him reciting it without being loud, so she heard him due to her proximity to him. And what indicates this is that she mentioned that he used to pray in her house, and this was not an obligatory prayer, because he, peace be upon him, did not pray the obligatory prayer alone, but rather he would pray it in a congregation. And it is permissible in our view for one praying alone and one praying a voluntary prayer to recite as he wishes, either aloud or inaudibly.
وأمّا حَدِيثُ جابِرٍ عَنْ أبِي الطُّفَيْلِ فَإنَّ جابِرًا مِمَّنْ لا تَثْبُتُ بِهِ حُجَّةٌ لِأُمُورٍ حُكِيَتْ عَنْهُ تُسْقِطُ رِوايَتَهُ، مِنها أنَّهُ كانَ يَقُولُ بِالرَّجْعَةِ عَلى ما حُكِيَ، وكانَ يَكْذِبُ في كَثِيرٍ مِمّا يَرْوِيهِ؛ وقَدْ كَذَّبَهُ قَوْمٌ مِن أئِمَّةِ السَّلَفِ، وقَدْ رَوى أبُو وائِلٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أنَّهُ كانَ لا يَجْهَرُ بِها؛ ولَوْ كانَ الجَهْرُ ثابِتًا عِنْدَهُ لَما خالَفَهُ إلى غَيْرِهِ، وعَلى أنَّهُ لَوْ تَساوَتِ الأخْبارُ في الجَهْرِ والإخْفاءِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ كانَ الإخْفاءُ أوْلى مِن وجْهَيْنِ:
As for the hadith of Jābir from Abū al-Ṭufayl, indeed Jābir is one by whom an argument is not established, due to matters that were related about him that invalidate his narration. Among them is that he used to believe in the “return” (al-rajʿah), according to what was related, and he used to lie in much of what he narrated. And a group of the imāms of the Salaf declared him a liar. And Abū Wāʾil narrated from ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, that he did not use to recite it aloud. And if reciting it aloud was established with him, he would not have contradicted it for something else. And even if the reports on reciting aloud and inaudibly from the Prophet, peace be upon him, were equal, reciting inaudibly would be preferable for two reasons:
أحَدُهُما: ظُهُورُ عَمَلِ السَّلَفِ بِالإخْفاءِ دُونَ الجَهْرِ، مِنهم أبُو بَكْرٍ وعُمَرُ وعَلِيٌّ وابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وابْنُ المُغَفَّلِ وأنَسُ بْنُ مالِكٍ، وقَوْلُ إبْراهِيمَ: الجَهْرُ بِها بِدْعَةٌ؛ إذْ كانَ مَتى رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ خَبَرانِ مُتَضادّانِ وظَهَرَ عَمَلُ السَّلَفِ بِأحَدِهِما كانَ الَّذِي ظَهَرَ عَمَلُ السَّلَفِ بِهِ أوْلى بِالإثْباتِ.
The first of them: the prevalence of the practice of the Salaf of reciting inaudibly, not aloud. Among them Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿAlī, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn al-Mughaffal, and Anas ibn Mālik, and the statement of Ibrāhīm: Reciting it aloud is an innovation. Since whenever two contradictory reports are narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the practice of the Salaf is prevalent with one of them, the one with which the practice of the Salaf is prevalent is more worthy of affirmation.
والوَجْهُ الآخَرُ: أنَّ الجَهْرَ بِها لَوْ كانَ ثابِتًا لَوَرَدَ النَّقْلُ بِهِ مُسْتَفِيضًا مُتَواتِرًا كَوُرُودِهِ في سائِرِ القِراءَةِ؛ فَلَمّا لَمْ يَرِدِ النَّقْلُ بِهِ مِن جِهَةِ التَّواتُرِ عَلِمْنا أنَّهُ غَيْرُ ثابِتٍ؛ إذِ الحاجَةُ إلى مَعْرِفَةِ مَسْنُونِ الجَهْرِ بِها كَهي إلى مَعْرِفَةِ مَسْنُونِ الجَهْرِ في سائِرِ فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ فَإنِ اُحْتُجَّ بِما حَدَّثَنا أبُو العَبّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الأصَمُّ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا رَّبِيعُ بْنُ سُلَيْمانَ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا الشّافِعِيُّ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا إبْراهِيمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُثْمانَ بْنِ خَيْثَمَ عَنْ إسْماعِيلَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفاعَةَ عَنْ أبِيهِ أنَّ مُعاوِيَةَ قَدِمَ المَدِينَةَ فَصَلّى بِهِمْ ولَمْ يَقْرَأْ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ولَمْ يُكَبِّرْ إذا خَفَضَ وإذا رَفَعَ، فَناداهُ المُهاجِرُونَ حِينَ سَلَّمَ والأنْصارُ: أيْ مُعاوِيَةُ سَرَقْتَ الصَّلاةَ، أيْنَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ وأيْنَ التَّكْبِيرُ إذا خَفَضْتَ وإذا رَفَعْتَ ؟ فَصَلّى بِهِمْ صَلاةً أُخْرى فَقالَ فِيها ذَلِكَ الَّذِي عابُوا عَلَيْهِ؛ قالَ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ المُهاجِرُونَ والأنْصارُ الجَهْرَ بِها قِيلَ لَهُ: لَوْ كانَ ذَلِكَ كَما ذَكَرْتَ لَعَرَفَهُ أبُو بَكْرٍ وعُمَرُ وعُثْمانُ وعَلِيٌّ وابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وابْنُ المُغَفَّلِ وابْنُ عَبّاسٍ ومَن رَوَيْنا عَنْهُمُ الإخْفاءَ دُونَ الجَهْرِ، ولَكانَ هَؤُلاءِ أوْلى بِعِلْمِهِ لِقَوْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: «لِيَلِنِي مِنكم أُولُو الأحْلامِ والنُّهى» .
The other reason: that if reciting it aloud were established, the transmission of it would have come widely and mass-transmitted (mutawātir), like its transmission for the rest of the recitation. So since the transmission of it did not come by way of mass transmission, we know that it is not established; since the need to know the sunnah of reciting it aloud is like the need to know the sunnah of reciting aloud the rest of Fātiḥat al-Kitāb. If it is argued with what Abū al-ʿAbbās Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb al-Aṣamm narrated to us, he said: al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān narrated to us, he said: al-Shāfiʿī narrated to us, he said: Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, he said: ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUthmān ibn Khaytham narrated to me from Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUbayd ibn Rifāʿah from his father that Muʿāwiyah came to Madinah and led them in prayer and did not recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, and did not say the takbīr when he lowered and when he raised. So the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār called out to him when he gave the salām: “O Muʿāwiyah, you have stolen the prayer! Where is Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm and where is the takbīr when you lower and when you raise?” So he led them in another prayer and said in it that which they had faulted him for. He said: So the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār knew to recite it aloud. It is said to him: If that were as you mentioned, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, ʿAlī, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn al-Mughaffal, Ibn ʿAbbās, and those from whom we narrated reciting inaudibly and not aloud would have known it. And these would have been more worthy of knowing it due to his, peace be upon him’s, statement: “Let those of you of sound judgment and intellect be near me.”
وكانَ هَؤُلاءِ أقْرَبَ إلَيْهِ في حالَ الصَّلاةِ مِن غَيْرِهِمْ مِنَ القَوْمِ المَجْهُولِينَ الَّذِينَ ذَكَرْتَ، وعَلى أنَّ ذَلِكَ لَيْسَ بِاسْتِفاضَةٍ لِأنَّ الَّذِي ذَكَرْتَ مِن قَوْلِ المُهاجِرِينَ والأنْصارِ إنَّما رَوَيْتَهُ مِن طَرِيقِ الآحادِ، ومَعَ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ فِيهِ ذِكْرُ الجَهْرِ، وإنَّما فِيهِ أنَّهُ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ونَحْنُ أيْضًا نُنْكِرُ تَرْكَ قِراءَتِها، وإنَّما كَلامُنا في الجَهْرِ والإخْفاءِ أيُّهُما أوْلى، واللَّهُ أعْلَمُ.
And these were closer to him during the prayer than others from the unknown people whom you mentioned. And furthermore, that is not a widespread report because what you mentioned from the statement of the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār, you have only narrated it through the path of solitary reports (āḥād). And despite that, there is no mention in it of reciting aloud; rather, in it is that he did not recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm. And we also condemn leaving its recitation. Our discussion is only about reciting aloud and inaudibly, which of them is more appropriate. And Allāh knows best.
فَصْلٌ
Section
والأحْكامُ الَّتِي يَتَضَمَّنُها قَوْلُهُ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾: الأمْرُ بِاسْتِفْتاحِ الأُمُورِ لِلتَّبَرُّكِ بِذَلِكَ، والتَّعْظِيمُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وجَلَّ بِهِ، وذِكْرُها عَلى الذَّبِيحَةِ وشِعارٌ وعَلَمٌ مِن أعْلامِ الدِّينِ، وطَرْدُ الشَّيْطانِ؛ لِأنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أنَّهُ قالَ: «إذا سَمّى اللَّهَ العَبْدُ عَلى طَعامِهِ لَمْ يَنَلْ مِنهُ الشَّيْطانُ مَعَهُ وإذا لَمْ يُسَمِّهِ نالَ مِنهُ مَعَهُ» وفِيهِ إظْهارُ مُخالَفَةِ المُشْرِكِينَ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَتِحُونَ أُمُورَهم بِذِكْرِ الأصْنامِ أوْ غَيْرِها مِنَ المَخْلُوقِينَ الَّذِينَ كانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهم، وهو مَفْزَعٌ لِلْخائِفِ، ودَلالَةٌ مِن قائِلِهِ عَلى انْقِطاعِهِ إلى اللَّهِ تَعالى ولُجُوئِهِ إلَيْهِ، وأُنْسٌ لِلسّامِعِ، وإقْرارٌ بِالأُلُوهِيَّةِ، واعْتِرافٌ بِالنِّعْمَةِ، واسْتِعانَةٌ بِاللَّهِ تَعالى، وعِياذَةٌ بِهِ، وفِيهِ اسْمانِ مِن أسْماءِ اللَّهِ تَعالى المَخْصُوصَةِ بِهِ لا يُسَمّى بِهِما غَيْرُهُ، وهُما اللَّهُ والرَّحْمَنُ.
The rulings that His statement Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm contains: The command to open affairs with it to seek blessing by that, and the glorification of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, by it. And mentioning it over the slaughtered animal. And it is a symbol and a sign from the signs of the religion, and an expulsion of Satan; because it was narrated from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: “When the servant says the name of Allāh over his food, Satan does not get any of it with him, and if he does not say His name, he gets some of it with him.” And in it is a display of opposition to the polytheists who open their affairs by mentioning idols or other created beings whom they used to worship. And it is a refuge for the fearful, and an indication from its sayer of his devotion to Allāh, the Exalted, and his seeking refuge in Him. And it is a comfort for the listener, and an affirmation of divinity, and a recognition of blessing, and a seeking of help from Allāh, the Exalted, and a seeking of protection in Him. And in it are two of the names of Allāh, the Exalted, that are specific to Him, by which no other is named, and they are Allāh and al-Raḥmān.
القَوْلُ في اْلَبَسْمَلَةِ هَلْ هي مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ
The Discourse on the Basmalah: Is it from the Beginnings of the Sūrahs?
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: ثَمَّ اخْتُلِفَ في أنَّها آيَةٌ مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ أوْ لَيْسَتْ بِآيَةٍ مِنها، عَلى ما ذَكَرْنا مِن مَذْهَبِ أصْحابِنا أنَّها لَيْسَتْ بِآيَةٍ مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ لِتَرْكِ الجَهْرِ بِها ولِأنَّها إذا لَمْ تَكُنْ مِن فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ فَكَذَلِكَ حُكْمُها في غَيْرِها؛ إذْ لَيْسَ مِن قَوْلِ أحَدٍ أنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِن فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ وأنَّها مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ وزَعَمَ الشّافِعِيُّ أنَّها آيَةٌ مِن كُلِّ سُورَةٍ، وما سَبَقَهُ إلى هَذا القَوْلِ أحَدٌ لِأنَّ الخِلافَ بَيْنَ السَّلَفِ إنَّما هو في أنَّها آيَةٌ مِن فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ أوْ لَيْسَتْ بِآيَةٍ مِنها، ولَمْ يَعُدَّها أحَدٌ آيَةً مِن سائِرِ السُّوَرِ.
Abū Bakr said: Then it was differed upon whether it is a verse from the beginnings of the Sūrahs or not a verse from them, according to what we mentioned of the school of our companions that it is not a verse from the beginnings of the Sūrahs, due to the leaving of reciting it aloud, and because if it is not from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, then likewise is its ruling in others; since it is not the statement of anyone that it is not from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb and that it is from the beginnings of the Sūrahs. And al-Shāfiʿī claimed that it is a verse from every Sūrah, and no one preceded him in this statement, because the difference among the Salaf was only about whether it is a verse from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb or not a verse from it, and no one counted it as a verse from the rest of the Sūrahs.
ومِنَ الدَّلِيلِ عَلى أنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِن فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ حَدِيثُ سُفْيانَ بْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنِ العَلاءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ أبِيهِ عَنْ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قالَ: «قالَ اللَّهُ تَعالى: قَسَمْتُ الصَّلاةَ بَيْنِي وبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ، فَنِصْفُها لِي، ونِصْفُها لِعَبْدِي، ولِعَبْدِي ما سَألَ فَإذا قالَ: ﴿الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٢] قالَ اللَّهُ: حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي، وإذا قالَ: ﴿الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٣] قالَ: مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي أوْ أثْنى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي، وإذا قالَ: ﴿مالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٤] قالَ: فَوَّضَ إلَيَّ عَبْدِي، وإذا قالَ: ﴿إيّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإيّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٥] قالَ: هَذِهِ بَيْنِي وبَيْنَ عَبْدِي، ولِعَبْدِي ما سَألَ، فَيَقُولُ عَبْدِي: ﴿اهْدِنا الصِّراطَ المُسْتَقِيمَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٦] إلى آخِرِها، قالَ: لِعَبْدِي ما سَألَ» فَلَوْ كانَتْ مِن فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ لَذَكَرَها فِيما ذَكَرَ مِنَ ايِ السُّورَةِ، فَدَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلى أنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِنها.
And from the evidence that it is not from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb is the hadith of Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah from al-ʿAlāʾ ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān from his father from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Allāh, the Exalted, said: I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves. Half of it is for Me, and half of it is for My servant, and for My servant is what he has asked. So when he says: {All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds} [Al-Fātiḥah: 2], Allāh says: My servant has praised Me. And when he says: {The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful} [Al-Fātiḥah: 3], He says: My servant has glorified Me, or My servant has extolled Me. And when he says: {Sovereign of the Day of Recompense} [Al-Fātiḥah: 4], He says: My servant has entrusted [his affair] to Me. And when he says: {It is You we worship and You we ask for help} [Al-Fātiḥah: 5], He says: This is between Me and My servant, and for My servant is what he has asked. Then My servant says: {Guide us to the straight path} [Al-Fātiḥah: 6] to its end. He says: For My servant is what he has asked.” So if it were from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, He would have mentioned it in what He mentioned of the verses of the Sūrah. So that indicates that it is not from it.
ومِنَ المَعْلُومِ أنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ إنَّما عَبَّرَ بِالصَّلاةِ عَنْ قِراءَةِ فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ وجَعَلَها نِصْفَيْنِ، فانْتَفى بِذَلِكَ أنْ تَكُونَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ آيَةً مِنها مِن وجْهَيْنِ:
And it is known that the Prophet ﷺ only expressed by “the prayer” the recitation of Fātiḥat al-Kitāb and made it into two halves. So it is negated by that that Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm is a verse from it, from two aspects:
أحَدُهُما: أنَّهُ لَمْ يَذْكُرْها في القِسْمَةِ؛ الثّانِي أنَّها لَوْ صارَتْ في القِسْمَةِ لَما كانَتْ نِصْفَيْنِ، بَلْ كانَ يَكُونُ ما لِلَّهِ فِيها أكْثَرَ مِمّا لِلْعَبْدِ لِأنَّ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ثَناءٌ عَلى اللَّهِ تَعالى لا شَيْءَ لِلْعَبْدِ فِيهِ فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: إنَّما لَمْ يَذْكُرْها لِأنَّهُ قَدْ ذَكَرَ الرَّحْمَنَ الرَّحِيمَ في أضْعافِ السُّورَةِ، قِيلَ لَهُ: هَذا خَطَأٌ مِن وجْهَيْنِ:
The first of them: that He did not mention it in the division. The second: that if it were included in the division, it would not have been two halves; rather, what is for Allāh in it would have been more than what is for the servant, because Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm is praise for Allāh, the Exalted, in which there is nothing for the servant. So if a person were to say: He only did not mention it because He has already mentioned al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm within the Sūrah. It is said to him: This is an error from two aspects:
أحَدُهُما: أنَّهُ إذا كانَتْ آيَةً غَيْرَها فَلا بُدَّ مِن ذِكْرِها، ولَوْ جازَ ما ذَكَرْتَ لَجازَ الِاقْتِصارُ بِالقُرْآنِ عَلى ما في السُّورَةِ مِنها دُونَها.
The first of them: that if it is a verse other than it, then it must be mentioned. And if what you mentioned were permissible, it would be permissible to suffice with what is in the Sūrah of it from the Qur’ān without it.
ووَجْهٌ آخَرُ، وهو أنَّ قَوْلَهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ فِيهِ ثَناءٌ عَلى اللَّهِ، وهو مَعَ ذَلِكَ اسْمٌ مُخْتَصٌّ بِاللَّهِ تَعالى لا يُسَمّى بِهِ غَيْرُهُ، فالواجِبُ لا مَحالَةَ أنْ يَكُونَ مَذْكُورًا في القِسْمَةِ؛ إذْ لَمْ يَتَقَدَّمْ لَهُ ذِكْرٌ فِيما قَسَمَ مِنَ ايِ السُّورَةِ وقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذا الخَبَرُ عَلى غَيْرِ هَذا الوَجْهِ، وهو ما حَدَّثَنا بِهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا أبُو داوُدَ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا القَعْنَبِيُّ عَنْ مالِكٍ عَنِ العَلاءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أنَّهُ سَمِعَ أبا السّائِبِ مَوْلى هِشامِ بْنِ زُهْرَةَ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ أبا هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ: قالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «قالَ اللَّهُ: قَسَمْتُ الصَّلاةَ بَيْنِي وبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ، فَنِصْفُها لِي، ونِصْفُها لِعَبْدِي، ولِعَبْدِي ما سَألَ يَقُولُ العَبْدُ: ﴿الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٢] فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ: حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي، فَيَقُولُ: ﴿الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٣] يَقُولُ اللَّهُ: أثْنى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي، يَقُولُ العَبْدُ: ﴿مالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٤] يَقُولُ اللَّهُ: مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي، وهَذِهِ الآيَةُ بَيْنِي وبَيْنَ عَبْدِي، يَقُولُ العَبْدُ: ﴿إيّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإيّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٥] فَهَذِهِ بَيْنِي وبَيْنَ عَبْدِي، ولِعَبْدِي ما سَألَ» فَذَكَرَ في هَذا الحَدِيثِ في ﴿مالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٤] أنَّهُ بَيْنِي وبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ هَذا غَلَطٌ مِن راوِيهِ؛ لِأنَّ قَوْلَهُ تَعالى: ﴿مالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٤] ثَناءٌ خالِصٌ لِلَّهِ تَعالى لا شَيْءَ لِلْعَبْدِ فِيهِ كَقَوْلِهِ: ﴿الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٢]
And another aspect, which is that His statement “Bismillāh” contains praise for Allāh, and it is, with that, a name specific to Allāh, the Exalted, by which no other is named. So it is obligatory, inevitably, that it be mentioned in the division, since no mention of it has preceded in what He divided of the verses of the Sūrah. And this report has been narrated in a different manner, which is what Muḥammad ibn Bakr narrated to us, he said: Abū Dāwūd narrated to us, he said: al-Qaʿnabī narrated to us from Mālik from al-ʿAlāʾ ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān that he heard Abū al-Sāʾib, the mawlā of Hishām ibn Zuhrah, say: I heard Abū Hurayrah say: The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “Allāh said: I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves. Half of it is for Me, and half of it is for My servant, and for My servant is what he has asked. The servant says: {All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds} [Al-Fātiḥah: 2], so Allāh says: My servant has praised Me. Then he says: {The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful} [Al-Fātiḥah: 3], Allāh says: My servant has extolled Me. The servant says: {Sovereign of the Day of Recompense} [Al-Fātiḥah: 4], Allāh says: My servant has glorified Me, and this verse is between Me and My servant. The servant says: {It is You we worship and You we ask for help} [Al-Fātiḥah: 5], so this is between Me and My servant, and for My servant is what he has asked.” So he mentioned in this hadith regarding {Sovereign of the Day of Recompense} [Al-Fātiḥah: 4] that it is “between Me and My servant in two halves.” This is a mistake from its narrator, because His, the Exalted’s, statement: {Sovereign of the Day of Recompense} [Al-Fātiḥah: 4] is purely praise for Allāh, the Exalted, in which there is nothing for the servant, like His statement: {All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds} [Al-Fātiḥah: 2].
وإنَّما جَعَلَ قَوْلَهُ: ﴿إيّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإيّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٥] بَيْنَهُ وبَيْنَ العَبْدِ لِما انْتَظَمَ مِنَ الثَّناءِ عَلى اللَّهِ تَعالى ومِن مَسْألَةِ العَبْدِ ألا تَرى أنَّ سائِرَ الآيِ بَعْدَها مِن قَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿اهْدِنا الصِّراطَ المُسْتَقِيمَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٦] جَعَلَها لِلْعَبْدِ خاصَّةً؛ إذْ لَيْسَ فِيهِ ثَناءٌ عَلى اللَّهِ، وإنَّما هو مَسْألَةٌ مِنَ العَبْدِ لِما ذُكِرَ ومِن جِهَةٍ أُخْرى أنَّ قَوْلَهُ: ﴿مالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٤] لَوْ كانَ بَيْنَهُ وبَيْنَ العَبْدِ، وكَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ: ﴿إيّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإيّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٥] لَمّا كانَ نِصْفَيْنِ عَلى قَوْلِ مَن يَعُدُّ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ آيَةً بَلْ كانَ يَكُونُ لِلَّهِ تَعالى أرْبَعٌ ولِلْعَبْدِ ثَلاثٌ.
He only made His statement: {It is You we worship and You we ask for help} [Al-Fātiḥah: 5] between Him and the servant because of what it comprised of praise for Allāh, the Exalted, and of the request of the servant. Do you not see that the rest of the verses after it, from His, the Exalted’s, statement: {Guide us to the straight path} [Al-Fātiḥah: 6], He made them for the servant exclusively, since there is no praise for Allāh in it, but rather it is a request from the servant for what was mentioned? And from another aspect, that His statement: {Sovereign of the Day of Recompense} [Al-Fātiḥah: 4], if it were between Him and the servant, and likewise His statement: {It is You we worship and You we ask for help} [Al-Fātiḥah: 5], it would not have been two halves according to the one who counts Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm as a verse. Rather, there would have been four for Allāh, the Exalted, and three for the servant.
ومِمّا يَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّ البَسْمَلَةَ لَيْسَتْ مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ وإنَّما هي لِلْفَصْلِ بَيْنَها ما حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا أبُو داوُدَ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَوْنٍ، قالَ: أخْبَرَنا هُشَيْمٌ عَنْ عَوْفٍ الأعْرابِيِّ عَنْ يَزِيدَ القارِي، قالَ: سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللًّهُ عَنْهُما قالَ: قُلْتُ لِعُثْمانَ بْنِ عَفّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: ما حَمَلَكم عَلى أنْ عَمَدْتُمْ إلى بَراءَةٍ وهي مِنَ المِئِينِ، وإلى الأنْفالِ وهي مِنَ المَثانِي، فَجَعَلْتُمُوهُما في السَّبْعِ الطِّوالِ، ولَمْ تَكْتُبُوا بَيْنَهُما سَطْرَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ ؟ قالَ عُثْمانُ: «كانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لَمّا يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ الآياتُ فَيَدْعُو بَعْضَ مَن كانَ يَكْتُبُ لَهُ فَيَقُولُ: ضَعْ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ في السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيها كَذا وكَذا ويَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ الآيَةُ والآيَتانِ فَيَقُولُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، وكانَتِ الأنْفالُ مِن أوَّلِ ما نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِ بِالمَدِينَةِ، وكانَتْ بَراءَةٌ مِنَ اخِرِ ما نَزَلَ مِنَ القُرْآنِ، وكانَتْ قِصَّتُها شَبِيهَةً بِقِصَّتِها، فَظَنَنْتُ أنَّها مِنها، فَمِن هُناكَ وضَعْتُهُما في السَّبْعِ الطِّوالِ ولَمْ أكْتُبْ بَيْنَهُما سَطْرَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾» فَأخْبَرَ عُثْمانُ أنَّ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنَ السُّورَةِ، وأنَّهُ إنَّما كانَ يَكْتُبُها في فَصْلِ السُّورَةِ بَيْنَها وبَيْنَ غَيْرِها لا غَيْرُ.
And among what indicates that the Basmalah is not from the beginnings of the Sūrahs but is rather for separation between them is what Muḥammad ibn Bakr narrated to us, he said: Abū Dāwūd narrated to us, he said: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn narrated to us, he said: Hushaym informed us from ʿAwf al-Aʿrābī from Yazīd al-Qārī, he said: I heard Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allāh be pleased with them both, say: I said to ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, may Allāh be pleased with him: What led you to take Barāʾah, which is from the Miʾīn (Sūrahs of about 100 verses), and al-Anfāl, which is from the Mathānī, and place them both among the Seven Long Ones, and not write the line Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm between them? ʿUthmān said: “When verses would be revealed to the Prophet ﷺ, he would call one of those who used to write for him and say: Place this verse in the Sūrah in which such-and-such is mentioned. And a verse or two would be revealed to him and he would say likewise. And al-Anfāl was from the first of what was revealed to him in Madinah, and Barāʾah was from the last of what was revealed of the Qur’ān, and its story was similar to its story, so I thought that it was from it. It is for this reason that I placed them both in the Seven Long Ones and did not write the line Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm between them.” So ʿUthmān informed that Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm was not from the Sūrah, and that he only used to write it for the separation of the Sūrah, between it and another, and nothing else.
وأيْضًا فَلَوْ كانَتْ مِنَ السُّوَرِ ومِن فاتِحَةِ الكِتابِ لَعَرَفَتْهُ الكافَّةُ بِتَوْقِيفٍ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ أنَّها مِنها كَما عَرَفَتْ مَواضِعَ سائِرِ الآيِ مِن سُورِها ولَمْ يُخْتَلَفْ فِيها، وذَلِكَ أنَّ سَبِيلَ العِلْمِ بِمَواضِعِ الآيِ كَهو بِالآيِ نَفْسِها، فَلَمّا كانَ طَرِيقُ إثْباتِ القُرْآنِ نَقْلَ الكافَّةِ دُونَ نَقْلِ الآحادِ وجَبَ أنْ تَكُونَ كَذَلِكَ حُكْمُ مَواضِعِهِ وتَرْتِيبِهِ.
Also, if it were from the Sūrahs and from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, the entire community would have known it through a directive from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that it is from it, just as they knew the places of the rest of the verses in their Sūrahs and did not differ about them. And that is because the way of knowing the places of the verses is like knowing the verses themselves. So since the way of establishing the Qur’ān is the transmission of the entire community, not the transmission of individuals, it is necessary that the ruling of its places and its arrangement be likewise.
ألا تَرى أنَّهُ غَيْرُ جائِزٍ لِأحَدٍ إزالَةُ تَرْتِيبِ آيِ القُرْآنِ ولا نَقْلُ شَيْءِ مِنهُ عَنْ مَوْضِعِهِ إلى غَيْرِهِ، فَإنَّ فاعِلَ ذَلِكَ بِمَنزِلَةِ مَن رامَ إزالَتَهُ ورَفْعَهُ فَلَوْ كانَتْ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ لَعَرَفَتِ الكافَّةُ مَوْضِعَها مِنها كَسائِرِ الآيِ وكَمَوْضِعِها مِن سُورَةِ النَّمْلِ فَلَمّا لَمْ نَرَهم نَقَلُوا ذَلِكَ إلَيْنا مِن طَرِيقِ التَّواتُرِ المُوجِبِ لِلْعِلْمِ لَمْ يَجُزْ لَنا إثْباتُها في أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: قَدْ نَقَلُوا إلَيْنا جَمِيعَ ما في المُصْحَفِ عَلى أنَّهُ القُرْآنُ، وذَلِكَ كافٍ في إثْباتِها مِنَ السُّوَرِ في مَواضِعَها المَذْكُورَةِ في المُصْحَفِ، قِيلَ لَهُ: إنَّما نَقَلُوا إلَيْنا كَتْبَها في أوائِلِها ولَمْ يَنْقُلُوا إلَيْنا أنَّها مِنها؛ وإنَّما الكَلامُ بَيْنَنا وبَيْنَكم في أنَّها مِن هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ الَّتِي هي مَكْتُوبَةٌ في أوائِلَها، ونَحْنُ نَقُولُ بِأنَّها مِنَ القُرْآنِ أُثْبِتَتْ في هَذِهِ المَواضِعِ لا عَلى أنَّها مِنَ السُّوَرِ.
Do you not see that it is not permissible for anyone to remove the arrangement of the verses of the Qur’ān nor to transfer any of it from its place to another? For the one who does that is in the position of one who sought to remove it and lift it. So if Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm were from the beginnings of the Sūrahs, the entire community would have known its place in them like the rest of the verses and like its place in Sūrat al-Naml. So since we did not see them transmit that to us through the path of mass transmission which necessitates knowledge, it is not permissible for us to affirm it at the beginnings of the Sūrahs. So if a person were to say: They have transmitted to us all that is in the Muṣḥaf on the basis that it is the Qur’ān, and that is sufficient in affirming it as part of the Sūrahs in its places mentioned in the Muṣḥaf. It is said to him: They only transmitted to us its writing at their beginnings and did not transmit to us that it is from them. The discussion between us and you is only about whether it is from this Sūrah at the beginning of which it is written. And we say that it is from the Qur’ān, affirmed in these places, not on the basis that it is from the Sūrahs.
ولَيْسَ إيصالُها بِالسُّورَةِ في المُصْحَفِ وقِراءَتُها مَعَها مُوجِبَيْنِ أنْ يَكُونَ مِنها؛ لِأنَّ القُرْآنَ كُلَّهُ بَعْضُهُ مُتَّصِلٌ بِبَعْضٍ، وما قَبْلَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ مُتَّصِلٌ بِها، ولا يَجِبُ مِن أجْلِ ذَلِكَ أنْ يَكُونَ الجَمِيعُ سُورَةً واحِدَةً فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: لَمّا نُقِلَ إلَيْنا المُصْحَفُ وذَكَرُوا أنَّ ما فِيهِ هو القُرْآنُ عَلى نِظامِهِ وتَرْتِيبِهِ، فَلَوْ لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنَ أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ مَعَ النَّقْلِ المُسْتَفِيضِ لَبَيَّنُوا ذَلِكَ وذَكَرُوا أنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِن أوائِلِها لِئَلّا تَشْتَبِهَ.
And its being connected to the Sūrah in the Muṣḥaf and its recitation with it do not necessitate that it be from it; because the Qur’ān in its entirety, some of it is connected to some other, and what is before Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm is connected to it, and it is not necessary because of that that the whole thing be a single Sūrah. So if a person were to say: When the Muṣḥaf was transmitted to us and they mentioned that what is in it is the Qur’ān in its system and arrangement, then if it were not from the beginnings of the Sūrahs, along with the widespread transmission, they would have clarified that and mentioned that it is not from their beginnings so that it would not be confused.
قِيلِ لَهُ: هَذا يَلْزَمُ مَن يَقُولُ إنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِنَ القُرْآنِ، فَأمّا مَن أعْطى القَوْلَ بِأنَّها مِنهُ فَهَذا السُّؤالُ ساقِطٌ عَنْهُ.
It is said to him: This is binding upon one who says that it is not from the Qur’ān. As for one who holds the view that it is from it, then this question is dropped from him.
فَإنْ قِيلَ: ولَوْ لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنها لَعَرَفَتْهُ الكافَّةُ حَسَبَ ما ألْزَمْتَ مَن يَقُولُ: إنَّها مِنها.
If it is said: And if it were not from it, the entire community would have known it, according to what you made binding upon one who says that it is from it.
قِيلَ لَهُ: لا يَجِبُ ذَلِكَ لِأنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِمْ نَقْلُ كُلِّ ما لَيْسَ مِنَ السُّورَةِ أنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنها، كَما لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِمْ نَقْلُ ما لَيْسَ مِنَ القُرْآنِ أنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنهُ.
It is said to him: That is not necessary, because it is not upon them to transmit everything that is not from the Sūrah that it is not from it, just as it is not upon them to transmit what is not from the Qur’ān that it is not from it.
وإنَّما عَلَيْهِمْ نَقْلُ ما هو مِنَ السُّورَةِ أنَّهُ مِنها، كَما عَلَيْهِمْ نَقْلُ ما هو مِنَ القُرْآنِ أنَّهُ مِنهُ فَإذا لَمْ يَرِدِ النَّقْلُ المُسْتَفِيضُ بِكَوْنِها مِنَ السُّوَرِ واخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ لَمْ يَجُزْ لَنا إثْباتُها كَإثْباتِ القُرْآنِ نَفْسِهِ.
Rather, it is upon them to transmit what is from the Sūrah that it is from it, just as it is upon them to transmit what is from the Qur’ān that it is from it. So if widespread transmission did not come regarding its being from the Sūrahs and it was differed upon, it is not permissible for us to affirm it like the affirmation of the Qur’ān itself.
ويَدُلُّ أيْضًا عَلى أنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِن أوائِلِ السُّوَرِ ما حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ أبانَ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أيُّوبَ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا مُسَدَّدٌ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ عَنْ قَتادَةَ عَنْ عَبّاسٍ الجُشَمِيِّ عَنْ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قالَ «سُورَةٌ في القُرْآنِ ثَلاثُونَ آيَةً شَفَعَتْ لِصاحِبِها حَتّى غُفِرَ لَهُ: ﴿تَبارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ المُلْكُ﴾ [الملك: ١]» واتَّفَقَ القُرّاءُ وغَيْرُهم أنَّها ثَلاثُونَ آيَةً سِوى ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ فَلَوْ كانَتْ مِنها كانَتْ إحْدى وثَلاثِينَ آيَةً، وذَلِكَ خِلافُ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ .
And what also indicates that it is not from the beginnings of the Sūrahs is what Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Abān narrated to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Ayyūb narrated to us, he said: Musaddad narrated to us, he said: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd narrated to me from Shuʿbah from Qatādah from ʿAbbās al-Jushamī from Abū Hurayrah from the Prophet ﷺ, he said: “A Sūrah in the Qur’ān of thirty verses interceded for its companion until he was forgiven: {Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion} [Al-Mulk: 1].” And the reciters and others agreed that it is thirty verses besides Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm. So if it were from it, it would have been thirty-one verses, and that is contrary to the statement of the Prophet ﷺ.
ويَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ أيْضًا اتِّفاقُ جَمِيعِ قُرّاءِ الأمْصارِ وفُقَهائِهِمْ عَلى أنَّ سُورَةَ الكَوْثَرِ ثَلاثُ آياتٍ، وسُورَةَ الإخْلاصِ أرْبَعُ آياتٍ؛ فَلَوْ كانَتْ مِنها لَكانَتْ أكْثَرَ مِمّا عَدُّوا فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: إنَّما عَدُّوا سِواها؛ لِأنَّهُ لا إشْكالَ فِيها عِنْدَهم، قِيلَ لَهُ: فَكانَ لا يَجُوزُ لَهم أنْ يَقُولُوا سُورَةُ الإخْلاصِ أرْبَعُ آياتٍ وسُورَةُ الكَوْثَرِ ثَلاثُ آياتٍ.
And what also indicates it is the agreement of all the reciters of the major cities and their jurists that Sūrat al-Kawthar is three verses, and Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ is four verses. So if it were from them, they would have been more than what they counted. So if a person were to say: They only counted what is besides it, because there is no ambiguity about it with them. It is said to him: Then it would not have been permissible for them to say Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ is four verses and Sūrat al-Kawthar is three verses.
والثَّلاثُ والأرْبَعُ إنَّما هي بَعْضُ السُّورَةِ؛ ولَوْ كانَ كَذَلِكَ لَوَجَبَ أنْ يَقُولُوا في الفاتِحَةِ إنَّها سِتُّ آياتٍ.
And the three and the four are only part of the Sūrah; and if it were so, it would have been necessary for them to say about al-Fātiḥah that it is six verses.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وقَدْ رَوى عَبْدُ الحَمِيدِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ نُوحِ بْنِ أبِي بِلالٍ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ المَقْبُرِيِّ عَنْ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أنَّهُ كانَ يَقُولُ: «﴿الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٢] سَبْعُ آياتٍ إحْداهُنَّ ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾» وشَكَّ بَعْضُهم في ذِكْرِ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ في الإسْنادِ، وذَكَرَ أبُو بَكْرٍ الحَنَفِيُّ عَنْ عَبْدِ الحَمِيدِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ نُوحِ بْنِ أبِي جَلالٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أبِي سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قالَ: «إذا قَرَأْتُمْ ﴿الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٢] فاقْرَءُوا ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ فَإنَّها إحْدى آياتِها» .
Abū Bakr, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: And ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Jaʿfar narrated from Nūḥ ibn Abī Bilāl from Saʿīd al-Maqburī from Abū Hurayrah from the Prophet ﷺ that he used to say: “{All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds} [Al-Fātiḥah: 2] is seven verses, one of them is Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm.” And some of them doubted the mention of Abū Hurayrah in the chain of narration. And Abū Bakr al-Ḥanafī mentioned from ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Jaʿfar from Nūḥ ibn Abī Jalāl from Saʿīd ibn Abī Saʿīd from Abū Hurayrah from the Prophet, peace be upon him, he said: “When you recite {All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds} [Al-Fātiḥah: 2], then recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, for it is one of its verses.”
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: ثُمَّ لَقِيتُ نُوحًا فَحَدَّثَنِي بِهِ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ المَقْبُرِيِّ عَنْ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ مِثْلَهُ، ولَمْ يَرْفَعْهُ.
Abū Bakr said: Then I met Nūḥ and he narrated it to me from Saʿīd al-Maqburī from Abū Hurayrah likewise, and did not attribute it to the Prophet (lam yarfaʿhu).
ومِثْلُ هَذا الِاخْتِلافِ في السَّنَدِ والرَّفْعِ يَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّهُ غَيْرُ مَضْبُوطٍ في الأصْلِ، فَلَمْ يَثْبُتْ بِهِ تَوْقِيفٌ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ ومَعَ ذَلِكَ فَجائِزٌ أنْ يَكُونَ قَوْلُهُ: " فَإنَّها إحْدى آياتِها " مِن قَوْلِ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ لِأنَّ الرّاوِيَ قَدْ يُدْرِجُ كَلامَهُ في الحَدِيثِ مِن غَيْرِ فَصْلٍ بَيْنَهُما لِعِلْمِ السّامِعِ الَّذِي حَضَرَهُ بِمَعْناهُ، وقَدْ وُجِدَ مِثْلُ ذَلِكَ كَثِيرًا في الأخْبارِ، فَغَيْرُ جائِزٍ فِيما كانَ هَذا وصْفَهُ أنْ يُعْزى إلى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِالِاحْتِمالِ، وجائِزٌ أنْ يَكُونَ أبُو هُرَيْرَةَ قالَ ذَلِكَ مِن جِهَةِ أنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ يَجْهَرُ بِها، وظَنَّها مِنَ السُّورَةِ؛ لِأنَّ أبا هُرَيْرَةَ قَدْ رَوى الجَهْرَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ .
And such a difference in the chain of narration and the attribution indicates that it is not precise in its origin, so no directive from the Prophet, peace be upon him, is established by it. And despite that, it is possible that his statement, “for it is one of its verses,” is from the statement of Abū Hurayrah, because a narrator may insert his own words into the hadith without separating between them, due to the knowledge of the listener who was present of its meaning. And the like of that has been found often in reports. So it is not permissible for that which has this description to be attributed to the Prophet ﷺ based on possibility. And it is possible that Abū Hurayrah said that because he heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, reciting it aloud, and he thought it was from the Sūrah; because Abū Hurayrah has narrated the reciting aloud from the Prophet ﷺ.
وأيْضًا لَوْ ثَبَتَ هَذا الحَدِيثُ عارِيًّا مِنَ الِاضْطِرابِ في السَّنَدِ والِاخْتِلافِ في الرَّفْعِ وزَوالِ الِاحْتِمالِ في كَوْنِهِ مِن قَوْلِ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ لَما جازَ لَنا إثْباتُها مِنَ السُّورَةِ؛ إذْ كانَ طَرِيقُ إثْباتِها نَقْلَ الأُمَّةِ عَلى ما بُيِّنَ آنِفًا.
Also, if this hadith were established, free from inconsistency in the chain and difference in attribution, and with the removal of the possibility of it being from the statement of Abū Hurayrah, it would still not be permissible for us to affirm it as part of the Sūrah; since the way of establishing it is the transmission of the Ummah, as was explained earlier.
فَصْلٌ وَأَمَّا الْقَوْلُ فِي أَنَّهَا آيَةٌ أَوْ لَيْسَتْ بِآيَةٍ ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا خِلَافَ أَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ بِآيَةٍ تَامَّةٍ فِي سُورَةِ النَّمْلِ ، وَأَنَّهَا هُنَاكَ بَعْضُ آيَةٍ ، وَأَنَّ ابْتِدَاءَ الْآيَةِ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ
Section: And as for the discourse on whether it is a verse or not a verse, indeed there is no disagreement that it is not a complete verse in Sūrat al-Naml, and that it is there part of a verse, and that the beginning of the verse is from His, the Exalted’s, statement: {Indeed, it is from Sulaymān}.
وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ فَكَوْنُهَا لَيْسَتْ آيَةً تَامَّةً فِي سُورَةِ النَّمْلِ لَا يَمْنَعُ أَنْ تَكُونَ آيَةً فِي غَيْرِهَا لِوُجُودِنَا مِثْلَهَا فِي الْقُرْآنِ أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ قَوْلَهُ : الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ فِي أَضْعَافِ الْفَاتِحَةِ هُوَ آيَةٌ تَامَّةٌ ، وَلَيْسَتْ بِآيَةٍ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ : بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ عِنْدَ الْجَمِيعِ ، وَكَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ : الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ هُوَ آيَةٌ تَامَّةٌ فِي الْفَاتِحَةِ ، وَهِيَ بَعْضُ آيَةٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى : وَآخِرُ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
And despite that, its being not a complete verse in Sūrat al-Naml does not prevent it from being a verse in other than it, because we find its like in the Qur’ān. Do you not see that His statement: {ar-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm} within al-Fātiḥah is a complete verse, and it is not a verse from His statement: {Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm} according to everyone. And likewise His statement: {al-Ḥamdu lillāhi Rabb il-ʿālamīn} is a complete verse in al-Fātiḥah, and it is part of a verse in His, the Exalted’s, statement: {And the last of their call will be that ‘All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds’}.
وَإِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ احْتُمِلَ أَنْ تَكُونَ بَعْضَ آيَةٍ فِي فُصُولِ السُّوَرِ وَاحْتَمَلَ أَنْ تَكُونَ آيَةً عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا ذَكَرْنَا ، وَقَدْ دَلَّلْنَا عَلَى أَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مِنَ الْفَاتِحَةِ ، فَالْأَوْلَى أَنْ تَكُونَ آيَةً تَامَّةً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُورَةِ النَّمْلِ ؛ لِأَنَّ الَّتِي فِي سُورَةِ النَّمْلِ لَيْسَتْ بِآيَةٍ تَامَّةٍ .
And if it is so, it is possible that it is part of a verse in the separations of the Sūrahs, and it is possible that it is a verse according to what we have mentioned. And we have provided evidence that it is not from al-Fātiḥah. So it is more appropriate that it be a complete verse from the Qur’ān other than from Sūrat al-Naml, because the one in Sūrat al-Naml is not a complete verse.
وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَى أَنَّهَا آيَةٌ تَامَّةٌ حَدِيثُ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَرَأَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَعَدَّهَا آيَةً وَفِي لَفْظٍ آخَرَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ يَعُدُّ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ آيَةً فَاصِلَةً رَوَاهُ الْهَيْثَمُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عِكْرِمَةَ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ هَارُونَ عَنْ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ .
And the evidence that it is a complete verse is the hadith of Ibn Abī Mulaykah from Umm Salamah, may Allāh be pleased with her, that the Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, recited in the prayer and counted it as a verse. And in another wording, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to count Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm as a separating verse. It was narrated by al-Haytham ibn Khālid from Abū ʿIkrimah from ʿAmr ibn Hārūn from Ibn Abī Mulaykah from Umm Salamah from the Prophet, peace be upon him.
وَرَوَى أَيْضًا أَسْبَاطٌ عَنْ السُّدِّيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَعُدُّ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ آيَةً وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ مِثْلَهُ .
And Asbāṭ also narrated from al-Suddī from ʿAbd Khayr from ʿAlī that he used to count Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm as a verse. And from Ibn ʿAbbās, the like of it.
وَرَوَى عَبْدُ الْكَرِيمِ عَنْ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ الْبَصْرِيِّ عَنْ ابْنِ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : لَا أَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ حَتَّى أُخْبِرَكَ بِآيَةٍ أَوْ سُورَةٍ لَمْ تَنْزِلْ عَلَى نَبِيٍّ بَعْدَ سُلَيْمَانَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ غَيْرِي فَمَشَى وَاتَّبَعْتُهُ حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى بَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ ، وَأَخْرَجَ إِحْدَى رِجْلَيْهِ مِنْ أُسْكُفَّةِ الْبَابِ وَبَقِيَتِ الرِّجْلُ الْأُخْرَى ، ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ بِوَجْهِهِ ، فَقَالَ : بِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ تَفْتَتِحُ الْقُرْآنَ [ ص: 13 ] إِذَا افْتَتَحْتَ الصَّلَاةَ ؟ فَقُلْتُ : بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ قَالَ : ثُمَّ خَرَجَ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ : فَثَبَتَ بِمَا ذَكَرْنَا أَنَّهَا آيَةٌ ؛ إِذْ لَمْ تُعَارِضْ هَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارَ أَخْبَارٌ غَيْرُهَا فِي نَفْيِ كَوْنِهَا آيَةً ، فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ : يَلْزَمُكَ عَلَى مَا أَصَّلْتَ أَنْ لَا تُثْبِتَهَا آيَةً بِأَخْبَارِ الْآحَادِ حَسَبَ مَا قُلْتَهُ فِي نَفْيِ كَوْنِهَا آيَةً مِنْ أَوَائِلِ السُّوَرِ ، قِيلَ لَهُ : لَا يَجِبُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَوْقِيفُ الْأُمَّةِ عَلَى مَقَاطِعِ الْآيِ وَمَقَادِيرِهَا ، وَلَمْ يُتَعَبَّدْ بِمَعْرِفَتِهَا فَجَائِزٌ إِثْبَاتُهَا آيَةً بِخَبَرِ الْوَاحِدِ .
And ʿAbd al-Karīm narrated from Abū Umayyah al-Baṣrī from Ibn Abī Burdah from his father, he said: The Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, said: “I will not leave the mosque until I inform you of a verse or a sūrah that was not revealed to any prophet after Sulaymān, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, other than me.” So he walked and I followed him until he reached the door of the mosque, and he put one of his feet out of the threshold of the door while the other foot remained. Then he turned his face to me and said: “With what do you open the Qur’ān [p. 13] when you open the prayer?” I said: “With Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm.” He said: Then he exited. Abū Bakr said: So it is established by what we have mentioned that it is a verse, since these reports were not contradicted by other reports negating its being a verse. So if a person were to say: It is binding upon you, based on what you have established as a principle, that you do not affirm it as a verse by solitary reports, according to what you said in negating its being a verse from the beginnings of the sūrahs. It is said to him: That is not necessary, because it was not incumbent upon the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, to direct the Ummah on the divisions of the verses and their lengths, and knowing them was not made an act of worship. So it is permissible to affirm it as a verse by a solitary report.
وَأَمَّا مَوْضِعُهَا مِنَ السُّوَرِ فَهُوَ كَإِثْبَاتِهَا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ، سَبِيلُهُ النَّقْلُ الْمُتَوَاتِرُ ، وَلَا يَجُوزُ إِثْبَاتُهَا بِأَخْبَارِ الْآحَادِ وَلَا بِالنَّظَرِ وَالْمَقَايِيسِ كَسَائِرِ السُّوَرِ وَكَمَوْضِعِهَا مِنْ سُورَةِ النَّمْلِ أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُ قَدْ كَانَ يَكُونُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَوْقِيفٌ عَلَى مَوْضِعِ الْآيِ عَلَى مَا رَوَى ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ ، وَقَدْ قَدَّمْنَا ذِكْرَهُ ، وَلَمْ يُوجَدْ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ تَوْقِيفٌ فِي سَائِرِ الْآيِ عَلَى مَبَادِئِهَا وَمَقَاطِعِهَا فَثَبَتَ أَنَّهُ غَيْرُ مَفْرُوضٍ عَلَيْنَا مَقَادِيرُ الْآيِ ، فَإِذْ قَدْ ثَبَتَ أَنَّهَا آيَةٌ فَلَيْسَتْ تَخْلُو مِنْ أَنْ تَكُونَ آيَةً فِي كُلِّ مَوْضِعٍ هِيَ مَكْتُوبَةٌ فِيهِ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ .
As for its position within the sūrahs, it is like establishing it as part of the Qur’ān; its path is mass transmission, and it is not permissible to establish it by solitary reports nor by reasoning and analogy, like the rest of the sūrahs and like its position in Sūrat al-Naml. Do you not see that there used to be a directive from the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, on the position of the verses, according to what Ibn ʿAbbās narrated from ʿUthmān, which we have already mentioned. And no directive was found from the Prophet, peace be upon him, regarding the rest of the verses on their beginnings and their divisions. So it is established that the lengths of the verses are not obligatory upon us. So since it has been established that it is a verse, it is not devoid of being a verse in every place it is written in the Qur’ān.
وَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنْ أَوَائِلِ السُّوَرِ ، أَوْ أَنْ تَكُونَ آيَةً مُنْفَرِدَةً كُرِّرَتْ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَوَاضِعِ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا يُكْتَبُ فِي أَوَائِلِ الْكُتُبِ عَلَى جِهَةِ التَّبَرُّكِ بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَالْأَوْلَى أَنْ تَكُونَ آيَةً فِي كُلِّ مَوْضِعٍ هِيَ مَكْتُوبَةٌ فِيهِ ، لِنَقْلِ الْأُمَّةِ أَنَّ جَمِيعَ مَا فِي الْمُصْحَفِ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ، وَلَمْ يَخُصُّوا شَيْئًا مِنْهُ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ .
Even if it is not from the beginnings of the sūrahs, or that it is a separate verse repeated in these places in the way that it is written at the beginnings of books for the purpose of seeking blessing with the name of Allāh, the Exalted. So it is more appropriate that it be a verse in every place it is written, due to the transmission of the Ummah that all of what is in the Muṣḥaf is from the Qur’ān, and they did not exclude anything from it from other than it.
وَلَيْسَ وُجُودُهَا مُكَرَّرَةً فِي هَذِهِ الْمَوَاضِعِ مُخْرِجَهَا مِنْ أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ لِوُجُودِنَا كَثِيرًا مِنْهُ مَذْكُورًا عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّكْرَارِ ، وَلَا يُخْرِجُهُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَكُونَ كُلُّ آيَةٍ مِنْهَا ، وَكُلُّ لَفْظَةٍ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الْمَذْكُورِ فِيهِ نَحْوُ قَوْلِهِ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ فِي سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ ، وَمِثْلُهُ فِي سُورَةِ آلِ عِمْرَانَ ، وَنَحْوُ قَوْلِهِ : فَبِأَيِّ آلاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ كُلُّ آيَةٍ مِنْهَا مُفْرَدَةٌ فِي مَوْضِعِهَا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ لَا عَلَى مَعْنَى تَكْرَارِ آيَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَكَذَلِكَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَقَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِنَّهَا آيَةٌ يَقْتَضِي أَنْ تَكُونَ آيَةً فِي كُلِّ مَوْضِعٍ ذُكِرَتْ فِيهِ .
And its being found repeated in these places does not remove it from being from the Qur’ān, because we find much of it mentioned in a repetitive manner, and that does not remove it from each verse of it, and each word, being from the Qur’ān in the place it is mentioned. Such as His statement {al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm} in Sūrat al-Baqarah, and its like in Sūrat Āl ʿImrān. And such as His statement: {So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?}. Each verse of it is a separate verse in its place in the Qur’ān, not in the meaning of repeating a single verse. And likewise is Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm. And the statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that it is a verse necessitates that it be a verse in every place it is mentioned.
فَصْلٌ وَأَمَّا قِرَاءَتُهَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَإِنَّ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ وَابْنَ أَبِي لَيْلَى وَالثَّوْرِيَّ وَالْحَسَنَ بْنَ صَالِحٍ وَأَبَا يُوسُفَ وَمُحَمَّدًا وَزُفَرَ وَالشَّافِعِيَّ كَانُوا يَقُولُونَ بِقِرَاءَتِهَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الِاسْتِعَاذَةِ قَبْلَ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ ، وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي تَكْرَارِهَا فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ وَعِنْدَ افْتِتَاحِ السُّورَةِ ؛ فَرَوَى أَبُو يُوسُفَ عَنْ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ أَنَّهُ يَقْرَؤُهَا فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً عِنْدَ ابْتِدَاءِ قِرَاءَةِ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ ، وَلَا يُعِيدُهَا مَعَ السُّورَةِ عِنْدَ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَأَبِي يُوسُفَ .
Section: As for its recitation in the prayer, indeed Abū Ḥanīfah, Ibn Abī Laylā, al-Thawrī, al-Ḥasan ibn Ṣāliḥ, Abū Yūsuf, Muḥammad, Zufar, and al-Shāfiʿī used to hold the view of reciting it in the prayer after the istiʿādhah and before Fātiḥat al-Kitāb. And they differed regarding its repetition in every rakʿah and at the opening of a Sūrah. Abū Yūsuf narrated from Abū Ḥanīfah that he recites it in every rakʿah one time at the beginning of the recitation of Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, and he does not repeat it with the Sūrah according to Abū Ḥanīfah and Abū Yūsuf.
وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ وَالْحَسَنُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ [ ص: 14 ] عَنْ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ : إِذَا قَرَأَهَا فِي أَوَّلِ رَكْعَةٍ عِنْدَ ابْتِدَاءِ الْقِرَاءَةِ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَقْرَأَهَا فِي تِلْكَ الصَّلَاةِ حَتَّى يُسَلِّمَ ، وَإِنْ قَرَأَهَا مَعَ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ فَحَسَنٌ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ : وَإِنْ كَانَ مَسْبُوقًا فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَقْرَأَهَا فِيمَا يَقْضِي ؛ لِأَنَّ الْإِمَامَ قَدْ قَرَأَهَا فِي أَوَّلِ صَلَاتِهِ ، وَقِرَاءَةُ الْإِمَامَ لَهُ قِرَاءَةٌ .
And Muḥammad and al-Ḥasan ibn Ziyād [p. 14] said, from Abū Ḥanīfah: If he recites it in the first rakʿah at the beginning of the recitation, it is not upon him to recite it in that prayer until he gives the salām. And if he recites it with every Sūrah, it is good. Al-Ḥasan said: And if he is one who joined late (masbūq), it is not upon him to recite it in what he makes up, because the Imām has already recited it at the beginning of his prayer, and the recitation of the Imām is a recitation for him.
قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ : وَهَذَا يَدُلُّ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ عَلَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَرَى بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فِي ابْتِدَاءِ الْقِرَاءَةِ ، وَأَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مُفْرَدَةً عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّبَرُّكِ فَقَطْ حَسَبَ إِثْبَاتِهَا فِي ابْتِدَاءِ الْأُمُورِ وَالْكُتُبِ ، وَلَا مَنْقُولَةً عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهَا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ .
Abū Bakr said: And this indicates from his statement that he held that Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm is from the Qur’ān at the beginning of the recitation, and that it is not isolated for the purpose of seeking blessing only, in the way it is affirmed at the beginning of affairs and books, nor is it transferred from its places in the Qur’ān.
وَرَوَى هِشَامٌ عَنْ أَبِي يُوسُفَ قَالَ : سَأَلْتُ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ عَنْ قِرَاءَةِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ قَبْلَ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَجْدِيدِهَا قَبْلَ السُّورَةِ الَّتِي بَعْدَ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ ، فَقَالَ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ : يَجْزِيهِ قِرَاءَتُهَا قَبْلَ الْحَمْدِ وَقَالَ أَبُو يُوسُفَ : يَقْرَأُهَا فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ قَبْلَ الْقِرَاءَةِ مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَيُعِيدُهَا فِي الْأُخْرَى أَيْضًا قَبْلَ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَبَعْدَهَا إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ سُورَةً قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ : فَإِنْ قَرَأَ سُوَرًا كَثِيرَةً وَكَانَتْ قِرَاءَتُهُ يُخْفِيهَا قَرَأَهَا عِنْدَ افْتِتَاحِ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ ، وَإِنْ كَانَ يَجْهَرُ بِهَا لَمْ يَقْرَأْهَا ؛ لِأَنَّهُ فِي الْجَهْرِ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ بِسَكْتَةٍ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ : وَهَذَا مِنْ قَوْلِ مُحَمَّدٍ يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ قِرَاءَةَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ إِنَّمَا هِيَ لِلْفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ أَوْ لِابْتِدَاءِ الْقِرَاءَةِ ، وَأَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مِنَ السُّوَرِ ، وَلَا دَلَالَةَ فِيهِ عَلَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يَرَاهَا آيَةً وَأَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ .
Hishām narrated from Abū Yūsuf, he said: I asked Abū Ḥanīfah about reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm before Fātiḥat al-Kitāb and renewing it before the Sūrah that is after Fātiḥat al-Kitāb. Abū Ḥanīfah said: It is sufficient for him to recite it before al-Ḥamd. Abū Yūsuf said: He recites it in every rakʿah before the recitation one time, and repeats it in the other [rakʿah] as well before Fātiḥat al-Kitāb and after it if he intends to recite a Sūrah. Muḥammad said: If he recites many Sūrahs and his recitation is one that he does inaudibly, he recites it at the opening of every Sūrah. And if he recites it aloud, he does not recite it, because in loud recitation he separates between the two Sūrahs with a pause. Abū Bakr said: And this, from the statement of Muḥammad, indicates that the recitation of Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm is only for separation between the two Sūrahs or for the beginning of the recitation, and that it is not from the Sūrahs. And there is no indication in it that he did not see it as a verse or that it is not from the Qur’ān.
وَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ : هِيَ مِنْ أَوَّلِ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ فَيَقْرَأُهَا عِنْدَ ابْتِدَاءِ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ : وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَمُجَاهِدٍ أَنَّهَا تُقْرَأُ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ وَعَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ : إِذَا قَرَأْتَهَا فِي أَوَّلِ كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ أَجْزَأَكَ فِيمَا بَقِيَ .
Al-Shāfiʿī said: It is from the beginning of every Sūrah, so he recites it at the beginning of every Sūrah. Abū Bakr said: And it has been narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās and Mujāhid that it is recited in every rakʿah. And from Ibrāhīm, he said: If you recite it at the beginning of every rakʿah, it suffices you for what remains.
وَقَالَ مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ : لَا يَقْرَؤُهَا فِي الْمَكْتُوبَةِ سِرًّا وَلَا جَهْرًا ، وَفِي النَّافِلَةِ إِنْ شَاءَ قَرَأَ وَإِنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَ .
Mālik ibn Anas said: He does not recite it in the prescribed prayer, neither secretly nor aloud. And in the supererogatory prayer, if he wishes he recites, and if he wishes he leaves it.
وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَى أَنَّهَا تُقْرَأُ فِي سَائِرِ الصَّلَوَاتِ حَدِيثُ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ : بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ .
And the evidence that it is recited in all prayers is the hadith of Umm Salamah and Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to recite in the prayer: Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, al-Ḥamdu lillāhi Rabb il-ʿālamīn.
وَرَوَى أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ قَالَ : صَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ فَكَانُوا يُسِرُّونَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ، وَقَالَ فِي بَعْضِهَا : يُخْفُونَ ، وَفِي بَعْضِهَا : كَانُوا لَا يَجْهَرُونَ وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ فِي الْفَرْضِ ؛ لِأَنَّهُمْ إِنَّمَا كَانُوا يُصَلُّونَ خَلْفَهُ فِي الْفَرَائِضِ لَا فِي التَّطَوُّعِ ؛ إِذْ لَيْسَ مِنْ سُنَّةِ التَّطَوُّعِ فِعْلُهَا فِي جَمَاعَةٍ ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُغَفَّلِ وَأَنْسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ يَفْتَتِحُ الْقِرَاءَةَ بِالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ .
Anas ibn Mālik narrated, he said: I prayed behind the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, and Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān, and they used to recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm secretly. And in some versions he said: they would conceal it, and in some: they would not recite it aloud. And it is known that this was in the obligatory prayer, because they only used to pray behind him in the obligatory prayers, not in the voluntary ones, since it is not from the sunnah of voluntary prayer to perform it in a congregation. And it has been narrated from ʿĀʾishah, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mughaffal, and Anas ibn Mālik that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to open the recitation with al-Ḥamdu lillāhi Rabb il-ʿālamīn.
وَهَذَا إِنَّمَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى تَرْكِ الْجَهْرِ بِهَا وَلَا دَلَالَةَ فِيهِ عَلَى تَرْكِهَا رَأْسًا فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ : رَوَى أَبُو زُرْعَةَ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ جَرِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : [ ص: 15 ] كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا نَهَضَ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ اسْتَفْتَحَ بِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَلَمْ يَسْكُتْ .
And this only indicates the leaving of reciting it aloud, and there is no indication in it of leaving it altogether. So if a person were to say: Abū Zurʿah ibn ʿAmr ibn Jarīr narrated from Abū Hurayrah, he said: [p. 15] When the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, stood up for the second [rakʿah], he would begin with al-Ḥamdu lillāhi Rabb il-ʿālamīn and would not pause.
قِيلَ لَهُ : لَيْسَ لِمَالِكٍ فِيهِ دَلِيلٌ مِنْ قِبَلِ أَنَّهُ إِنْ ثَبَتَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَقْرَأْهَا فِي الثَّانِيَةِ فَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ حُجَّةٌ لِمَنْ يَقْتَصِرُ عَلَيْهَا فِي أَوَّلِ رَكْعَةٍ ، فَأَمَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ دَلِيلًا عَلَى تَرْكِهَا رَأْسًا فَلَا .
It is said to him: There is no evidence in it for Mālik, because if it is established that he did not recite it in the second [rakʿah], then that is only an argument for one who restricts it to the first rakʿah. But as for it being evidence for leaving it altogether, then no.
وَقَدْ رُوِيَ قِرَاءَتُهَا فِي أَوَّلِ الصَّلَاةِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ وَعُمَرَ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَابْنِ عُمَرَ مِنْ غَيْرِ مُعَارِضٍ لَهُمْ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ فَثَبَتَ بِذَلِكَ قِرَاءَتُهَا فِي الْفَرْضِ وَالنَّفَلِ لِمَا ثَبَتَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَنِ الصَّحَابَةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ مُعَارِضٍ لَهُمْ ، وَعَلَى أَنَّهُ لَا فَرْقَ بَيْنَ الْفَرْضِ وَالنَّفَلِ لَا فِي الْإِثْبَاتِ وَلَا فِي النَّفْيِ كَمَا لَا يَخْتَلِفَانِ فِي سَائِرِ سُنَنِ الصَّلَاةِ .
And its recitation at the beginning of the prayer has been narrated from ʿAlī, ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Ibn ʿUmar, without any opposition to them from the Companions. Thus, its recitation in the obligatory and supererogatory prayers is established by what is established from the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, and from the Companions without any opposition to them. And also because there is no difference between the obligatory and the supererogatory, neither in affirmation nor in negation, just as they do not differ in the rest of the sunnahs of the prayer.
وَأَمَّا وَجْهُ مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ فِي اقْتِصَارِهِ عَلَى قِرَاءَتِهَا فِي أَوَّلِ رَكْعَةٍ دُونَ سَائِرِ الرَّكَعَاتِ وَسُوَرِهَا فَهُوَ لِمَا ثَبَتَ أَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مِنْ أَوَائِلِ السُّوَرِ ؛ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ آيَةً فِي مَوْضِعِهَا عَلَى وَجْهِ الْفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ أَمَرَنَا بِالِابْتِدَاءِ بِهَا تَبَرُّكًا ثَمَّ ثَبَتَ أَنَّهَا مَقْرُوءَةٌ فِي أَوَّلِ الصَّلَاةِ بِمَا قَدَّمْنَاهُ ، وَكَانَتْ حُرْمَةُ الصَّلَاةِ حُرْمَةً وَاحِدَةً وَجَمِيعُ أَفْعَالِهَا مَبْنِيَّةً عَلَى التَّحْرِيمَةِ ، صَارَ جَمِيعُ الصَّلَاةِ كَالْفِعْلِ الْوَاحِدِ الَّذِي يُكْتَفَى بِذِكْرِ اسْمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي ابْتِدَائِهِ وَلَا يُحْتَاجُ إِلَى إِعَادَتِهِ وَإِنْ طَالَ ، كَالِابْتِدَاءِ بِهَا فِي أَوَائِلِ الْكُتُبِ ، وَكَمَا لَمْ تُعَدْ عِنْدَ ابْتِدَاءِ الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ وَالتَّشَهُّدِ وَسَائِرِ أَرْكَانِ الصَّلَاةِ ، كَذَلِكَ حُكْمُهَا مَعَ ابْتِدَاءِ السُّورَةِ وَالرَّكَعَاتِ وَيَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهَا مَوْضُوعَةٌ لِلْفَصْلِ مَا حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ عَمْرٍو عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ، قَالَ : كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا يَعْرِفُ فَصْلَ السُّورَةِ حَتَّى يَنْزِلَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ .
As for the reasoning behind what was narrated from Abū Ḥanīfah in restricting its recitation to the first rakʿah, to the exclusion of the rest of the rakʿahs and their Sūrahs, it is because it is established that it is not from the beginnings of the Sūrahs. Even if it is a verse in its place for the purpose of separating between two Sūrahs, we were commanded to begin with it for blessing. Then it was established that it is recited at the beginning of the prayer by what we have presented. And the sanctity of the prayer is a single sanctity, and all of its actions are built upon the taḥrīmah. The entire prayer becomes like a single act for which mentioning the name of Allāh, the Exalted, at its beginning is sufficient, and there is no need to repeat it even if it is long, like beginning with it at the start of books. And just as it is not repeated at the beginning of the bowing, prostration, tashahhud, and the rest of the pillars of the prayer, likewise is its ruling with the beginning of the Sūrah and the rakʿahs. And what indicates that it is placed for separation is what Muḥammad ibn Bakr narrated to us, he said: Abū Dāwūd narrated to us, he said: Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah narrated to us from ʿAmr from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr from Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: “The Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, did not know the separation of a Sūrah until Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm was revealed.”
وَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ مَوْضُوعَهَا لِلْفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ ، وَأَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مِنَ السُّوَرِ ، وَلَا يُحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَكْرَارِهَا عِنْدَ كُلَّ سُورَةٍ فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ : إِذَا كَانَتْ مَوْضُوعَةً لِلْفَصْلِ بَيْنَ السُّورَتَيْنِ فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُفْصَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بِقِرَاءَتِهَا عَلَى حَسَبِ مَوْضُوعِهَا قِيلَ لَهُ : لَا يَجِبُ ذَلِكَ ؛ لِأَنَّ الْفَصْلَ قَدْ عُرِفَ بِنُزُولِهَا .
This indicates that its placement is for separation between the two Sūrahs, and that it is not from the Sūrahs, and there is no need to repeat it at every Sūrah. So if a person were to say: If it is placed for separation between the two Sūrahs, then it is necessary to separate between them by reciting it according to its placement. It is said to him: That is not necessary, because the separation has been known by its revelation.
وَإِنَّمَا يُحْتَاجُ فِي الِابْتِدَاءِ بِهَا تَبَرُّكًا ؛ وَقَدْ وُجِدَ ذَلِكَ فِي ابْتِدَاءِ الصَّلَاةِ ، وَلَا صَلَاةَ هُنَاكَ مُبْتَدَأَةٌ فَيُقْرَأُ مِنْ أَجْلِهَا ، فَلِذَلِكَ جَازَ الِاقْتِصَارُ بِهَا عَلَى أَوَّلِهَا .
It is only needed at the beginning for blessing, and that has been found at the beginning of the prayer. And there is no prayer there being initiated for which it would be recited. For that reason, it is permissible to restrict it to the beginning.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ قَرَأَهَا فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ فَوَجْهُ قَوْلِهِ : إِنَّ كُلَّ رَكْعَةٍ لَهَا قِرَاءَةٌ مُبْتَدَأَةٌ لَا يَنُوبُ عَنْهَا الْقِرَاءَةُ فِي الَّتِي قَبْلَهَا فَمِنْ حَيْثُ اِحْتِيجَ إِلَى اسْتِئْنَافِ الْقِرَاءَةِ فِيهَا صَارَتْ كَالرَّكْعَةِ الْأُولَى ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْمَسْنُونُ فِيهَا قِرَاءَتَهَا فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الْأُولَى ؛ كَانَ كَذَلِكَ حُكْمُ الثَّانِيَةِ ؛ إِذْ كَانَ فِيهَا ابْتِدَاءُ قِرَاءَةٍ ، وَلَا يُحْتَاجُ إِلَى إِعَادَتِهَا عِنْدَ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ لِأَنَّهَا فَرْضٌ وَاحِدٌ ، وَكَانَ حُكْمُ السُّورَةِ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الْوَاحِدَةِ حُكْمَ [ ص: 16 ] مَا قَبْلَهَا لِأَنَّهَا دَوَامٌ عَلَى فِعْلٍ قَدِ ابْتَدَأَهُ ، وَحُكْمُ الدَّوَامِ حُكْمُ الِابْتِدَاءِ كَالرُّكُوعِ إِذَا أَطَالَهُ ، وَكَذَلِكَ السُّجُودُ وَسَائِرُ أَفْعَالِ الصَّلَاةِ الدَّوَامُ عَلَى الْفِعْلِ الْوَاحِدِ مِنْهَا حُكْمُهُ حُكْمُ الِابْتِدَاءِ ، حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ الِابْتِدَاءُ فَرْضًا كَانَ مَا بَعْدَهُ فِي حُكْمِهِ وَأَمَّا مَنْ رَأَى إِعَادَتَهَا عِنْدَ كُلِّ سُورَةٍ فَإِنَّهُمْ فَرِيقَانِ :
As for the one who recites it in every rakʿah, the reasoning for his view is: that every rakʿah has an initiated recitation, and the recitation in the one before it does not substitute for it. So from the aspect that it is necessary to resume recitation in it, it becomes like the first rakʿah. So since what is sunnah in it is to recite it in the first rakʿah, likewise is the ruling of the second, since it contains a beginning of recitation. And there is no need to repeat it at every Sūrah because it is a single obligation, and the ruling of the Sūrah in a single rakʿah is the ruling [p. 16] of what is before it, because it is a continuation of an act that has been initiated. And the ruling of continuation is the ruling of initiation, like the bowing if one prolongs it, and likewise the prostration and the rest of the actions of the prayer. The continuation of a single act from them has the ruling of its initiation, such that if the initiation is obligatory, what comes after it is under its ruling. As for those who hold the view of repeating it at every Sūrah, they are two groups:
أَحَدُهُمَا : مَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلْهَا مِنَ السُّورَةِ ، وَالْآخَرُ مَنْ جَعَلَهَا مِنْ أَوَائِلِهَا فَأَمَّا مَنْ جَعَلَهَا مِنْ أَوَائِلِهَا فَإِنَّهُ رَأَى إِعَادَتَهَا كَمَا يَقْرَأَ سَائِرَ آيِ السُّورَةِ .
One of them: those who do not make it part of the Sūrah, and the other: those who make it part of their beginnings. As for those who make it part of their beginnings, they hold the view of repeating it just as one recites the rest of the verses of the Sūrah.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَرَهَا مِنَ السُّورَةِ فَإِنَّهُ يَجْعَلُ كُلَّ سُورَةٍ كَالصَّلَاةِ الْمُبْتَدَأَةِ فَيَبْتَدِئُ فِيهَا بِقِرَاءَتِهَا كَمَا فَعَلَهَا فِي أَوَّلِ الصَّلَاةِ ؛ لِأَنَّهَا كَذَلِكَ فِي الْمُصْحَفِ ، كَمَا لَوِ ابْتَدَأَ قِرَاءَةَ السُّورَةِ فِي غَيْرِ الصَّلَاةِ بَدَأَ بِهَا ، فَلذَلِكَ إِذَا قَرَأَ قَبْلَهَا سُورَةً غَيْرَهَا .
As for those who do not see it as part of the Sūrah, they make every Sūrah like an initiated prayer, so they begin in it by reciting it just as they did at the beginning of the prayer; because it is so in the Muṣḥaf. Just as if one were to begin reciting a Sūrah outside of prayer, he would begin with it. For that reason, [he does so] when he recites a different Sūrah before it.
وَقَدْ رَوَى أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ سُورَةٌ آنِفًا ثُمَّ قَرَأَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ إِلَى آخِرِهَا حَتَّى خَتَمَهَا وَرَوَى أَبُو بُرْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَرَأَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُبِينٍ فَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَدْ كَانَ يَبْتَدِئُ قِرَاءَةَ السُّورَةِ فِي غَيْرِ الصَّلَاةِ بِهَا ، وَكَانَ سَبِيلُهَا أَنْ يَكُونَ كَذَلِكَ حُكْمُهَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ .
And Anas ibn Mālik narrated that the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, said: “A Sūrah was just now revealed to me.” Then he recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, then he recited {Innā aʿṭaynāka l-kawthar} to its end, until he concluded it. And Abū Burdah narrated from his father that the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, {Alif. Lām. Rāʾ. Tilka āyātu l-kitābi wa-qurʾānin mubīn}. So this indicates that he, peace be upon him, used to begin the recitation of a Sūrah outside of prayer with it, and its way should be that its ruling is likewise in the prayer.
وَقَدْ رَوَى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ دِينَارٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَفْتَتِحُ أُمَّ الْقُرْآنِ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَيَفْتَتِحُ السُّورَةَ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ .
And ʿAbdullāh ibn Dīnār narrated from Ibn ʿUmar that he used to open Umm al-Qur’ān with Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm and open the Sūrah with Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm.
وَرَوَى جَرِيرٌ عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ ، قَالَ : أَمَّا إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَقَرَأَ فِي صَلَاةِ الْمَغْرِبِ : أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ حَتَّى إِذَا خَتَمَهَا وَصَلَ بِخَاتِمَتِهَا لإِيلافِ قُرَيْشٍ وَلَمْ يَفْصِلْ بَيْنَهُمَا بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
And Jarīr narrated from al-Mughīrah, he said: As for Ibrāhīm, he recited in the Maghrib prayer: {Alam tara kayfa faʿala rabbuka bi-aṣḥābi l-fīl}, until when he concluded it, he connected its conclusion with {Li-īlāfi quraysh} and did not separate between them with Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm.
فَصْلٌ وَأَمَّا الْجَهْرُ بِهَا فَإِنَّ أَصْحَابَنَا وَالثَّوْرِيَّ قَالُوا : يُخْفِيهَا .
Section: As for reciting it aloud, indeed our companions and al-Thawrī said: He recites it inaudibly.
وَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي لَيْلَى : إِنْ شَاءَ جَهَرَ وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَخْفَى .
Ibn Abī Laylā said: If he wishes, he recites aloud, and if he wishes, he recites inaudibly.
وَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ : يَجْهَرُ بِهَا .
Al-Shāfiʿī said: He recites it aloud.
وَهَذَا الِاخْتِلَافُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ فِي الْإِمَامِ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلَاةً يُجْهَرُ فِيهَا بِالْقِرَاءَةِ .
And this difference is only regarding the Imām when he prays a prayer in which the recitation is done aloud.
وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ الصَّحَابَةِ فِيهَا اخْتِلَافٌ كَثِيرٌ ؛ فَرَوَى عُمَرُ بْنُ ذَرٍّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، قَالَ : صَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَ ابْنِ عُمَرَ فَجَهَرَ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَرَوَى حَمَّادٌ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، قَالَ : كَانَ عُمَرُ يُخْفِيهَا ثُمَّ يَجْهَرُ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَرَوَى عَنْهُ أَنَسٌ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ : كَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَأَصْحَابُهُ يُسِرُّونَ قِرَاءَةَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ لَا يَجْهَرُونَ بِهَا وَرَوَى أَنَسٌ أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ كَانَا يُسِرَّانِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ، وَكَذَلِكَ رَوَى عَنْهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُغَفَّلِ .
And much difference has been narrated from the Companions regarding it. ʿUmar ibn Dharr narrated from his father, he said: I prayed behind Ibn ʿUmar, and he recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud. And Ḥammād narrated from Ibrāhīm, he said: ʿUmar used to recite it inaudibly, then recite Fātiḥat al-Kitāb aloud. And Anas narrated from him likewise. Ibrāhīm said: ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd and his companions used to recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm secretly; they would not recite it aloud. And Anas narrated that Abū Bakr and ʿUmar used to recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm secretly, and likewise did ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mughaffal narrate from him.
وَرَوَى الْمُغِيرَةُ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، قَالَ : جَهْرُ الْإِمَامِ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ بِدْعَةٌ .
And al-Mughīrah narrated from Ibrāhīm, he said: The Imām’s reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in the prayer is an innovation (bidʿah).
وَرَوَى جَرِيرٌ عَنْ عَاصِمٍ الْأَحْوَلِ ، قَالَ : ذُكِرَ لِعِكْرِمَةَ الْجَهْرُ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ فِي [ ص: 17 ] الصَّلَاةِ ، فَقَالَ : أَنَا إِذًا أَعْرَابِيٌّ وَرَوَى أَبُو يُوسُفَ عَنْ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ ، قَالَ : بَلَغَنِي عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ، قَالَ : الْجَهْرُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ أَعْرَابِيَّةٌ .
And Jarīr narrated from ʿĀṣim al-Aḥwal, he said: Reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in [p. 17] the prayer was mentioned to ʿIkrimah, and he said: I would then be a bedouin. And Abū Yūsuf narrated from Abū Ḥanīfah, he said: It has reached me from Ibn Masʿūd, he said: Reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in the prayer is a bedouin practice.
وَرَوَى حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ كَثِيرٍ ، قَالَ : سُئِلَ الْحَسَنُ عَنِ الْجَهْرِ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ ، فَقَالَ : إِنَّمَا يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ الْأَعْرَابُ .
And Ḥammād ibn Zayd narrated from Kathīr, he said: Al-Ḥasan was asked about reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in the prayer, and he said: Only the bedouins do that.
وَاخْتَلَفَتِ الرِّوَايَةُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ، فَرَوَى شَرِيكٌ عَنْ عَاصِمٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّهُ جَهَرَ بِهَا ؛ وَهَذَا يُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي غَيْرِ الصَّلَاةِ .
And the narration from Ibn ʿAbbās differed. Sharīk narrated from ʿĀṣim from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr from Ibn ʿAbbās that he recited it aloud; and this could possibly be outside of the prayer.
وَرَوَى عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ أَبِي حُسَيْنٍ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي الْجَهْرِ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ قَالَ : ذَلِكَ فِعْلُ الْأَعْرَابِ وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ أَنَّهُ عَدَّهَا آيَةً ، وَأَنَّهُ قَالَ : هِيَ تَمَامُ السَّبْعِ الْمَثَانِي ، وَلَمْ يَثْبُتْ عَنْهُ الْجَهْرُ بِهَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ .
And ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī Ḥusayn narrated from ʿIkrimah from Ibn ʿAbbās regarding reciting Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud, he said: That is the action of the bedouins. And it was narrated from ʿAlī that he counted it as a verse, and that he said: It is the completion of the Seven Oft-Repeated, but it was not established from him that he recited it aloud in the prayer.
وَقَدْ رَوَى أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ ، قَالَ : كَانَ عُمَرُ وَعَلِيٌّ لَا يَجْهَرَانِ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَلَا بِالتَّعَوُّذِ وَلَا بِآمِينَ .
And Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh narrated from Abū Saʿīd from Abū Wāʾil, he said: ʿUmar and ʿAlī would not recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud, nor the taʿawwudh, nor āmīn.
وَرُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّهُ جَهَرَ بِهَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَهَؤُلَاءِ الصَّحَابَةُ مُخْتَلِفُونَ فِيهَا عَلَى مَا بَيَّنَّا .
And it was narrated from Ibn ʿUmar that he recited it aloud in the prayer. So these Companions differed regarding it, as we have explained.
وَرَوَى أَنَسٌ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُغَفَّلِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ كَانُوا يُسِرُّونَ ، وَفِي بَعْضِهَا : كَانُوا يُخْفُونَ ؛ وَجَعَلَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُغَفَّلِ حَدَثًا فِي الْإِسْلَامِ وَرَوَى أَبُو الْجَوْزَاءِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ، قَالَتْ : كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَفْتَتِحُ الصَّلَاةَ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ وَالْقِرَاءَةِ بِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَيَخْتِمُهَا بِالتَّسْلِيمِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ الْكَرْخِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ :
And Anas and ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mughaffal narrated that the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān used to recite it secretly. And in some versions: they used to conceal it. And ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mughaffal considered it something new in Islam. And Abū al-Jawzāʾ narrated from ʿĀʾishah, she said: “The Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, used to open the prayer with the takbīr and the recitation with al-Ḥamdu lillāhi Rabb il-ʿālamīn, and conclude it with the taslīm.” Abū al-Ḥasan ʿUbaydullāh ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Karkhī, may Allāh have mercy on him, narrated to us, he said:
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَضْرَمِيُّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلَاءِ ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَابِرٍ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ، قَالَ :
Al-Ḥaḍramī narrated to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn al-ʿAlāʾ narrated to us, Muʿāwiyah ibn Hishām narrated to us from Muḥammad ibn Jābir from Ḥammād from Ibrāhīm from ʿAbdullāh, he said:
مَا جَهَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي صَلَاةٍ مَكْتُوبَةٍ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَلَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَلَا عُمَرُ .
The Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, never recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud in a prescribed prayer, nor did Abū Bakr, nor ʿUmar.
فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ : إِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَكَ أَنَّهَا آيَةٌ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فِي مَوْضِعِهَا فَالْوَاجِبُ الْجَهْرُ بِهَا كَالْجَهْرِ بِالْقِرَاءَةِ فِي الصَّلَوَاتِ الَّتِي يُجْهَرُ فِيهَا بِالْقُرْآنِ ؛ إِذْ لَيْسَ فِي الْأُصُولِ الْجَهْرُ بِبَعْضِ الْقِرَاءَةِ دُونَ بَعْضٍ فِي رَكْعَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ .
So if a person were to say: If you hold that it is a verse of the Qur’ān in its place, then it is obligatory to recite it aloud, like reciting the recitation aloud in the prayers in which the Qur’ān is recited aloud; since it is not in the principles to recite part of the recitation aloud and not another part in a single rakʿah.
قِيلَ لَهُ : إِذَا لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنْ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ عَلَى مَا بَيَّنَّا ، وَإِنَّمَا هِيَ عَلَى وَجْهِ الِابْتِدَاءِ بِهَا تَبَرُّكًا ، جَازَ أَنْ لَا يَجْهَرَ بِهَا أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ قَوْلَهُ تَعَالَى : إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ الْآيَةَ هُوَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ، وَمَنِ اسْتَفْتَحَ بِهِ الصَّلَاةَ لَا يَجْهَرُ بِهِ ، مَعَ الْجَهْرِ بِسَائِرِ الْقِرَاءَةِ ، كَذَلِكَ مَا وَصَفْنَا قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ : وَمَا ثَبَتَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ إِخْفَائِهَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مِنَ الْفَاتِحَةِ ؛ إِذْ لَوْ كَانَتْ مِنْهَا لَجَهَرَ بِهَا كَجَهْرِهِ بِسَائِرِهَا فَإِنِ احْتَجَّ مُحْتَجٌّ بِمَا رَوَى نُعَيْمٌ الْمُجَمِّرُ أَنَّهُ صَلَّى وَرَاءَ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَقَرَأَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ثُمَّ لَمَّا سَلَّمَ قَالَ : إِنِّي لَأَشْبَهُكُمْ صَلَاةً بِرَسُولِ [ ص: 18 ] اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَبِمَا رَوَى ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يُصَلِّي فِي بَيْتِهَا فَيَقْرَأُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ، وَبِمَا رَوَى جَابِرٌ الْجُعْفِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ وَعَمَّارٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَجْهَرُ بِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ .
It is said to him: If it is not from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, as we have explained, and it is only for the purpose of beginning with it for blessing, it is permissible not to recite it aloud. Do you not see that His, the Exalted’s, statement: {Innī wajjahtu wajhiya lilladhī faṭara s-samāwāti wa-l-arḍa}, the verse, is from the Qur’ān, and whoever opens the prayer with it does not recite it aloud, despite reciting the rest of the recitation aloud? Likewise is what we have described. Abū Bakr said: And what is established from the Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, of reciting it inaudibly indicates that it is not from al-Fātiḥah; for if it were from it, he would have recited it aloud like he recited the rest of it aloud. So if an arguer argues with what Nuʿaym al-Mujmir narrated, that he prayed behind Abū Hurayrah and he recited Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, then when he gave the salām, he said: “Indeed, I am the most similar of you in prayer to the Messenger [p. 18] of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace.” And with what Ibn Jurayj narrated from Ibn Abī Mulaykah from Umm Salamah that “the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, used to pray in her house and would recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, al-Ḥamdu lillāhi Rabb il-ʿālamīn.” And with what Jābir al-Juʿfī narrated from Abū al-Ṭufayl from ʿAlī and ʿAmmār that “the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, used to recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm aloud.”
قِيلَ لَهُ : أَمَّا حَدِيثُ نُعَيْمٍ الْمُجَمِّرِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَلَا دَلَالَةَ فِيهِ عَلَى الْجَهْرِ بِهَا ؛ لِأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا ذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ قَرَأَهَا ، وَلَمْ يَقُلْ إِنَّهُ جَهَرَ بِهَا وَجَائِزٌ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ جَهَرَ بِهَا وَإِنْ قَرَأَهَا ، وَكَانَ عِلْمُ الرَّاوِي بِقِرَاءَتِهَا إِمَّا مِنْ جِهَةِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ بِإِخْبَارِهِ إِيَّاهُ بِذَلِكَ أَوْ مِنْ جِهَةِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهَا لِقُرْبِهِ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَجْهَرْ بِهَا كَمَا رُوِيَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَيُسْمِعُنَا الْآيَةَ أَحْيَانًا ، وَلَا خِلَافَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَجْهَرُ بِهَا .
It is said to him: As for the hadith of Nuʿaym al-Mujmir from Abū Hurayrah, there is no indication in it of reciting it aloud; because he only mentioned that he recited it, and did not say that he recited it aloud. And it is possible that he did not recite it aloud even though he recited it, and the narrator’s knowledge of his recitation was either from Abū Hurayrah informing him of that, or from the fact that he heard it due to his proximity to him, even if he did not recite it aloud, just as it was narrated that the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, “used to recite in Dhuhr and ʿAṣr and would let us hear a verse sometimes,” and there is no disagreement that he did not used to recite it aloud.
وَقَدْ رَوَى عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ زِيَادٍ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا عُمَارَةُ بْنُ الْقَعْقَاعِ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو زُرْعَةَ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ جَرِيرٍ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا نَهَضَ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ اسْتَفْتَحَ بِالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَلَمْ يَسْكُتْ وَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ أَنَّهَا مِنْ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ ؛ وَإِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْهَا لَمْ يُجْهَرْ بِهَا ؛ لِأَنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ لَا يَعُدُّهَا آيَةً مِنْهَا لَا يَجْهَرُ بِهَا .
And ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Ziyād narrated, he said: ʿUmārah ibn al-Qaʿqāʿ narrated to us, he said: Abū Zurʿah ibn ʿAmr ibn Jarīr narrated to us, he said: Abū Hurayrah narrated to us, he said: “When the Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, stood up for the second [rakʿah], he would begin with al-Ḥamdu lillāhi Rabb il-ʿālamīn and would not pause.” And this indicates that he did not hold that it was from Fātiḥat al-Kitāb; and if it is not from it, it is not recited aloud, because everyone who does not count it as a verse from it does not recite it aloud.
وَأَمَّا حَدِيثُ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ ، فَرَوَى اللَّيْثُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ عَنْ مُعَلَّى أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ قِرَاءَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَنَعَتَتْ قِرَاءَتَهُ مُفَسَّرَةً حَرْفًا حَرْفًا فَفِي هَذَا الْخَبَرِ أَنَّهَا نَعَتَتْ قِرَاءَةَ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَلَيْسَ فِيهِ ذِكْرُ قِرَاءَتِهَا فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَلَا دَلَالَةَ فِيهِ عَلَى جَهْرٍ وَلَا إِخْفَاءٍ لِأَنَّ أَكْثَرَ مَا فِيهِ أَنَّهُ قَرَأَهَا ؛ وَنَحْنُ كَذَلِكَ نَقُولُ أَيْضًا ، وَلَكِنَّهُ لَا يَجْهَرُ بِهَا وَجَائِزٌ أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَخْبَرَهَا بِكَيْفِيَّةِ قِرَاءَتِهِ فَأَخْبَرَتْ بِذَلِكَ وَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ تَكُونَ سَمِعَتْهُ يَقْرَأُ غَيْرَ جَاهِرٍ بِهَا ، فَسَمِعَتْهُ لِقُرْبِهَا مِنْهُ ؛ وَيَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهَا ذَكَرَتْ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي فِي بَيْتِهَا ، وَهَذِهِ لَمْ تَكُنْ صَلَاةَ فَرْضٍ ؛ لِأَنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ لَا يُصَلِّي الْفَرْضَ مُنْفَرِدًا بَلْ كَانَ يُصَلِّيهَا فِي جَمَاعَةٍ وَجَائِزٌ عِنْدَنَا لِلْمُنْفَرِدِ وَالْمُتَنَفِّلِ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ كَيْفَ شَاءَ مِنْ جَهْرٍ أَوْ إِخْفَاءٍ .
As for the hadith of Umm Salamah, al-Layth narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUbaydillāh ibn Abī Mulaykah from Muʿallā that he asked Umm Salamah about the recitation of the Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, and she described his recitation, articulated letter by letter. So in this report is that she described the recitation of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and there is no mention in it of reciting it in the prayer, nor any indication in it of reciting aloud or inaudibly, because the most that is in it is that he recited it; and we say that as well, but he does not recite it aloud. And it is possible that the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, informed her of the manner of his recitation, so she informed of that. And it is possible that she heard him reciting it without being loud, so she heard him due to her proximity to him. And what indicates this is that she mentioned that he used to pray in her house, and this was not an obligatory prayer, because he, peace be upon him, did not pray the obligatory prayer alone, but rather he would pray it in a congregation. And it is permissible in our view for one praying alone and one praying a voluntary prayer to recite as he wishes, either aloud or inaudibly.
وَأَمَّا حَدِيثُ جَابِرٍ عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ فَإِنَّ جَابِرًا مِمَّنْ لَا تَثْبُتُ بِهِ حُجَّةٌ لِأُمُورٍ حُكِيَتْ عَنْهُ تُسْقِطُ رِوَايَتَهُ ، مِنْهَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ بِالرَّجْعَةِ عَلَى مَا حُكِيَ ، وَكَانَ يَكْذِبُ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِمَّا يَرْوِيهِ ؛ وَقَدْ كَذَّبَهُ قَوْمٌ مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ السَّلَفِ ، وَقَدْ رَوَى أَبُو وَائِلٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يَجْهَرُ بِهَا ؛ وَلَوْ كَانَ الْجَهْرُ ثَابِتًا عِنْدَهُ لَمَا خَالَفَهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ ، وَعَلَى أَنَّهُ لَوْ تَسَاوَتِ الْأَخْبَارُ فِي الْجَهْرِ وَالْإِخْفَاءِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ الْإِخْفَاءُ أَوْلَى مِنْ وَجْهَيْنِ :
As for the hadith of Jābir from Abū al-Ṭufayl, indeed Jābir is one by whom an argument is not established, due to matters that were related about him that invalidate his narration. Among them is that he used to believe in the “return” (al-rajʿah), according to what was related, and he used to lie in much of what he narrated. And a group of the imāms of the Salaf declared him a liar. And Abū Wāʾil narrated from ʿAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, that he did not use to recite it aloud. And if reciting it aloud was established with him, he would not have contradicted it for something else. And even if the reports on reciting aloud and inaudibly from the Prophet, peace be upon him, were equal, reciting inaudibly would be preferable for two reasons:
أَحَدُهُمَا : ظُهُورُ عَمَلِ السَّلَفِ بِالْإِخْفَاءِ دُونَ [ ص: 19 ] الْجَهْرِ ، مِنْهُمْ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَعَلِيٌّ وَابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَابْنُ الْمُغَفَّلِ وَأَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ ، وَقَوْلُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ : الْجَهْرُ بِهَا بِدْعَةٌ ؛ إِذْ كَانَ مَتَى رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ خَبَرَانِ مُتَضَادَّانِ وَظَهَرَ عَمَلُ السَّلَفِ بِأَحَدِهِمَا كَانَ الَّذِي ظَهَرَ عَمَلُ السَّلَفِ بِهِ أَوْلَى بِالْإِثْبَاتِ .
The first of them: the prevalence of the practice of the Salaf of reciting inaudibly, not [p. 19] aloud. Among them Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿAlī, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn al-Mughaffal, and Anas ibn Mālik, and the statement of Ibrāhīm: Reciting it aloud is an innovation. Since whenever two contradictory reports are narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the practice of the Salaf is prevalent with one of them, the one with which the practice of the Salaf is prevalent is more worthy of affirmation.
وَالْوَجْهُ الْآخَرُ : أَنَّ الْجَهْرَ بِهَا لَوْ كَانَ ثَابِتًا لَوَرَدَ النَّقْلُ بِهِ مُسْتَفِيضًا مُتَوَاتِرًا كَوُرُودِهِ فِي سَائِرِ الْقِرَاءَةِ ؛ فَلَمَّا لَمْ يَرِدِ النَّقْلُ بِهِ مِنْ جِهَةِ التَّوَاتُرِ عَلِمْنَا أَنَّهُ غَيْرُ ثَابِتٍ ؛ إِذِ الْحَاجَةُ إِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ مَسْنُونِ الْجَهْرِ بِهَا كَهِيَ إِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ مَسْنُونِ الْجَهْرِ فِي سَائِرِ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ فَإِنِ اُحْتُجَّ بِمَا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْأَصَمُّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا رَّبِيعُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا الشَّافِعِيُّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ خَيْثَمَ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ فَصَلَّى بِهِمْ وَلَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَلَمْ يُكَبِّرْ إِذَا خَفَضَ وَإِذَا رَفَعَ ، فَنَادَاهُ الْمُهَاجِرُونَ حِينَ سَلَّمَ وَالْأَنْصَارُ : أَيْ مُعَاوِيَةُ سَرَقْتَ الصَّلَاةَ ، أَيْنَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَأَيْنَ التَّكْبِيرُ إِذَا خَفَضْتَ وَإِذَا رَفَعْتَ ؟ فَصَلَّى بِهِمْ صَلَاةً أُخْرَى فَقَالَ فِيهَا ذَلِكَ الَّذِي عَابُوا عَلَيْهِ ؛ قَالَ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ الْمُهَاجِرُونَ وَالْأَنْصَارُ الْجَهْرَ بِهَا قِيلَ لَهُ : لَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ كَمَا ذَكَرْتَ لَعَرَفَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَعُثْمَانُ وَعَلِيٌّ وَابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَابْنُ الْمُغَفَّلِ وَابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَمَنْ رَوَيْنَا عَنْهُمُ الْإِخْفَاءَ دُونَ الْجَهْرِ ، وَلَكَانَ هَؤُلَاءِ أَوْلَى بِعِلْمِهِ لِقَوْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ : لِيَلِنِي مِنْكُمْ أُولُو الْأَحْلَامِ وَالنُّهَى .
The other reason: that if reciting it aloud were established, the transmission of it would have come widely and mass-transmitted (mutawātir), like its transmission for the rest of the recitation. So since the transmission of it did not come by way of mass transmission, we know that it is not established; since the need to know the sunnah of reciting it aloud is like the need to know the sunnah of reciting aloud the rest of Fātiḥat al-Kitāb. If it is argued with what Abū al-ʿAbbās Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb al-Aṣamm narrated to us, he said: al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān narrated to us, he said: al-Shāfiʿī narrated to us, he said: Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, he said: ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUthmān ibn Khaytham narrated to me from Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUbayd ibn Rifāʿah from his father that Muʿāwiyah came to Madinah and led them in prayer and did not recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm, and did not say the takbīr when he lowered and when he raised. So the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār called out to him when he gave the salām: “O Muʿāwiyah, you have stolen the prayer! Where is Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm and where is the takbīr when you lower and when you raise?” So he led them in another prayer and said in it that which they had faulted him for. He said: So the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār knew to recite it aloud. It is said to him: If that were as you mentioned, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, ʿAlī, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn al-Mughaffal, Ibn ʿAbbās, and those from whom we narrated reciting inaudibly and not aloud would have known it. And these would have been more worthy of knowing it due to his, peace be upon him’s, statement: “Let those of you of sound judgment and intellect be near me.”
وَكَانَ هَؤُلَاءِ أَقْرَبَ إِلَيْهِ فِي حَالَ الصَّلَاةِ مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الْمَجْهُولِينَ الَّذِينَ ذَكَرْتَ ، وَعَلَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ لَيْسَ بِاسْتِفَاضَةٍ لِأَنَّ الَّذِي ذَكَرْتَ مِنْ قَوْلِ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ إِنَّمَا رَوَيْتَهُ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْآحَادِ ، وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ فِيهِ ذِكْرُ الْجَهْرِ ، وَإِنَّمَا فِيهِ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَنَحْنُ أَيْضًا نُنْكِرُ تَرْكَ قِرَاءَتِهَا ، وَإِنَّمَا كَلَامُنَا فِي الْجَهْرِ وَالْإِخْفَاءِ أَيُّهُمَا أَوْلَى ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ .
And these were closer to him during the prayer than others from the unknown people whom you mentioned. And furthermore, that is not a widespread report because what you mentioned from the statement of the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār, you have only narrated it through the path of solitary reports (āḥād). And despite that, there is no mention in it of reciting aloud; rather, in it is that he did not recite Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm. And we also condemn leaving its recitation. Our discussion is only about reciting aloud and inaudibly, which of them is more appropriate. And Allāh knows best.
فَصْلٌ وَالْأَحْكَامُ الَّتِي يَتَضَمَّنُهَا قَوْلُهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ : الْأَمْرُ بِاسْتِفْتَاحِ الْأُمُورِ لِلتَّبَرُّكِ بِذَلِكَ ، وَالتَّعْظِيمُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ ، وَذِكْرُهَا عَلَى الذَّبِيحَةِ وَشِعَارٌ وَعَلَمٌ مِنْ أَعْلَامِ الدِّينِ ، وَطَرْدُ الشَّيْطَانِ ؛ لِأَنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : إِذَا سَمَّى اللَّهَ الْعَبْدُ عَلَى طَعَامِهِ لَمْ يَنَلْ مِنْهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَعَهُ وَإِذَا لَمْ يُسَمِّهِ نَالَ مِنْهُ مَعَهُ وَفِيهِ إِظْهَارُ مُخَالَفَةِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَتِحُونَ أُمُورَهُمْ بِذِكْرِ الْأَصْنَامِ أَوْ غَيْرِهَا مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ ، وَهُوَ مَفْزَعٌ لِلْخَائِفِ ، وَدَلَالَةٌ مِنْ قَائِلِهِ عَلَى انْقِطَاعِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَلُجُوئِهِ إِلَيْهِ ، وَأُنْسٌ لِلسَّامِعِ ، [ ص: 20 ] وَإِقْرَارٌ بِالْأُلُوهِيَّةِ ، وَاعْتِرَافٌ بِالنِّعْمَةِ ، وَاسْتِعَانَةٌ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى ، وَعِيَاذَةٌ بِهِ ، وَفِيهِ اسْمَانِ مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى الْمَخْصُوصَةِ بِهِ لَا يُسَمَّى بِهِمَا غَيْرُهُ ، وَهُمَا اللَّهُ وَالرَّحْمَنُ .
Section: The rulings that His statement Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm contains: The command to open affairs with it to seek blessing by that, and the glorification of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, by it. And mentioning it over the slaughtered animal. And it is a symbol and a sign from the signs of the religion, and an expulsion of Satan; because it was narrated from the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, that he said: “When the servant says the name of Allāh over his food, Satan does not get any of it with him, and if he does not say His name, he gets some of it with him.” And in it is a display of opposition to the polytheists who open their affairs by mentioning idols or other created beings whom they used to worship. And it is a refuge for the fearful, and an indication from its sayer of his devotion to Allāh, the Exalted, and his seeking refuge in Him. And it is a comfort for the listener, [p. 20] and an affirmation of divinity, and a recognition of blessing, and a seeking of help from Allāh, the Exalted, and a seeking of protection in Him. And in it are two of the names of Allāh, the Exalted, that are specific to Him, by which no other is named, and they are Allāh and al-Raḥmān.