(There is no prayer for one who does not recite the opening of the Book), and if the worshiper enters after the imam has recited the opening

The questioner : The hadith: , this is for the imam... or for the followers - as well -; and if it is for the followers; then what is the meaning of the noble verse: ?
...

The Shaykh : In answer to the question of the brother who asked about: , we say: There is a long-standing disagreement among the jurists regarding this hadith. What concerns us now is what pertains to the answer to the question. The summary of the answer is that this hadith is a general statement that has been specified. This means that it is obligatory for the imam, for the one praying alone, and for the follower who does not hear the imam’s recitation for a reason - and you can interpret the reasons yourselves - it is obligatory for all of these people to recite the opening of the Book. If they do not do so, their prayer is invalid. As for the one who is following the imam and hears the imam’s recitation, it is not permissible for him - in this state - to recite behind the imam when the imam is reciting. However, if the imam has a long pause like the pause some of the people who follow a specific school of thought do; such that the imam pauses after finishing the opening of the Book so that the followers behind him can recite the opening of the Book; if the follower finds this pause... and recites the opening of the Book in it, or if he is reciting according to the Sunnah, cutting the opening of the Book verse by verse; he takes a breath, he takes a breath, in these pauses, if he is able to recite the opening of the Book, he recites it, and if not, the imam’s recitation is his recitation. This is our answer to that question. If you have grasped the answer to the question, then that is fine, otherwise, if I missed something, remind me.

The questioner : If... the worshiper after the opening of the Book, after reciting the opening of the Book, what does he do? ... He recites the opening of the Book.

Another questioner : If he enters after the opening of the Book.

The questioner : If he enters the prayer after the imam has recited the opening of the Book.

The Shaykh : After the imam recited the opening of the Book?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : That’s it, it’s past!

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : This question is harder than the previous one for some people - perhaps you heard his last question - I told him: If I have answered your question, then that is fine, and if I missed something, remind me. I don’t know if it is another question or if he is reminding me of what I missed. The point is that he is saying now that if the latecomer arrives and the imam is reciting from the surah, and he has already recited the opening of the Book, and if he pauses, he pauses, and whoever was able to recite in that pause did so, but he arrived and the imam is reciting some verses, so what does he do? This is harder than the question of the one who comes to the mosque and finds the imam bowing; that person has not caught any part of the recitation at all, neither the opening of the Book nor what comes after it. So our answer here is that whoever catches the bowing has caught the unit of prayer. And I said at the beginning that this hadith: is a general statement that has been specified in two cases. Do you see now what they are:
The first case is that if he hears the imam’s recitation, then the imam’s recitation is his recitation; so he does not recite the opening of the Book, and the status of the opening of the Book as a pillar has been dropped from him. The second case that is excluded from the generality of the first hadith: is if he arrives and finds the imam bowing, such that he cannot recite the opening of the Book; even in the secret prayer where he is obligated to recite the opening of the Book. It came in the authentic hadith, which is one of the rare authentic hadiths, that Allah - Mighty and Majestic - granted us the opportunity to discover some of its missing chains from dozens, indeed hundreds, of printed and manuscript books. We found it in a manuscript of the Questions of Imam Ishaq ibn Mansur al-Marwazi for Imam Ahmad and Imam Ishaq ibn Rahawayh. There, the hadith came in these questions with an authentic chain from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . So, the one who arrives and the imam has finished reciting the opening of the Book and has started reciting some verses; the status of the opening of the Book as a pillar has been dropped from him; because the imam’s recitation is the recitation for those behind him.

Another questioner : Shaykh, what is your opinion regarding the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that when they were contesting the recitation with him, he said at the end of the hadith: ?

The Shaykh : This... in every prayer; but I say briefly and to reassure the questioner and whoever may have an effect of this question in their heart: Many people think that this hadith... makes the recitation of the opening of the Book obligatory on the follower. Here is a matter of precision related to the science of the principles of jurisprudence: , meaning: Do not recite anything of the Qur’an; this is a prohibition. Then the exception came: . This exception indicates the permissibility of reciting the opening of the Book, not the obligation of reciting the opening of the Book; because the exception from a prohibition indicates permissibility and does not indicate obligation. It is forbidden for the one in the state of ihram for Hajj or Umrah to hunt. So when Allah - Mighty and Majestic - said: , this command does not indicate obligation, but rather it lifts the previous prohibition, which is the prohibition of hunting on the one in the state of ihram. Similarly, His saying - Exalted is He - : to the end of the verses. So His saying: does not mean that it is obligatory for you to disperse, but rather it means... dispersing after He prohibited trade upon you by His saying: ; so this exception does not mean the obligation of the opening of the Book, because this is an exception from a prohibition. An exception from a prohibition does not mean obligation, but rather it means permissibility. And what confirms this precise meaning is the wording of the hadith in "Musnad Imam Ahmad": . Look, the reasoning differs, so do not do it except with the opening of the Book. The second narration: , meaning it is not a problem for you to recite, so it does not indicate obligation. If a hadith or hadiths come that indicate the non-obligation of reciting the opening of the Book behind the imam in the loud prayers; then there is no contradiction between them, between what these hadiths indicated, and the hadith that he mentionedThe questioner : , ; especially on the narration of Imam Ahmad: .
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