Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:204

This is guidance toward the path of achieving the benefits—indicated previously—which the Quran encompasses. "Listening" (al-istima') is well-known. Regarding the particle "li" (in lahu - to it), it may be interpreted as being for the sake of the object, as meaning "unto," or as a connection (i.e., istami'uhu). "Silence" (al-insat) is to be quiet. It is said: nasata, yansitu, ansata, intasata when one is silent; the noun is al-insatah (with a damma). Al-Azhari also mentions: ansatahu and ansata lahu when one is silent for someone and listens to their speech; it also comes in the sense of "making someone silent." The conjunction serves to emphasize the importance of the Quran.

The command is supported by His, the Glorified and Exalted's, saying: "that you may receive mercy"—meaning, so that you may attain the mercy which is the ultimate reward of it. This verse serves as evidence for Abu Hanifah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the follower (al-ma'mum) should not recite in either silent or audible prayers, because it implies the obligation of listening during the recitation of the Quran in prayer and elsewhere. Evidence has been established regarding other contexts for the permissibility of listening and refraining from recitation, so it remains in this state regarding silence for audible recitation, and likewise for silent recitation, as we know that it is being recited.

Numerous reports support this. Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan narrated from Mujahid who said: A man from the Ansar recited behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah peace be upon him) in prayer, and this verse, "And when the Quran is recited...", was revealed. Ibn Jarir and others narrated from Ibn Mas'ud that he led his companions in prayer and heard people reciting behind him. When he finished, he said: "Is it not time for you to understand? Is it not time for you to be sensible? 'And when the Quran is recited, listen to it and remain silent' as Allah the Exalted has commanded you."

Ibn Abi Shaybah also narrated from Zayd ibn Thabit who said: "There is no recitation behind the Imam." He also narrated from Abu Hurayrah who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah peace be upon him) said: "The Imam was appointed only to be followed; so when he says Allahu Akbar, say Allahu Akbar, and when he recites, be silent." He also narrated from Jabir that the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him) said: "Whoever has an Imam, his recitation is his own recitation." If this Hadith is authentic, it is necessary to specify the generality of the Almighty's statement: "So recite what is easy [for you]," and his (may Allah peace be upon him) statement: "There is no prayer without recitation," according to the opponent’s method, as absolutely excluding the follower. This is also the case according to our method, because that generality has already been specified regarding some—those who catch the bowing are exempted by consensus—so it is permissible to further specify it with the follower through the aforementioned Hadith. Likewise, the statement of the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him) to the one who performed his prayer poorly—"Then recite what is easy for you of the Quran"—is interpreted as applying to a state other than following an Imam, to reconcile the evidences. In fact, it could be said that recitation is established for the follower legally, as the recitation of the Imam is a recitation for him; if he were to recite, he would have two recitations in one prayer, which is not legislated.

The discussion remains regarding the authentication of the report. It has been narrated through numerous chains as marfu' (attributed to the Prophet) from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him). Those who weakened its marfu' status, such as Al-Daraqutni, Al-Bayhaqi, and Ibn 'Adi, acknowledged that the correct view is that it is mursal (a report where a successor omits the Companion), because the experts of Hadith—such as the Sufyanis, Abu al-Ahwas, Shu'bah, Isra'il, Sharik, Jarir, Abu al-Zubayr, Abd ibn Humayd, and a host of others—narrated it from Musa ibn Abi 'Aisha from Abdullah ibn Shaddad from the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him), and thus they transmitted it as mursal. Abu Hanifah (may Allah be pleased with him) also transmitted it as mursal at times. In this case, we may say that a mursal report is an argument according to the majority of scholars. As for the obligation to act upon it according to our opinion—and also by way of compelling the opponent—we establish the argument for the authority of the mursal report. Even if one were to concede its lack of authority, the Imam has attributed it marfu' with an authentic chain.

Muhammad ibn al-Hasan narrated in his Muwatta': Abu Hanifah informed us, saying: Abu al-Hasan Musa ibn Abi 'Aisha narrated to us from Abdullah ibn Shaddad from Jabir ibn Abdullah from the Prophet (may Allah be upon him), who said: "Whoever prays behind an Imam, the Imam's recitation is his recitation." Their claim that the experts who were counted did not attribute it marfu' is incorrect. Ahmad ibn Mani' stated in his Musnad: Ishaq al-Azraq informed us, saying: Sufyan and Sharik narrated to us from Musa ibn Abi 'Aisha from Abdullah ibn Shaddad from Jabir from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah peace be upon him): "Whoever has an Imam, the Imam's recitation is his recitation." Then he said: Jarir narrated to us from Musa from Abdullah from the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him), and he mentioned it without mentioning Jabir. Abd ibn Humayd also narrated it, saying: Abu Nu'aym narrated to us, saying: Al-Hasan ibn Salih narrated to us from Abu al-Zubayr from Jabir from the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him), and he mentioned it. The chain of the first Hadith of Jabir is according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), and the second is according to the criteria of Muslim. Thus, Sufyan, Sharik, Jarir, and Abu al-Zubayr have attributed it marfu' through authentic chains, so their inclusion among those who did not attribute it is invalidated. Even if a reliable narrator were alone in this, it would be mandatory to accept it, because attribution is an addition, and the addition of a reliable narrator is accepted; how much more so when he is not alone? A reliable narrator may sometimes link a chain and sometimes leave it mursal. Ibn 'Adi narrated it from the Imam (may Allah be pleased with him) in his biography and mentioned a story therein; through it, Abu Abdullah al-Hakim narrated it, saying: Abu Muhammad ibn Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Hamdan al-Sayrafi narrated to us, Abd al-Samad ibn al-Fadl al-Balkhi narrated to us, Makki ibn Ibrahim narrated to us from Abu Hanifah from Musa ibn Abi 'Aisha from Abdullah ibn Shaddad ibn al-Had from Jabir ibn Abdullah that the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him) prayed, and a man behind him was reciting. A man from the companions of the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him) began to forbid him from reciting in prayer. When he finished, the man approached him and said: "Do you forbid me from reciting behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah peace be upon him)?" They disputed until they mentioned this to the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him), and he (may Allah peace be upon him) said: "Whoever prays behind an Imam, the Imam's recitation is his recitation." In another narration by Abu Hanifah, this took place during Dhuhr or 'Asr; a man recited behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah peace be upon him) during Dhuhr or 'Asr, and a man signaled to him to forbid him. When he finished, he said: "Do you forbid me..." [the rest of the Hadith].

Indeed, Jabir sometimes narrated only the ruling portion of it, and sometimes the whole of it. It includes the rejection of recitation behind the Imam because it was issued in support of that Companion’s prohibition of it absolutely, in both silent and audible prayers—especially in Abu Hanifah’s narration where the incident occurred during silent prayer—not to permit doing it and leaving it. Thus, it conflicts with what was narrated in some versions of the Hadith: "Why do I dispute regarding the Quran? It is necessary [to recite] the Fatiha." Similarly, [it conflicts with] what Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi narrated from Ubadah ibn al-Samit, who said: "We were behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah peace be upon him) in the Fajr prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah peace be upon him) recited and found it difficult. When he finished, he said: 'Perhaps you recite behind your Imam?' We said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Do not do so, except for the Opening of the Book (Al-Fatiha), for there is no prayer for one who does not recite it.'" The prohibition is given precedence due to its priority in the case of conflict, and because of the strength of its chain, for the Hadith of prohibition is more authentic. Consequently, the rejection of the zealots and the weakening by some of a person like the Greatest Imam (may Allah be pleased with him)—despite their extreme strictness in narration, to the point of requiring the condition of remembering [the text] to allow it after the narrator knows that what was narrated is his [own] script, a condition not imposed by the experts—is invalidated. His two companions (Abu Yusuf and Muhammad) did not agree with him on this. Furthermore, the report is supported by many narrations from Jabir other than these, even if they are weak, and by the schools of the Companions as well, such as Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Zayd ibn Thabit, and Ibn Mas'ud.

Muhammad narrated from Dawud ibn Qays ibn 'Ajlan that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I wish there were a stone in the mouth of the one who recites behind the Imam." Something similar was narrated from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. It was also narrated from Ali (may Allah honor his face)—though there is some discussion about it—that he said: "Whoever recites behind the Imam has missed the natural disposition (fitra)." Al-Sha'bi said: "I met seventy [veterans] of Badr, all of whom forbade the follower from reciting behind the Imam." Some of our companions have claimed the consensus of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) on this. Perhaps he meant the consensus of many of their elders; otherwise, it is open to scrutiny. The notion that he meant "silent consensus" is of no weight.

A group held the view that the follower recites when the Imam recites silently, and does not recite when he recites audibly. This is the view of Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, Al-Zuhri, Malik, Ibn al-Mubarak, Ahmad, and Ishaq. It was also narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Their argument, as it is said, is that the verse indicates the command to listen to the recitation of the Quran, and the Sunnah indicates the obligation of recitation behind the Imam, so we applied the meaning of the verse to audible prayer and the meaning of the Sunnah to silent prayer, to reconcile the evidences. Others said: "He only recites in silent prayer because he is not considered to be 'listening'." This was countered by saying: Even if we concede that he is not called "one who remains silent" while knowing of the recitation, we do not concede that the Sunnah indicates the obligation of recitation behind the Imam; to prove that is like "trying to peel a thorn bush." Furthermore, it is established in practice to act upon the stronger of the two proofs, and the implication of their sayings is nothing but prohibition. Hence, what is narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him)—that he considers it desirable to recite Al-Fatiha as a precaution—is weakened, as it opposes what the Imam and Abu Yusuf went toward regarding the dislike of recitation because of the warning associated with it. The truth is that his opinion is like theirs; he said in Kitab al-Athar—after attributing it to Alqama ibn Qays—that he never recited in anything that is recited audibly, nor in that which is not recited audibly, and "by this we take." Therefore, we do not view recitation behind the Imam in any prayer, whether audible or silent; one should not recite behind him in any of them. He mentioned something similar in his Muwatta'. Al-Sarakhsi said: "The prayer of the one who recites behind the Imam is corrupted, according to several of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them)," including, as it is said, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas.

In Al-Muzani’s narration from Al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him), it is held that he recites in both audible and silent prayers. In Al-Buwayti’s narration, he recites the "Mother of the Quran" (Al-Fatiha) in silent prayer and adds a surah in the first two rak'ahs, while in audible prayer, he recites only the "Mother of the Quran." The famous view among the Shafi'is is that there is no surah for the follower who hears the Imam in an audible prayer; rather, he should listen. However, if he does not hear—whether because he is far, or hears a sound without distinguishing the letters, or if it is a silent prayer—he recites, according to the more correct view. The cause of revelation was not recitation in prayer, but another matter. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that they used to speak during prayer, and this was revealed, the essence of which is the prohibition of speaking, not recitation. Some people interpreted "Quran" as the sermon (khutbah), and the command to listen is either for obligation or recommendation. According to us, silence during the sermon is a religious duty (fard), with details regarding the issue.

More than one person narrated from Mujahid (may Allah be pleased with him) that the verse concerns both prayer and the Friday sermon. In the speech of our companions, there is evidence for the obligation of listening to the audible recitation of the Quran absolutely. It says in Al-Khulasa: "A man is writing jurisprudence, and beside him a man is reciting the Quran, so he cannot listen to the Quran; the sin is upon the reciter." Based on this, if he recites loudly on the rooftop at night while people are sleeping, he commits a sin. This is explicit regarding the absolute nature of the obligation, reasoning that the consideration is for the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause. "If" (idha) here is for universality, and most Quranic conditionals employing it are universal.

The intended meaning of "listening" in the verse is the one that immediately comes to mind. Al-Zajjaj said: The meaning intended is acceptance and response; in this sense, it is metaphorical, as he stated in Al-Asas. From this is [the saying]: "Allah hears the one who praises Him," and "The prince heard the words of so-and-so." The eminent scholar Al-Tibi preferred this, saying: "This is more consistent with the arrangement of the noble order, previously and subsequently, and more comprehensive of the meanings and statements. For when He (the Exalted) mentioned, by way of insinuation, that the polytheists mocked the Quran and cast it behind their backs because they lacked insight and were devoid of guidance and mercy, and that their state was the opposite of the believers, He commanded the believers with that which is more than mere listening, which is accepting it, acting upon what is in it, and holding fast to it, and not exceeding it, arranging the ruling based on those descriptors. Therefore it was said: 'When the Quran is recited'—putting the noun in the place of the pronoun for greater indication of causality—meaning: 'If it becomes apparent, O believers, that you are not like these obstinate ones, then hold fast to this Book which encompasses the attributes of perfection, leads to the straight path, and conveys to the station of mercy and nearness. So listen to it and be diligent in taking from it and acting upon what is in it so that the desired [result] may be obtained, and that you may receive mercy.' This includes the obligation of silence in prayer by way of priority, because it is a station of intimate conversation and listening from the Speaker, and likewise silence during the recitation of the Messenger (may Allah peace be upon him)."

From this, it is known that the address in the verse is to the believers; in fact, it is definitive in that regard. Some said: The address therein is to the disbelievers, on the grounds that the Quran being "insights, guidance, and mercy" does not appear except under a specific condition: that when the Prophet (may Allah peace be upon him) recited the Quran to them upon its revelation, they would listen and remain silent so as to comprehend its meanings and merits, thereby acknowledging its inimitability and thus having no need to request other miracles. They supported this by His, the Glorified and Exalted's, saying at the end of the verse: "that you may receive mercy," based on the fact that this implies hope (tarajji), which only suits the state of the disbelievers, not the believers who have definitively attained mercy, as in His saying: "And a mercy for a people who believe." It was answered that this "hoped-for mercy" is different from that "other mercy." Even if it were the same, expecting [mercy] from the Generous is mandatory, so there is no difference.

In constructing the verb in the passive voice, there is an indication that the pivot of recitation is from whomever the reciter may be. In the verse, there is an indication of the greatness of the Quran’s status that is not hidden. From here, some of our companions said: "It is recommended for one intending to recite it outside of prayer to wear his best clothes, put on a turban, and face the Qiblah in veneration of it." Similar is the case with knowledge. If he recites while lying down, there is no harm, as it is a type of remembrance; the Exalted has praised those who remember Him standing, sitting, and on their sides. He should draw his legs together when reciting and not stretch them out, for it is poor manners. If he recites while walking, or while weaving, or similar tasks, if the heart is present and not distracted, it is not disliked; otherwise, it is disliked. He should not recite while his private parts are uncovered, or if someone in his presence is in that state, even if it is his wife. Some disliked recitation in the bathroom and on the road. Al-Nawawi said: "Our school does not consider it disliked in these two places." It is disliked in the latrine and at the millstone while it is turning, according to Al-Sha'bi, and this is the implication of our school. The discussion regarding the etiquette of recitation and what is appropriate for the reciter is long, and in Al-Itqan, he provided a measure of that, so if you have it, return to it.