except the Opening Chapter of the Book.” (1) This is an explicit text on the very point at issue, and thus decisive between the disputants, since it occurred in an audible prayer and must therefore be acted upon.

As for Imam Ahmad’s statement, may Allah have mercy on him, “They have reached consensus that it concerns the prayer,” it appears to me—and Allah knows best—that he meant: if someone recites who is not my imam, then I am not obliged to listen to him. Rather, I may stand up and leave, or occupy myself with what I was doing.

For example, if a man is praying beside you in the row and reciting the Quran, you are not required to listen attentively to him. You may occupy yourself with something other than listening to his recitation, or stand up and leave. This differs from one who is in prayer, for he is commanded to listen attentively in following his imam.

What we have mentioned—that reciting al-Fātiḥah is a pillar for every person who prays, whether imam, follower, or one praying alone, with only one exception: the latecomer who catches his imam bowing, or catches him standing but is unable to recite al-Fātiḥah—this is what the legal proofs indicate.

If someone asks: What is the evidence for making an exception in this case?

The answer is that the evidence is the authentic hadith of Abu Bakrah in Sahih al-Bukhari: he joined the Prophet ﷺ while he was bowing, so he hastened and bowed before reaching the row, then entered the row. When the Prophet ﷺ concluded the prayer,