it is weak (1) and cannot serve as evidence.

The second point: The apparent meaning of his words is that when the caller to prayer says in the Fajr prayer, “Prayer is better than sleep,” the listener says as he says, “Prayer is better than sleep.” This is correct, for the Prophet ﷺ said: “When you hear the caller to prayer, say what he says.” (2) This is general and applies to everything he says. The exception is the two calls of ḥayʿala—“Come to prayer” and “Come to success”—when repeating them one says, “There is no power nor strength except through Allah,” as stated in the hadith. This is because the listener is being summoned, not summoning others.

The established position of the school is that, in repeating “Prayer is better than sleep,” one says, “You have spoken the truth and done well.” (3) This is weak: there is no evidence for it, nor any sound rationale.

The third point of notice: The apparent meaning of the author’s words also indicates that the caller to prayer does not repeat after himself, and this is correct, due to the Prophet’s ﷺ statement: “When you hear the caller to prayer, say what he says.” The established position of the school is that he does repeat after himself (170), but this is weak and contrary to the apparent meaning of the hadith and to the sound rationale: namely, that the aim is for the listener to share with the caller to prayer in the basic reward.