so he confines himself to that and stands silently. The evidence for this is the Prophet’s ﷺ statement: “When the imam says, ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him,’ then say, ‘Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise.’” (1)

However, upon reflection, we find that this view is weak, that the hadith does not indicate it, and that the follower should say what the imam and the one praying alone say; that is, after rising, he says: “As much as fills the heavens, as much as fills the earth, and as much as You will of anything thereafter.” This is because the Prophet ﷺ said: “When the imam says, ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him,’ then say, ‘Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise.’” He thus made the follower’s saying, “Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise,” correspond to the imam’s saying, “Allah hears whoever praises Him.” The imam says, “Allah hears whoever praises Him,” while rising; therefore, the follower says, “Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise,” while rising. After standing upright, however, he says: “As much as fills the heavens …” and so on, in light of the Prophet’s ﷺ statement: “Pray as you have seen me pray.” (2) This is the preponderant view in this matter.

It is also understood from the author’s words that the follower does not say, “Allah hears whoever praises Him,” and this is correct.

If someone were to ask: What is the answer to the Prophet’s ﷺ statement, “Pray as you have seen me pray,” when he himself used to say, “Allah hears whoever praises Him”? Does this not entail that the follower should say it as well?

The answer is straightforward: his ﷺ statement, “Pray as you have seen me pray,” is general, whereas his ﷺ statement, “When he says, ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him,’ then say, ‘Our Lord, and to You belongs all praise,’” is specific. The specific text qualifies the general one; thus, the follower is exempted from this general ruling with respect to saying: