But if the imam is not inside the mosque, they must not rise until they actually see him come out, for the Prophet ﷺ said: “When the prayer is about to be established, do not stand up until you see that I have come out.” Agreed upon—the wording is Muslim’s—and it is cited in Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd 550–552; see al-Shawkānī 3/162.

Know, moreover, that this question has nothing to do with the imam’s opening Allāhu akbar of consecration (takbīrat al-iḥrām). Once the congregation has stood, he is required to tell them to close the gaps and straighten the rows, exactly as the Prophet ﷺ used to do; this is confirmed by many hadiths, some of which will appear later in this book. When the imam sees that the rows are aligned, he pronounces the takbīr.

In al-Āthār of Imām Muḥammad, p. 13, we read: “From Ibrāhīm who said: When the muʾadhdhin says ḥayya ʿalā al-falāḥ, the people should rise and form their rows; when he says qad qāmat al-ṣalāh, the imam pronounces the takbīr. Muḥammad said: This is our position, and it is also the view of Abū Ḥanīfah.”

I say: Many who blindly follow the Ḥanafī school—especially in non-Arab lands—act on this opinion, and in doing so they neglect the Prophetic Sunnah, as has already been noted. Something similar is the habit of certain imams who limit themselves to saying only, “Istawū, istawū (straighten up, straighten up)!” This is a reminder, and reminders benefit the believers.

His statement: “…and from Muʿādh al-Juhanī, from the Prophet ﷺ, that he said: ‘Complete harshness, along with unbelief and hypocrisy, belongs to the one who hears the Caller of Allah summoning to success yet does not respond.’ Narrated by Aḥmad and al-Ṭabarānī.”

I say: He remained silent about this hadith, giving the impression that it is sound, whereas it is neither authentic nor even fair. It is transmitted through Ibn Lahīʿah from Zabbān ibn Fāʾid, and both men are weak. Al-Haythamī’s criticism of the report for the latter only is therefore incomplete.