Points derived from the ḥadith
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The ḥadith establishes the legitimacy of the takbīrs that accompany movement between the pillars (arkān) of the prayer in every one of these transitions, with the sole exception of the tasmiʿ—saying “Samiʿa Allahu liman ḥamidah” when rising from bowing.
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The phrase “Samiʿa Allahu liman ḥamidah” means “Allah has answered the one who praises Him.” This wording is reserved for the imam and for the person praying alone; it is not prescribed for the congregant following the imam. Al-Bukhārī (796) and Muslim (409) report that the Prophet ﷺ said, “When the imam says, ‘Samiʿa Allahu liman ḥamidah,’ you should say, ‘Rabbana wa laka al-ḥamd.’” Limiting the follower to this expression of praise is the position adopted by the majority of scholars.
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The verb kāna (“he used to”) shows that this was his consistent practice in prayer. Aḥmad (4212), al-Tirmidhī (251), and al-Nasāʾī (1142) relate from Ibn Masʿūd: “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pronounce the takbīr at every rising, lowering, standing, and sitting.” This is likewise the practice held by the vast majority of the Companions and the Successors. Al-Baghawī said: “The ummah is unanimously agreed upon these takbīrs, apart from the one said when rising from bowing.”
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His word ḥīna (“when”) indicates that the takbīr is to be uttered during the transition itself—from the moment one begins to move until the movement ends. It is neither to precede the motion nor to be delayed so that one reaches the next pillar before finishing the takbīr; rather, the takbīr belongs to the very movement between the two pillars. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Saʿdī (d. 1376 AH) said: “The takbīrs of transition are pronounced between the start and the end of the movement, for they are the legislated remembrance between the pillars, whereas the pillars have their own specific remembrances. That is the jurists’ basis for this delimitation.” As al-Majd and others have noted, this is what is preferable, yet it is not obligatory, because observing it with precision is difficult; the sound view rests on removing hardship and undue burden.