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His Guidance in Prayer—May Allah Bless Him and Grant Him Peace

When he stood for prayer, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he would say, “Allah is the Greatest.” He said nothing before this, nor did he pronounce his intention aloud. He did not say, “I pray to Allah (1) such-and-such a prayer, facing the direction of prayer, four units, as an imam or a follower.” Nor did he say (2), “as a prayer offered on time,” “as a make-up prayer,” or “the obligatory prayer for this time.” These are ten innovations: no one has ever reported a single word of them from him through any chain of transmission, whether sound or weak, fully connected or reported directly by a Successor. Indeed, none has been reported from any of the Companions, nor did any of the Successors or the four imams deem them recommended.

Some later scholars were misled by al-Shāfiʿī’s statement—may Allah have mercy on him—that prayer is unlike fasting, and that no one enters it except by an utterance of remembrance. They supposed that this meant pronouncing one’s intention aloud. Yet al-Shāfiʿī—may Allah have mercy on him—meant only the opening declaration of Allah’s greatness (3). How could al-Shāfiʿī deem something recommended when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, never did it in a single prayer, nor did any of his caliphs or Companions? Such was their guidance and practice. If anyone can produce even a single word from them concerning this, we will accept it with full submission. No guidance is more complete than theirs, and nothing constitutes Sunnah except what they received from the Messenger who conveyed the divine law, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

His consistent practice when beginning the prayer was to say only, “Allah is the Greatest.” No one has ever reported any other wording from him.

As he said this, he would raise his hand with his fingers extended and his palm facing the direction of prayer, up to the tops of