and he replied, ‘Was that not the prayer of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), confound you?’”

What he meant was that this imam pronounced “Allāhu akbar” aloud, whereas the imams behind whom Ikrima prayed did not do so. Ibn Abbās was not himself an imam from whom Ikrima could have learned this practice. Ikrima therefore objected to it until Ibn Abbās informed him. As for saying “Allāhu akbar” itself, no one could have been unaware of it.

This resembles the practice of most later imams, who do not pronounce “Allāhu akbar” aloud; instead, the muezzin or someone else does so. Most people consequently assume that this practice is the Sunnah. Yet there is no disagreement among the scholars that it is not the Sunnah. Rather, they unanimously affirm what has been established for them through mass transmission from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): neither the muezzin nor any other member of the congregation would habitually pronounce “Allāhu akbar” aloud. Bilāl likewise did not do so behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). If this is needed because the imam’s voice is weak or the place is large, however, they cited as evidence for its permissibility that Abū Bakr al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) conveyed the Prophet’s pronouncements of “Allāhu akbar” to the people from behind him during his illness. Indeed, the jurists even disagreed over whether a congregant who pronounces it aloud without any need thereby invalidates his prayer.

Likewise, al-Bukhārī and Muslim recorded in their two Sahīhs—and the compilers of the Sunan collections also narrated—from Mutarrif ibn Abd Allāh ibn al-Shikhkhīr, who said: “Imrān ibn Husayn and I prayed behind Alī ibn Abī Tālib. Whenever he prostrated, he said ‘Allāhu akbar’; whenever he raised his head, he said ‘Allāhu akbar’; and whenever he rose after the first two units of prayer, he said ‘Allāhu akbar.’ When he had completed the prayer, Imrān ibn Husayn took me by the hand and said, ‘This man has reminded me of the prayer of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him),’ or he said, ‘He has indeed led us in the prayer of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).’” Thus, because he pronounced “Allāhu akbar” aloud, Imrān and Mutarrif heard him, as did others.