He was asked about the hadith of Nu'aym al-Mujammir, who said:

“I was praying behind Abū Hurayra. He recited, ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy,’ then recited al-Fātiha until he reached ‘nor of those who go astray.’ He said, ‘Āmīn,’ and the people said, ‘Āmīn.’ Whenever he prostrated, he would say, ‘Allah is Most Great.’ When he ended the prayer with the salutation, he said, ‘By Him in whose hand is my soul, my prayer resembles that of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, more closely than any of yours.’”

Al-Mu'tamir ibn Sulaymān used to recite “In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy” aloud before and after al-Fātiha, saying, “I spare no effort to follow my father’s manner of prayer. My father said, ‘I spare no effort to follow Anas’s manner of prayer,’ and Anas said, ‘I spare no effort to follow the manner of prayer of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’” This, then, is an established hadith supporting its recitation aloud. Al-Hākim Abū 'Abd Allāh stated that every narrator of this hadith is trustworthy.

Should Anas’s statement, “I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, Abū Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthmān, and I did not hear any of them recite ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy,’” be understood as referring to his not having heard it? What is the precise assessment of this issue, and what is the correct position?

He replied:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. As for the hadith of Anas denying its recitation aloud, it is