the verse. Nevertheless, the hadith of Anas does not deny that it was recited quietly, for he narrated:

“They would not recite ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy’ aloud.”

This only rules out audible recitation. As for the other wording, “They did not say it,” he could only deny something whose absence he could ascertain. This applies to audible recitation: if he did not hear it despite being nearby, he would know that they had not recited it aloud. But he could not ascertain that the imam had not recited it at all unless there was no pause between the opening takbīr and the recitation during which it could have been recited quietly. Hence, those who held that there was no pause at that point, such as Mālik and others, cited the hadith of Anas as evidence that it was not recited. Yet it is established in the two Sahīh collections that Abū Hurayrah said:

“O Messenger of Allah, during your silence between the opening takbīr and the recitation, what do you say?”

He replied, “I say such and such,” and so on to the end of the hadith.

The Sunan collections also contain reports from ‘Imrān, Ubayy, and others that he would pause before reciting. They also report that he would seek refuge with Allah. If he paused, Anas could not deny that he recited it during that pause. Thus, his statement that they did not say it, and his account of how they began their recitation, concern only what was recited aloud.

Just as refraining from speaking aloud while saying something quietly is called “silence,” as in the hadith of Abū Hurayrah, it is appropriate to say, “He did not recite it” or “He did not say it”—meaning aloud. Here, “silence” and the denial of saying or reciting something have the same meaning.