and he considered the benefit of unity and concord to take precedence over the benefit of rebuilding upon Abraham’s foundations.

When Ibn Masʿūd prayed the full prayer behind ʿUthmān despite objecting to his doing so, he was asked about this and replied, “Discord is evil.” For this reason, leading scholars such as Ahmad and others explicitly endorsed this approach regarding the basmalah, joining the units of the witr prayer, and other matters in which one forgoes the preferable practice for a permissible but less preferable one, in order to preserve harmony among those praying behind the imam, teach them the Sunnah, or serve similar purposes. And Allah knows best.