Thus, if reciting what the imam recites were preferable to listening to his recitation, the follower’s recitation would be preferable to his recitation of passages beyond al-Fātihah. Yet no one has maintained this. Those who disputed the matter concerning al-Fātihah did so only because they believed that reciting it was obligatory or recommended for the follower even when the imam recites aloud.

The response is that listening brings him a benefit greater than that which recitation brings him, as demonstrated by his listening to the passages beyond al-Fātihah. Were listening not to bring him something better than recitation, it would be more fitting for him to choose the better of the two, namely recitation. Since the Book, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus indicate that listening is preferable for him to reciting, we know that the listener gains something better than the reciter gains. This applies to al-Fātihah as well as to other passages. Thus, someone listening to the imam’s recitation gains something better than he would gain by reciting himself. It cannot, therefore, be right to command him to do what is inferior and forbid him from doing what is superior. It is established that, in this situation, the imam’s recitation counts as his own, as the great majority of the early and later generations—the Companions and those who followed them in righteousness—have maintained.

Concerning this, the well-known hadith relates that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever follows an imam, the imam’s recitation counts as his own.”

This hadith has been transmitted with both disconnected and connected chains. Most of the trustworthy hadith authorities, however, transmitted it with a disconnected chain from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shaddād, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Some transmitted it with a connected chain, and Ibn Mājah also narrated it with a connected chain. This disconnected report has been corroborated by