among the jurists of the major centres and those versed in transmitted reports. This is supported by the practice of most of the Companions and accords with most hadiths.

This disagreement resembles their disagreement concerning the prayer of someone following an imam: does it depend on the imam’s prayer, or does each pray independently? This has already been noted. Abū Hanīfah’s underlying principle is that the follower’s prayer is incorporated into the imam’s and depends on it without qualification. He therefore requires the follower to repeat the prayer whenever the imam is required to repeat it.

Al-Shāfi‘ī’s underlying principle is that each person prays independently: the imam does not act on his behalf in either obligatory or recommended acts. Accordingly, he instructs the follower to say, “Allah hears whoever praises Him,” requires him to recite, and does not consider his prayer invalidated by a deficiency in the imam’s prayer. There are, however, certain exceptions: the imam assumes responsibility on the follower’s behalf for the prostrations for forgetfulness, and for recitation when the follower joins the prayer late; the prayer of a proficient reciter behind someone unable to recite properly is invalid; and there are other similar cases.

As for Mālik and Ahmad, they hold that the follower’s prayer depends on the imam’s in some respects but not others. This is illustrated by what we have mentioned: listening to the recitation when the imam recites aloud, and joining in the recitation when he recites silently. According to them, the follower does not say, “Allah hears whoever praises Him,” but responds to the imam’s saying it by praising Allah, as indicated by the authentic texts. The follower’s prayer depends on the imam’s in matters for which both are excused, but not in those for which they are not, as discussed earlier in connection with leading the prayer.