Chapter: The Prayer in Its Complete Form

After a thorough ablution and facing the qiblah, the prayer reaches perfection by pronouncing the opening takbir (takbīrat al-iḥrām) with the intention, while raising both hands alongside the takbir until they are level with the shoulders, then either placing the right hand over the left or letting them hang at one’s sides. All of this is sunnah. He then recites Umm al-Qur’an (al-Fātiḥah); when he finishes it he says “āmīn” quietly, just loud enough for himself to hear. Should he pronounce it aloud, he has not departed from what is acceptable.

Scholars differ over whether the imam should say “āmīn.” The people of Madinah report that he does, whereas the Egyptians deny that of him. They are, however, agreed that both the congregant and the lone worshipper do say it.

In the dawn prayer and in the first two units of every other prayer he recites Umm al-Qur’an together with another surah, and he recites aloud in all prayers that are customarily audible when performed at night. The same applies to the dawn prayer and the Friday prayer, while in the daytime prayers he recites silently in the portions that are normally silent.

An obligatory prayer is opened by no remembrance other than the opening takbir and the recitation that follows it. He then bows; if he raises his hands on going into the bow that is praiseworthy, and if he does not there is no blame. Once settled in the bow he glorifies and magnifies Allah. According to Mālik and others there is no fixed limit for this, though he held that the minimum for completeness is three glorifications. Abū Muṣʿab relates this from him. The glorification consists of saying: Subḥāna Rabbiyal-ʿAẓīm (Glory be to my Lord, the Majestic)