And the chain of transmission is sound. It has also been recorded by others through Hammam from Ishaq, as noted earlier. Thus the takbir (saying “Allahu akbar”) is firmly established by this hadith, and its obligatoriness is consequently proven; it is evidence in support of Imam Ahmad, not against him, and it is the view that must be followed. (1) Two hadiths deal with this issue: The first is the report of Jabir: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ fell ill, so we prayed behind him while he was seated, and Abu Bakr conveyed his takbir to the people …” Muslim and others have transmitted it, and its full wording has already been cited under the section on the Prophet’s ﷺ standing in prayer. Another version, related by al-Nasaʾi and others, reads: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in the noon prayer while Abu Bakr stood behind him; whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said the takbir, Abu Bakr repeated it so that we could hear.” Its chain is sound, and the principal narration is in Sahih Muslim. The second is the hadith of Aisha: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ suffered the illness from which he died, he was brought and seated next to him”—that is, next to Abu Bakr—“and the Prophet ﷺ was leading the people in prayer while Abu Bakr made the takbir audible to them.” Al-Bukhari (2/162) and Muslim (2/23) recorded it; its basic form is also found in the Sunan collections and elsewhere, as previously mentioned. Al-Nawawi said in his Commentary on Sahih Muslim: