(1) It was transmitted on the authority of Anas ibn Malik. This report reaches us through several chains with different wordings, yet what they collectively establish is that the Prophet ﷺ recited it inaudibly. We quote the chains below so that this may become clear: First chain: from Shuʿbah, from Qatadah, from Anas: ‘The Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr, and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them) used to begin the prayer with: al-hamdu lillahi Rabbi al-ʿAlamin (All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds).’ Al-Bukhari recorded it in his Sahih (2/180) and in Juzʾ al-Qiraʾah (12); Muslim (2/12); Abu ʿAwanah (2/122); al-Tahawi (1/119); al-Daraqutni (119); al-Bayhaqi (2/51); al-Tayalisi (266); and Ahmad (3/179, 273, 275) all narrated it through the same chain. The wording cited above is that of al-Bukhari, who in another narration adds: ‘and ʿUthman.’ Al-Tayalisi—whose version is the one used by Muslim—further adds: ‘Shuʿbah said, “I asked him, ‘Did you hear it from him?’ He replied, ‘Yes; we questioned him about that.’”’ Ahmad also relates a variant wording: ‘I asked Anas ibn Malik, “With what did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ open the recitation?” He replied, “You are asking me about something no one has ever asked me.”’ Its chain is sound according to the criteria of the six canonical collections. The wording given by Muslim, Abu ʿAwanah, al-Daraqutni, al-Bayhaqi, and one narration of Ahmad reads: ‘I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthman, and I did not hear any of them recite: Bismillahi al-Rahmani al-Rahim.’ Al-Tahawi records the same wording, except that he says: