and Abu Bakr and ‘Umar likewise led us in prayer, yet we did not hear them recite it. Al-Nasa’i (1/144) transmits this with an authentic chain. (4) Ahmad (3/264) relates—through al-Ahwaz ibn Jawab, from ‘Ammar ibn Ruzayq, from al-A‘mash, from Shu‘bah, from Thabit—that Anas said: “I prayed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and with Abu Bakr and ‘Umar; none of them recited Bismillahi al-Rahmani al-Rahim aloud.” Al-Tahawi (1/119) records the same chain, and it is sound according to Muslim’s criteria. (5) A report through Suwayd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, from ‘Imran al-Qasir, from al-Hasan, from Anas, with the wording: “They used to recite it quietly….” Al-Tahawi transmits it. Suwayd is “soft” (layyin) in hadith, as noted in al-Taqrib. The same wording is also found in al-Tabarani, Abu Nu‘aym’s Hilyah, and Ibn Khuzaymah’s Mukhtasar al-Mukhtasar—cited in Nasb al-Rayah—who says: “Its transmitters are reliable.” This suggests their version comes through a route other than Suwayd, something later confirmed (see below). (6) A report from Abu Na‘amah al-Hanafi—Qays ibn ‘Abayah— from Anas, stating simply: “They did not recite it aloud.” Al-Tabarani narrates it, as cited in Fath (2/181); al-Bayhaqi also includes it in al-Sunan (2/52). Its chain is good.