(1) Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar observes that the report intimates that the angels repeat what the congregant says. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr comments: In my view—and Allah knows best—its purpose is to exalt the virtue of dhikr (remembrance of Allah), which removes burdens and forgives sins. Allah has informed us that the angels seek forgiveness for the believers; thus whoever utters such words with sincerity, earnest effort, true intention, and sound repentance will have his sins forgiven, if Allah wills. He adds that traditions whose wording seems problematic and whose meaning appears remote from their literal phrasing must be referred back to the unanimously accepted foundational principles. So states al-Tanwir. (2) The hadith comes from Abu Hurayrah: the Messenger of Allah said, “When the imam says, Samiʿa Allahu liman hamidah, then say, Allahumma Rabbana, laka al-hamd …” It is related by Malik, al-Muwattaʾ (1/111); and through his chain by al-Bukhari (2/225–226), Muslim (2/17), Abu ʿAwana (2/179), Abu Dawud (1/135), al-Nasai (1/162), al-Tirmidhi (2/55), al-Tahawi (1/140), and al-Bayhaqi (2/96)—all from Malik from Sumay, the freedman of Abu Bakr, from Abu Salih al-Samman, from Abu Hurayrah. Ahmad (2/417) reports it through Suhayl from his father with similar wording but adds the extra wa: “Allahumma Rabbana, wa laka al-hamd.” Its chain is sound according to Muslim’s criteria. Muslim (2/20) and Abu ʿAwana (2/109) give another route via Shuʿbah from Yaʿla ibn ʿAtaʾ, from Abu ʿAlqamah, from Abu Hurayrah, with wording similar to Malik’s version.