Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 246
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَعُثْمَانُ يَفْتَتِحُونَ الْقِرَاءَةَ بِـ (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ) قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَالتَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ بَعْدَهُمْ كَانُوا يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ الْقِرَاءَةَ بِـ (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ) . قَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ إِنَّمَا مَعْنَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ كَانُوا يَفْتَتِحُونَ الْقِرَاءَةَ بِـ (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ) مَعْنَاهُ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَبْدَءُونَ بِقِرَاءَةِ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ قَبْلَ السُّورَةِ وَلَيْسَ مَعْنَاهُ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لاَ يَقْرَءُونَ ( بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ) . وَكَانَ الشَّافِعِيُّ يَرَى أَنْ يُبْدَأَ بِـ( بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ) وَأَنْ يُجْهَرَ بِهَا إِذَا جُهِرَ بِالْقِرَاءَةِ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Qutaybah narrated to us: Abu Awanah narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman used to begin their recitation with ‘Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds.’
Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih. The Companions of the Prophet, the Successors, and those after them acted on this: they used to begin the recitation with ‘Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds.’ Al-Shafi‘i said: The meaning of this hadith is that the Prophet, Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman began their recitation with the Opening of the Book before the surah; it does not mean that they did not recite ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.’ Al-Shafi‘i held that one should begin with the basmalah and recite it aloud when reciting aloud.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Al-Shafi‘i explicitly interprets the report as describing the order of Qur’anic recitation, not omission of the basmalah.
قَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ إِنَّمَا مَعْنَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ كَانُوا يَفْتَتِحُونَ الْقِرَاءَةَ بِـ (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ) مَعْنَاهُ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَبْدَءُونَ بِقِرَاءَةِ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ قَبْلَ السُّورَةِ وَلَيْسَ مَعْنَاهُ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لاَ يَقْرَءُونَ ( بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ) .
Al-Shafi'i distinguishes beginning Qur’anic recitation with al-Fatihah from omitting the basmalah.
Is the interpretive clarification clearly tied to al-Shafi'i rather than the report itself?