Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 281
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْبَرَاءُ، وَهُوَ غَيْرُ كَذُوبٍ قَالَ كُنَّا إِذَا صَلَّيْنَا خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَرَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ لَمْ يَحْنِ رَجُلٌ مِنَّا ظَهْرَهُ حَتَّى يَسْجُدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَنَسْجُدَ . قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَنَسٍ وَمُعَاوِيَةَ وَابْنِ مَسْعَدَةَ صَاحِبِ الْجُيُوشِ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ الْبَرَاءِ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَبِهِ يَقُولُ أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّ مَنْ خَلْفَ الإِمَامِ إِنَّمَا يَتْبَعُونَ الإِمَامَ فِيمَا يَصْنَعُ لاَ يَرْكَعُونَ إِلاَّ بَعْدَ رُكُوعِهِ وَلاَ يَرْفَعُونَ إِلاَّ بَعْدَ رَفْعِهِ . لاَ نَعْلَمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ اخْتِلاَفًا .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from Abd Allah ibn Yazid, who told us: Al-Bara—and he is no liar—said: When we prayed behind the Messenger of Allah and he raised his head from bowing, none of us bent his back until the Messenger of Allah prostrated; then we would prostrate.
Reports on this subject are also related from Anas, Muawiyah, Ibn Mas‘adah, the commander of the armies, and Abu Hurayrah. Abu Isa said: The hadith of al-Bara is hasan sahih. The scholars held that those praying behind the imam follow him in what he does: they do not bow until he bows, and they do not rise until he rises. We know of no disagreement among them on this.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The account emphasizes that the congregation waited for the imam before moving; the compiler says there is no scholarly disagreement on following the imam in these movements.