Al-Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas

Muslims follow four major schools of jurisprudence in matters of legal
and devotional details. Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas, may Allaah have mercy
upom him, comes second in order from a chronological point of view.
For Maalik ibn Anas, who is known as the scholar of Madeenah, was born
in Madeenah in the year 93 A.H.
Imaam Maalik's mother advised him to join the first school and
university in Islam, the Mosque of the Prophet in Madeenah, where he
started by memorizing the Glorious Quran and then the Hadeeth
]traditions of Prophet Muhammad[. In the age when writing and written
educational material were a rarity, students and scholars had to have
a strong memory to consult and store the knowledge they gained. Imaam
Maalik was not lacking in this special ability. We are told that when
he listened to a teacher narrating Prophetic traditions, Maalik ibn
Anas used to tie a knot for each tradition )Hadeeth(. Later, he tried
to recite the traditions to himself in order to make sure that he
retained every single one. Once he attended a session where 30
Hadeeths were narrated and discussed. When the session was over he
checked his retention of those Hadeeths and found that he forgot one
of them. So he rushed after his teacher to learn the missing Hadeeth
from him, the teacher listened to him, and taught him the one he had
missed.
As an eminent scholar, he not only attended study circles held by no
less than 90 scholars, but throughout his life he discussed different
matters of the faith with his colleagues and the scholars who came to
Madeenah during the Hajj )pilgrimage( season, in addition to
corresponding with well-known authorities in various parts of the
Muslim world. We are told that Maalik ibn Anas started teaching in the
Prophet's Mosque very early in his life )late teens or early
twenties(, but he did not start teaching until his command of
religious learning was witnessed to by no less than seventy of his
teachers, some of whom came to attend the teaching sessions of their
former student to learn from him.
As a conservative traditionalist, Imaam Maalik as a teacher in his
mosque had great reverence for the Hadeeths of the Prophet. History
tells us that before Imaam Maalik embarked upon teaching the Hadeeth,
he would have a bath and wear his best clothes, and he would not allow
anyone to raise his voice too high. It is also reported that he would
not ride in Madeenah, saying that he could not see himself riding in a
town where the Prophetwas buried.
Since Imaam Maalik lived ninety years he witnessed the change of the
Umayyad Dynasty to the Abbasid, and he met many a Caliph whose respect
he commanded with his knowledge and sincere advice, in addition to his
dignity as a scholar. We are told that when the famous Caliph Haroon
Ar-Rasheed learnt about Al-Muwatta' )a book compiled by Imaam Maalik(,
he sent his minister to fetch him in order to read the book to the
Caliph. Imaam Maalik politely answered, "Give my regards to the
Caliph, and tell him that knowledge should be visited, and it should
not visit people. People should come to it, and it should not go to
people." Later, when the Caliph blamed Imaam Maalik for disobeying
him, he said to the Caliph: "O Leader of the Faithful, Allaah the
Almighty has raised you to this honourable position. Do not be the
first one to lower the place and insult the dignity of knowledge and
learning so that Allaah may not lower your place. I did not really
want to disobey you, but I rather wanted the Leader of the Faithful to
show due respect to learning in order that Allaah may raise his
position." Caliph Haroun Ar-Rasheed was convinced, and he walked along
with Imaam Maalik to his own house to listen to him and to his
readings from his book.
Another quality typical of the knowledgeable heroes of Islam, which
Imaam Maalik taught to people through word and action, was humility
and confession to ignorance of matters of which he was not certain. He
emphasized to his students that the most important expression a true
scholar should have the courage to say was, "I do not know." In fact,
we are told that a man came to Imaam Maalik and informed him that he
had travelled for six months to ask him about a certain problem. Upon
hearing the problem Maalik could not find a satisfactory answer. So he
humbly told the man, "I do not know." The man was surprised, and he
said, "What shall I tell my folk when I go home." Imaam Maalik said:
"Tell them Maalik ibn Anas says he does not know."
It was with this sense of responsibility that Imaam Maalik taught
people and gave his religious verdict )fatwa(, despite the fact that
he collected more than 100,000 Prophetic traditions )Hadith( and
studied at the hands of scores of well-known authorities on religious
matters. We read that very often )as a conscientious advisor( he would
ask the inquirer to wait for sometime before he gave him the answer to
his question.
Maalik ibn Anas is specially recognized for his voluminous book
'Al-Muwatta', which is said to be the second compilation in Islamic
history of religious teachings. It was compiled, according to some
historians, in 40 years. Today, that book is still a major guiding
authority for millions of Muslims in Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa,
where the "Maalikite School " is dominant.
Imaam Maalik was a very devout, Allaah-fearing person. He lived a life
of self-denial and abstinence. He often fasted, sometimes about four
days in the week. He died in 170 A.H.

The story of Heraclius’ encounter with Islam

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none
worthy of worship except Allaah and thatMuhammadis His Slave and
Messenger;as well as his family and all his companions.
'Abdullaah ibn 'Abbaas,narrated:"Abu Sufyaan ibn Harb informed me that
Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a
caravan from Quraysh. He was part of a delegation of merchants doing
business in Sham )i.e., Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan( at the
time, and this was when Allaah's Apostle had a ceasefire with Abu
Sufyaan and the rest of the Qurayshi infidels. So Abu Sufyaan and his
companions went to Heraclius at Jerusalem. Heraclius called them into
his court while having all the senior Roman dignitaries around him...
Note: Heraclius had received a message from the
Prophetsallallaahu'alayhi wa sallaminviting him to Islam, and so he
wanted to ask his own people about him.
... He called for his translator who, translating Heraclius's
question, said to them: 'Who amongst you is closely related to the man
who claims to be a Prophet?' Abu Sufyaan replied: 'I am the nearest
relative to him )in the group(.' Heraclius said: 'Bring him )i.e., Abu
Sufyaan( close to me and make his companions stand behind him.' Abu
Sufyaan added: 'Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions
that he wanted to ask me some questions regarding that man )i.e., the
Prophet( and that if I told a lie they )my companions( should oppose
me.'
This meant that ifAbuSufyaanlied, his companions would have
immediately indicated so.
AbuSufyaanadded: 'I swear by Allaah! Had I not been afraid of my
companions labelling me as a liar, I would not have spoken the truth
about the Prophet. The first question he asked me about him was: 'What
is his family status amongst you?'
I replied: 'He belongs to a noble family amongst us.'
Heracliusasked: 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same )i.e.
to be a Prophet( before him?'
I replied: 'No.'
He asked: 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?'
I replied: 'No.'
Heracliusasked: 'Do the nobles or the poor follow him?'
I replied: 'It is the poor who follow him.'
He asked: 'Are his followers increasing or decreasing )day by day(?'
I replied: 'They are increasing.'
He then asked: 'Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion
become displeased and renounce the religion?'
I replied: 'No.'
Heracliusasked: 'Have you ever accused him of lying before his claim
)to be a Prophet(?'
I replied: 'No. '
Heracliusasked: 'Does he break his promises?'
I replied: 'No. We have a treaty with him but we do not know what he
will do during it.'
He was referring to theHudaybiyyahtreaty.
I added: 'I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that.'
Note:AbuSufyaanwas looking for the opportunity to say anything evil
about the Prophetsallallaahu'alayhi wa sallambut could not find any,
and so this was the only thing he could have said in a negative
manner.
Heracliusasked: 'Have you ever been at war with him?'
I replied: 'Yes.'
Then, he asked: 'What was the outcome of the battles?'
I replied: 'Sometimes he was victorious, while at other times it was us.'
Heracliusasked: 'What does he order you to do?'
I replied: 'He tells us to worship Allaah alone and not to worship
anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors have
said. He orders us to pray, to pay alms, to speak the truth, to be
chaste and to keep good relations with our kith and kin.'
Heracliusasked the translator to convey to me the following: 'I asked
you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very
noble family. The fact is that all messengers )of Allaah( come from
noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you
whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing )i.e.,
prophethood(, your reply was in the negative. Had the answer been in
the affirmative, I would have thought that this man )i.e., the
Prophet( was following the previous man's statements. Then I asked you
whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the
negative; had it been in the affirmative, I would have thought that
this man wished to regain his ancestral kingdom.
I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he
said what he is now saying, and your reply was in the negative. I
therefore came to the conclusion that he would not refrain from lying
to people and then tell lies about Allaah. I then asked you whether
the rich or poor follow him, and you replied that it is the poor; in
fact, all the messengers have been followed by this very class of
people. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or
decreasing, and your reply was that they were increasing, and this is
the characteristic of true faith, until it is complete in all
respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after
embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded it. Your reply
was in the negative, and in fact this is the sign of true faith when
its delight enters the hearts and blends completely in them. I asked
you whether he has ever betrayed. You replied in the negative, and
likewise, messengers never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered
you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allaah alone and
not worship anything along with Him, and that he forbade you from
worshipping idols, and that he also ordered you to pray, to speak the
truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very
soon occupy this territory beneath my feet. I knew it )from my
readings of the scriptures( that he was going to appear, but I did not
know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him for sure then
I would go immediately to meet him; and if I were with him, I would
certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius then asked for the letter that was
sent to him by the Prophetand delivered by Dihyah to the Governor of
Busraa, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the
letter were as follows:"In the name of Allaah the Beneficent, the
Merciful )This letter is( from Muhammad the slave of Allaah and His
Messenger to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine.who follows the right
path. Furthermore, I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim
you will be safe, and Allaah will double your reward, but if you
reject this invitation to Islam, you will be committing a sin by
misguiding your Arisiyeen )i.e., peasants(.)then hequoted Allaah's
saying(which means:"…O people of the scripture! Come to a word that is
equitable between us and you – that we will not worship except Allaah
and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords
instead of Allaah. But if they turn away, then say: 'Bear witness that
we are Muslims ]submitting to Him.['"]Quran 3: 64[
AbuSufyaanthen added: 'When Heraclius had finished his speech and had
read the letter, there was a great cry in the Royal Court. So we were
turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn
Abu Kabshah )i.e., Prophet Muhammad( had become so prominent that even
the King of Al-Asfar )Byzantine( was afraid of him. Then I began being
certain that he )i.e. the Prophet( would be a victorious conqueror in
the near future, until I embraced Islam )i.e. Allaah guided me to
it(."
A sub-narrator added:"Ibn An-Naathoor was the governor of Jerusalem
and Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Shaam; both of them
were Christian scholars who were well learned regarding their
religion. Ibn An-Naathoor narrated that once, while Heraclius was
visiting Jerusalem, he woke up one morning depressed and in a bad
mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in such a mood.
Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer; he replied: 'At night,
when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who
practice circumcision had appeared )i.e., become conquerors(. Who are
these people who practice circumcision?' The priests replied: 'Nobody
except the Jews practice circumcision, so you should not be afraid of
them )the Jews(. Just issue orders to kill every Jew present in the
country.'
While they were discussing this, a messenger sent by the king of
Ghassaan to convey the news of Allaah's messenger to Heraclius was
brought in. Having heard the news, he )i.e. Heraclius( ordered the
people to go and see whether the messenger sent by Ghassaan was
circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was
indeed circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs in
general. The messenger replied: 'The Arabs also practice
circumcision.'
After hearing this, Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the Arabs
had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who
was as knowledgeable as Heraclius. Heraclius then left, heading
towards Hims )a town in Syria( and stayed there until he received the
reply to a letter that he had sent to one of his friends inquiring
about the emergence of the Prophet – his friend agreed with him that
this was indeed the emergence of a true Prophet. With that, Heraclius
invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at
Hims. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace
be closed. Then, he emerged and said: 'O Byzantines! If success is
your desire and you seek the correct guidance, and wish for your
empire to remain, then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet
)i.e. embrace Islam(.'
)On hearing the views of Heraclius( the people ran towards the gates
of the palace like wild beasts, but found the doors closed. Heraclius
then realised their hatred of Islam, and when he lost hope of their
embracing Islam, he ordered that they be brought back to him. )When
they returned( he said: 'What I said was only to test the strength of
your conviction about your religion, and I have seen it.' The people
then prostrated before him and were delighted by him, and so this was
the end of Heraclius's story )regarding his faith.("]Al-Bukhaari[
This story was also reported byImaam Muslim, At-Tirmithi, Abu
DaawoodandAhmad,with a few variations that clarify certain matters in
the message sent from the Prophetsallallaahu'alayhi wa sallamto
Heraclius.
The variations in some of these narrations state that the Prophetgave
Heraclius three choices, which the latter conveyed to his priests and
army leaders:"This man is a messenger and he has sent a letter giving
you three choices: To follow his religion; or to agree to pay him
taxes in return for him allowing you to remain upon your faith; or, to
prepare for war against him".His people angrily shouted:"We will never
follow him and leave the religion of our forefathers; nor will we pay
him any taxes, but instead we will fight him."After this, Heraclius
requested to be sent a man who knew Arabic, so a man by the man ofIbn
Al-Khaythamwas sent to him. Heraclius sent him with a reply to the
Messenger.The Prophetinvited the messenger of Heraclius to Islam, but
he refused to leave the religion of his people; upon hearing this from
him, the Prophetsmiled and recited the verse which means:"Indeed, ]O
Muhammad[, you do not guide whom you like, but Allaah guides whom He
wills…"]Quran 28: 56[ This messenger of Heraclius had gone to the
Prophetwhilst he was inTabook¸so the Prophetsaid to him:"You are our
guest, but you have come to us while we are out without anything to
offer you.")This was because they were travelling and had nothing to
offer him.('Uthmaan,said:"I will gift him a garment of two pieces )of
cloth(."Another man from theAnsaaroffered to give him some food.
The story has more details which were reported byImaam Al-Haakimas was
mentioned byImaam Ibn Katheer,in the interpretation of the saying of
Allaah which means:"Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered
prophet, whom they find written ]i.e., mentioned[ in what they have of
the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and
forbids them what is wrong …"]Quran 7: 157[ He said:Hishaam
Al-Amawi,narrated:"I was sent with another man to Heraclius to call
him to Islam. We headed out until we reached an area called
Al-Ghootuh, in which lived Jabalah, which was one of the sections of
the Ghassaan Christian tribe, who were allies of the Romans. Their
leader sent his messenger to talk to us and inquire about what we
wanted, but we refused to talk to him and said: 'We swear by Allaah!
We will never talk to a messenger, we were sent to talk to the king of
Ghassaan himself, and if the king refuses to talk to us then we will
return to our land.' The messenger of the leader returned to him and
informed him of our request, so he granted us our wish. When we
entered into the presence of the leader, he said: 'Talk' so Hishaam
spoke to him and invited him to Islam. Hishaam had a black garment on;
the leader asked him about the garment )which looked old( to which
Hishaam answered: 'This is a garment which I swore never to take off
until we )Muslims( expel you from Shaam )i.e., ancient Syria(. I swear
by Allaah! We will )Allaah willing( expel you from your position and
from your land, and will overpower the kingdom of Ghassaan; we were
informed that we would do this by our Messenger, Muhammad.' Then he
added: 'You will not be able to face them )i.e. the Muslims( for they
fast during the days and pray during the nights." The leader then
inquired about the way they fast and so he informed him. Upon hearing
the answer, his face turned black and he was enraged, then he told us
to leave, and sent a man with us to take us to the king of the
Ghassaan tribe. When we approached the city, the messenger who was
sent with us told us that we were not allowed to enter it riding our
own animals and that we had to ride with them, but we refused and told
him that we would never enter except riding our own animals. The
messenger sent a message to the king seeking permission for us, and he
approved. We entered wearing our swords until we reached the hall in
which the king was, then we tied our animals in the courtyard of the
hall whilst he was watching us, and then we shouted: 'Laa Ilaaha
Illallaah, Allaahu Akbar )i.e., none has the right to be worshipped
except Allaah, Allaah is the Greatest(.' I swear by Allaah that the
entire hall began shaking like a branch of a tree on a windy day'. The
king then sent a man telling us that we had no right to proclaim our
religion in his land. After that, he allowed us entry, and when we
entered we saw that he was wearing a red garment, and that he was
surrounded by Roman priests - and everything in the hall was red in
colour. When we came close to him, he laughed and said: 'Why don't you
greet me the way you greet each other?' So we said: 'It is prohibited
for us to greet you with the greeting we use amongst ourselves, and it
is also prohibited for us to answer you using the greeting you use
amongst yourselves.' He then asked us about the greeting we use
amongst ourselves, and we informed him that it was 'As-Salaamu
'Alaykum.' Then he asked us: 'How do you greet your king )i.e., the
Prophet(?' We told him that we say the same to him, and then he asked
us: 'How does he answer you?'We told him that we use the same greeting
to answer him as he does to us. He remarked: 'How wonderful are your
words!' Upon hearing this, we again shouted:'Laa Ilaaha Illallaah,
Allaahu Akbar )i.e., none has the right to be worshipped except
Allaah, Allaah is The Greatest(' I swear by Allaah that the entire
hall began shaking again. He raised his head and then addressed us
saying: 'These words that you just uttered, to which the entire hall
shook… do they shake your rooms when you say them in your land?' We
replied: 'No! The first time we have seen this happen is in your
palace."He asked this question because it was a clear indication of
the prophethood of the Prophet.
The following are some of many benefits that can be derived from the
abovementioned story:
1.The necessity of assuring authenticity of what one hears by means of
asking around, just as Heraclius requested the friends accompanyingAbu
Sufyaanabout the Prophet.
2.Truthfulness was a praiseworthy quality even during the pre-Islamic era.
3.The weak and poor are usually the followers of the truth.
4.The outcome of the wars and conflicts between the truth and
falsehood alternate in defeat and victory for the believers.
5.The Prophetsallallaahu'alayhi wa sallamwas known for his
truthfulness, and even his most vicious enemies testified to this.
6.The people of the Book recognise the Prophetby his characteristics
which they find in their books, and they know that he is the awaited
messenger from Allaah.
7.Arrogance and the keenness to maintain their worldly positions
prevented the people of the Book from adhering to the truth and
accepting the message of the Prophetsallallaahu'alayhi wa sallam.
8.Allaah grants guidance to whomever He wills.
9.As a sign of prophethood, Allaah made the Prophetaware of some of
the matters of the unknown and unseen.
10.Being hospitable is a part of the teachings of theSunnah.
11.A Muslim must display might and pride regarding his religion,
especially whilst inviting disbelievers to Islam.
12.It is not permissible to greet disbelievers withSalaam.
13.Allaah supports the righteous withKaraamaat)i.e. supernatural
abilities or occurrences(, such as that which happened to the hall
which shook when the companionsshouted:"Laa Ilaaha Illallaah, Allaahu
Akbar )i.e., none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, Allaah
is The Greatest(."

The generous, Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubaadah

He is Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, the chief of
the Khazraj, and the carrier of the banner of the Ansaar. His mother
is 'Amrah bint Mas'ood. He was nicknamed Abu Thaabit and Abu Qays. He
embraced Islam very early, and attended the second 'Aqabah Pledge of
Allegiance along with seventy men and two women from among the Ansaar,
and was among the twelve leaders.
Although Sa'd, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, was the chief of his
people, his position did not protect him from the harm of the Quraysh.
After the second 'Aqabah Pledge of Allegiance was over, and the Ansaar
got ready for the journey of return to Al-Madeenah, the Quraysh learnt
about the pledge of allegiance they gave to the Messenger of Allaahand
their agreement with him on his migration to Al-Madeenah in order to
support him against the forces of the Quraysh. They were furious and
pursued the Muslims and succeeded to catch hold of Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah.
They tied his hands to his neck and brought him to Makkah, turned
round him, and beat him, troubling him with the most severe harm.
Commenting on that, Sa'd, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, said: "By
Allaah, while I was in their hands, behold! Some men from the Quraysh
appeared to them, and among them there was a bright-faced man, meaning
Suhayl ibn 'Amr. I said )to myself(: 'If there is good in anyone of
them, it then would not go beyond this man.' But when he came close to
me, he raised his hand and punched me hard, as a result of which I
said to myself: 'No, by Allaah, they have no good after that.' By
Allaah, I was in their hands, and they were dragging me, behold! A man
from among them called me: 'Woe to you! Do you not have any right of
protection between you and anyone of the Quraysh?' I said: 'Yes, I
used to give the right of protection to the merchandise of Jubayr ibn
Mut'im and protect them from any injustice to be committed against
them in my territory; and the same is true of Al-Haarith ibn Harb ibn
Umayyah.' The man said: 'Then, call the names of both men, and mention
the right of protection between you and them.' I did accordingly, and
the man went to them and found them in the Ka'bah, and told them that
a man from the Khazraj was being beaten in Al-Abtah, and he called
their names, and mentioned that there was a right of protection
between him and them. They asked him about my name, and they were told
that it was Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah. They said: 'He has told the truth, by
Allaah.' They then came and saved me from their hands." ]Ibn Sa'd[
When the Messenger of Allaahand his Companions emigrated to
Al-Madeenah, Sa'd received them with great warmth, and put his
property at their service. He was known for his munificence and
generosity, and his fame for this was far-reaching. He always asked
Allaah for more sustenance and good, saying: "O Allaah! Grant me
glory. O Allaah! There is no glory without a deed, and there is no
deed without property. O Allaah! Little is unfit for me, nor am I fit
for it." ]Al-Haakim[
A man from among the Ansaar might host one, two or three )maximum(,
whereas he used to host as many as eighty. His caller used to ascend
the roof of the house and call at the top of his voice: "Whoever likes
fat and meat, let him come here." The Messenger of Allaahsupplicated
Allaah for him saying:"O Allaah! Confer Your blessings and mercy upon
the family of Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah."]Ahmad[
Sa'd, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, was a good archer, and
extraordinarily brave. About him Ibn 'Abbaas, May Allaah Be Pleased
with him, said:"In all the battlefields, the Messenger of Allaahhad
two banners: the banner of the Muhaajiroon with 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib,
and the banner of the Ansaar with Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah."]'Abdul-Razzaaq
and Ahmad[
The situation of Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, on
the Day of Badr indicated his courage. The Messenger of Allaahsought
the counsel of the Ansaar, thereupon Sa'd, May Allaah Be Pleased with
him, stood and encouraged fighting. He said:"O Messenger of Allaah! If
you order us to set out to Bark Al-Ghimaad, we would surely do."]Ahmad
and Muslim[
In the Battle of Khandaq, the disbelieving tribes gathered against
Islam, and besieged Al-Madeenah. The tribe of Ghatfaan offered to
withdraw from the army of the Confederates in return for receiving
one-third the fruits of Al-Madeenah. The Messenger of Allaahconsulted
both Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah and Sa'd ibn Mu'aath, May Allaah Be Pleased
with them. Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah said:"'O Messenger of Allaah! Is it
something you like, so that we would do for your sake, or Allaah Has
Commanded you to do, so that we should do accordingly, or you do it
only for us?' The Messenger of Allaahsaid, 'It is something I do for
your sake just when I saw the Arabs having gathered collectively
against you.' He said, 'By Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah, they have
never coveted that from us during the pre-Islamic days. Then, how
could it take place now, given that Allaah Guided us through you,
Exalted and Honored us with you? By Allaah, they deserve nothing but
the sword until Allaah Judges between us.' On that the Messenger of
Allaahsaid, 'Then, let it be as you like.'"]Ibn Hishaam[
After the death of the Messenger of Allaahthe Ansaar gathered in the
shed of Bani Saa'idah, and supported Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah, calling that
the successive authority of the Messenger of Allaahbe from among the
Ansaar. But 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaab and Abu 'Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarraah, May
Allaah Be Pleased with them, saw that Abu Bakr, May Allaah Be Pleased
with him, had more right of the successive authority after the
Messenger of Allaahand the Muslims concurred, and Sa'd gave Abu Bakr
the pledge of allegiance for the caliphate.
He died during the caliphate of 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, May Allaah Be
Pleased with him.

Dought & clear, - [Sifat al-Salaah (description of the prayer)] -> If he catches up with the imam when he is bowing, what should he do?.

If I enter the mosque and the imam is bowing, if I bow with him will
that rak'ah count for me, even though I have not recited al-Faatihah?
Should I say one takbeer or two?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If a person enters the mosque when the imam is bowing, he should bow
with him, and his will have caught up with the rak'ah if he joins the
imam when he is bowing, even if he did not bow fully until after the
imam stands up. Imam Abu Dawood said: I heard Ahmed being asked about
a man who catches up with the imam when he is bowing; he says takbeer
and bows, then the imam stands up. He said: If he placed his hands
firmly on his knees before the imam stood up, then he has caught up
with the rak'ah. End quote.
See:Masaa'il al-Imaam Ahmadby Abu Dawood, p. 35;Haashiyat al-Rawd, by
Ibn Qaasim, 2/275;al-Majmoo, 4/215.
Then he should be at ease in bowing, and rise from bowing, and follow his imam.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz said: If a person catches up with the imam when he is
bowing, that rak'ah counts for him, even if he does not say the
tasbeeh until after the imam has stood up. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/245-246
Secondly:
If he catches up with him when he is bowing, then one takbeer is
sufficient, i.e., the opening takbeer counts for the takbeer of bowing
too. That was narrated from Zayd ibn Thaabit, Ibn 'Umar, Sa'eed,
'Ata', al-Hasan and Ibraaheem al-Nakha'i. It was also the view of the
four imams (Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafa'i and Ahmad). Abu Dawood
said: I said to Ahmad: What if I catch up with the imam when he is
bowing? He said: One takbeer is sufficient for you. End quote.
Masaa'il al-Imam Ahmad, p. 35
That is because the time for bowing is usually too short to combine
two takbeers, and because it is combining two acts of worship of the
same type in the same place. The intention to bow does not cancel out
the intention to start praying. So the pillar or essential part,
namely the opening takbeer, suffices for the obligatory duty, namely
the takbeer for bowing, just as tawaaf al-ifaadah suffices for the
farewell tawaaf if it is done last of all.
Seeal-Mughni, 2/183;al-Qawaa'idby Ibn Rajab, number 18.
If a person can say two takbeers, one for starting the prayer and one
for bowing, that is better. Abu Dawood said: I said to Ahmad: Is
saying two takbeers dearer to you? He said: If he says two takbeers
there is no dispute on the matter. End quote.
Masaa'il al-Imam Ahmad, p. 35
Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked: If a person joins the prayer when the imam
is bowing, should he say the takbeers for starting to pray and for
bowing, or say takbeer once and bow?
He replied:
It is better and more on the safe side to say takbeer twice, once for
starting to pray, which is a pillar or essential part of the prayer
which must be done when he is standing, and the second time for bowing
when he starts to bow. If he fears that he may miss the rak'ah, then
the opening takbeer will suffice according to the more correct of the
two scholarly opinions, because they are two acts of worship being
combined at the same time and the greater will suffice for the lesser.
And this rak'ah will count according to the majority of scholars. End
quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/244-245
The one who is joining the prayer has to say the opening takbeer
standing. If he says it whilst leaning forward to bow, it is not
valid.
Al-Nawawi said inal-Majmoo'(4/111):
If a person catches up with the imam when he is bowing, he should say
the opening takbeer standing, then say the takbeer for bowing as he is
leaning forward to bow. If he says some of the opening takbeer when he
is not standing upright, then his prayer does not count as an
obligatory prayer, with no difference of opinion among the scholars on
this point; it also does not count as a naafil prayer, according to
the correct view. End quote.
Seeal-Mughni, 2/130
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inal-Sharh
al-Mumti'(4/123):
But there is a matter which must be discussed, which is that it is
essential to say the opening takbeer when standing straight, before
leaning forward, because if a person leans forward when saying the
opening takbeer, he will have said the opening takbeer when he was not
standing straight, and the opening takbeer must be said when standing
straight. End quote.
Thirdly:
If he bows with the imam, that rak'ah counts for him even if he does
not recite al-Faatihah. This is the view of the majority and it is the
correct view, in sha Allah, because the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said to Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him), when he came to the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) when he was bowing and he bowed before he reached the row.
He mentioned that to the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and he said: "May Allaah make you more keen, but do not do it
again." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 783.
The point here is that if catching up with bowing did not count as
catching up with the rak'ah with the imam, the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have told him to make up that
rak'ah in which he did not catch up with the recitation, but no such
thing has been reported from him. This indicates that the one who
catches up with bowing has caught up with the rak'ah.
See Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah, p. 230.
Al-Shawkaan said: Similarly the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) told the one who joins the prayer to do what the imam
does, and it is known that this cannot be done unless he bows with his
imam. If he starts to recite al-Faatihah, he has caught up with the
imam in a state where he is not doing what his imam does, so he has
disobeyed the command to follow the imam. End quote from an essay
quoted by the author of'Awn al-Ma'bood, 3/157
With regard to the evidence for it being obligatory to recite
al-Faatihah in prayer, this is general in meaning and includes the one
who joins the prayer late and the one who does not join the prayer
late. This hadeeth specifically indicates that the obligation to
recite al-Faatihah is waived for the one who catches up with his imam
when he is bowing, so this hadeeth makes an exception from the general
meaning of the other ahaadeeth.
SeeMajmoo' al-Fataawa, 23/290
In the answer to question no. 74999we have explained that recitation
of al-Faatihah is waived for the person praying behind an imam in two
cases:
1 – If he catches up with the imam when he is bowing
2 – If he catches up with the imam just before he bows, and he cannot
complete the recitation of al-Faatihah
SeeAhkaam Hudoor al-Masaajid(p. 141-143) by Shaykh 'Abd-Allaah ibn
Saalih al-Fawzaan.