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.

Dought & clear, - Sifat al-Salaah (description of the prayer) ->Reciting the opening takbeer quietly in a prayer in which Qur’aan is to be recited out loud.

If I say the opening takbeer quietly in a prayer in which Qur'aan is
to be recited out loud, is my prayer valid?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is Sunnah to say the takbeer out loud and to recite Qur'aan out
loud in a prayer in which Qur'aan is to be recited out loud, but it is
not obligatory, so if a person says them quietly there is nothing
wrong with that and his prayer is valid.
But you have to move the tongue and form the words, and they cannot be
uttered without doing that, whether in a prayer in which Qur'aan is to
be recited out loud or one in which it is to be recited quietly.
Some fuqaha' stipulated that the worshipper should be able to hear his
own voice, but the correct view is that it is sufficient to move the
tongue and form the words.
The details of that opinion are as follows:
1 – The majority of Shaafa'i and Hanbali scholars, and Hanafi scholars
according to the more correct of their two views, are of the opinion
that it is obligatory for the worshipper to utter the takbeer in such
a way that he can hear his own voice, and it is not sufficient for him
to move his tongue without making a sound. The same applies to all
dhikr; it does not count if there is no sound.
2 – Some of the scholars are of the view that it is acceptable to move
the tongue and form the words without making a sound. This is the view
of the Maalikis and of the Hanafis according to the other report. It
was also the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah. Ibn
Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inal-Mughni(1/276): The
worshipper must be able to hear himself [i.e., saying the takbeer]
whether he is leading the prayer or otherwise, unless he has a
problems, such as being deaf, or something is preventing him from
hearing, in which case he should do it as if he could hear or as if
there was no problem. Because dhikr is something that is to be done
verbally, and there can be no speech without sound, and sound is what
can be heard, and the closest of listeners to him is himself, so if he
cannot hear it then he does not know whether he has said the word.
There is no difference between men and women with regard to what we
have said. End quote.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inal-Majmoo'(3/256):
The minimum form of reciting quietly is such that a person can hear
himself if he is sound of hearing and there is no problem such as
surrounding noise and the like. This is general in meaning and applies
to recitation, takbeer, tasbeeh when bowing and so on, tashahhud,
salaam and du'aa', whether the prayer is obligatory or naafil; nothing
of it counts unless he can hear himself, if he is sound of hearing and
there is no problem. End quote.
See:Tabyeen al-Haqaa'iq(1/127) andal-Bahr al-Raa'iq(1/356).
Khaleel (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in hisMukhtasar: … and
reciting al-Faatihah by moving the tongue is a must for the one who is
leading the prayer and the one who is praying by himself, even if he
cannot hear himself. End quote.
Al-Hattaab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Ibn Naaji said inSharh
al-Risaalah: It should be noted that the minimum form of reciting
quietly is that one should move the tongue whilst reciting, and the
maximum is when he can hear himself only. The minimum form of reciting
out loud is when he can hear himself and those who are close to him
can hear him, and the maximum is limitless. End quote. InSharh
al-Mudawwanahit adds: Whoever recites in his heart whilst praying is
like one who does not recite at all. Hence it is permissible for one
who is junub to recite in his heart. Ibn 'Arafah said: Sahnoon ibn
al-Qaasim heard that moving the tongue is acceptable for one who is
reciting quietly, but it is better if he can hear himself. End quote
fromMawaahib al-Jaleel(1/535).
Al-Mardaawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inal-Insaaf(2/44): The
words "reciting as much as he can hear himself" mean that the
worshipper must recite aloud in prayers where Qur'aan is recited
quietly and say the takbeer and so on in such a way that he can hear
himself. This is our view, and it is the view of our companions, and
it was stated definitely by most of them. Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen [Ibn
Taymiyah] favoured the view that it is sufficient to form the letters,
even if he cannot hear himself, and he mentioned it as a view in his
madhhab. I say: I favour this view. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) thought the view
of the Maalikis and Shaykh al-Islam was more correct. He said:
With regard to the words "he says", if we say that saying may be done
with the tongue, is it essential that he can hear himself saying it?
There is a difference of opinion among the scholars concerning this.
Some of them say that there must be a sound that he can hear himself.
This is the correct view; even if those who are next to him cannot
hear him, he has to be able to hear himself. If he speaks without
hearing himself, then there is no point in forming these words. But
this view is weak. The correct view is that it is not essential that
he be able to hear himself, because hearing is something extra to
saying and speaking, and if something is extra to what is mentioned in
the Sunnah, then the one who says that has to produce evidence for it.
Based on that, if a person is certain that he has pronounced the words
properly, but he did not hear himself, either because his hearing is
weak or because of noise going on around him, or for some other
reason, then the correct view is that all his words are acceptable and
he does not have to do more than what is indicated by the texts, which
is speaking. End quote fromal-Sharh al-Mumti'(3/25).
Based on that, if you moved your tongue and lips in saying the
takbeer, that is sufficient, but it is better if you say it in a voice
that you can hear.
And Allaah knows best.