سورة الأعراف

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): As for what He has made obligatory upon the ears, it is listening to the remembrance of Allah, remaining silent when His verses are recited, and refraining from listening to things that anger Him. Allah the Glorified said: وَ إِذا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَ أَنْصِتُوا لَعَلَّکُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ [And when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and remain silent, that mercy may be shown to you].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Book of Allah is the truest of speech and the most eloquent of stories. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said: وَ إِذا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَ أَنْصِتُوا لَعَلَّکُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ [And when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and remain silent, that mercy may be shown to you]; so listen out of obedience to Him, and remain silent seeking His mercy.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): And if you are behind an imam, do not recite anything [of al-Hamd and a surah] in the first two rak'ats; rather, remain silent and listen to whatever the imam recites, and in the last two rak'ats also do not recite anything [of al-Hamd and a surah], for Allah the Mighty and Majestic addresses the believers: وَ إِذا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَ أَنْصِتُوا لَعَلَّکُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ [And when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and remain silent, that mercy may be shown to you]; the last two rak'ats of four-rak'at prayers also follow the first two and have the same ruling.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurara said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "In the obligatory four-rak'at prayer, do not recite Surah al-Hamd in the last two rak'ats, whether you are the imam or a follower." I asked: "Then what should I say in place of it?" He said: "If you are the imam, say three times: سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَ الحَمْدُ لِلهِ وَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَ اللهُ أَکْبَرُ [Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest], then say the takbir and go into ruku'; and if you are a follower, do not recite in the first two rak'ats and listen to the imam's recitation, and in the next two rak'ats say nothing, because Allah says to the believers: وَ إِذَا قُرِیءَ الْقُرْآنُ [And when the Quran is recited] — meaning in the obligatory prayer behind the congregational imam — فَاسْتَمِعُواْ لَهُ وَ أَنصِتُواْ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ [then listen to it and remain silent, that mercy may be shown to you], and the next two rak'ats are also subordinate to the first two."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibrahim ibn Ali al-Murafiqi and Abu Ahmad Amr ibn al-Rabi' al-Nasri asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "May al-Hamd and a surah be recited in the congregational prayer?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "When you are standing behind a congregational imam and following him and accept him, his recitation of al-Hamd and the surah is sufficient for you. But if you wish to recite, in prayers in which it is obligatory to recite al-Hamd and the surah quietly, you too recite quietly; but in prayers in which it is obligatory to recite aloud, be silent, for Allah has said: وَ أَنْصِتُوا لَعَلَّکُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ [And remain silent, that mercy may be shown to you]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): In the obligatory prayers, when following the imam of the congregation, when the Quran is recited, listen to it and remain silent, that you may be encompassed by the mercy [of Allah].

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ إِذا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَ أَنْصِتُوا لَعَلَّکُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ [And when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and remain silent, that mercy may be shown to you]; that is, in the prayer, if you hear the recitation of the imam of the congregation whom you have followed, then be silent.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): One must remain silent when the Quran is being recited, in the prayer and outside it. When the Quran is recited in your presence, you must remain silent and listen.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Abi Ya'fur said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "A man is reciting the Quran; is it obligatory on the one who hears it to remain silent and listen to it?" He said: "Yes, when the Quran is recited in your presence, remaining silent and listening to it is obligatory upon you."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Listening to the Quran is obligatory in the prayer and outside it.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ali (peace be upon him) was performing the morning prayer when Ibn al-Kawwa, who was behind him, recited this verse: وَ لَقَدْ أُوحِیَ إِلَیْکَ وَ إِلَی الَّذِینَ مِنْ قَبْلِکَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَکْتَ لَیَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُکَ وَ لَتَکُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخاسِرِینَ [It has been revealed to you and to all the previous prophets that if you associate partners with Allah, all your deeds will be nullified and you will be among the losers] (Zumar/65). Ali (peace be upon him), out of reverence for the Quran, listened until Ibn al-Kawwa finished reciting the verse. Then he returned to his recitation. Ibn al-Kawwa repeated the recitation of the verse, and Ali (peace be upon him) again listened. Ibn al-Kawwa repeated the recitation once more. Ali (peace be upon him) listened and then said: فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللهِ حَقٌّ وَ لا یَسْتَخِفَّنَّکَ الَّذِینَ لا یُوقِنُونَ [Now that it is so, be patient, for the promise of Allah is true, and let not those who have no faith enrage you (and divert you from your path)] (Rum/60). Then he completed the recitation of the surah and went into ruku.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muawiyah ibn Wahb said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about a man who leads a group in prayer while you do not approve of him, in a prayer in which the recitation must be aloud. He said: "When you hear the Book of Allah being recited, you must remain silent."