Chapter on the Manner of Prayer, Its Description and What is Obligatory and Recommended

Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ibn Abi Najran from Sabbah Al-Hadhdha’ from a man from Abu Hamzah who said: (Imam) Ali ibn Al-Husayn عليه السلام, peace be upon them, said: "O Thumali, when the prayer is established, Satan comes to the companion of the Imam (of prayer) and says: 'Has he (Imam of Prayer) remembered his Lord عز وجل?' If he says, ‘Yes,’ he (Satan) departs. But if he says, ‘No,’ he (Satan) mounts upon his shoulders and becomes the leader of the people until they finish." He (narrator) said: “I asked: ‘May I be your ransom, do they not recite the Qur'an?’” Imam عليه السلام said: "Yes, but not in the way you think, O Thumali. What is meant is reciting aloud ‘Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Rahim’".