The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, was performing the Thuhr prayer when a person praying behind him began to recite “Sabbih Isma Rabbik Al-A’la.” Upon completing his prayers, the Messenger, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, asked who that was. The person identified himself, so the Messenger, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, remarked, “I thought one of you was taking it [the verses] from my tongue.” Does the above narration not indicate that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, did not approve of recitation behind the imam even in silent prayers?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger. 

The hadeeth in reference was narrated by Imaam Muslim, Abu Daawood, and An-Nasaa'i on the authority of ʻImraan ibn Husayn . The Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, reproached the man praying behind him in this incident because he raised his voice while reciting the Quran in the congregational prayer behind him, and not for the act of reciting itself. In fact, it is deduced from this hadeeth that it is legislated for the one being led in the prayer to recite the Quran behind the imaam in the inaudible prayer because they used to recite a Soorah. It is only prohibited to recite out loud, thereby distracting the other worshipers. The author of ʻAwn Al-Maʻbood said:

“He (the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam) said, 'I knew that one of you confused me in it (in recitation).' This means that he rebuked that man for reciting the Soorah out loud whereby it was heard by others, not that he rebuked him because of the act of recitation itself. On the contrary, it is deduced from the hadeeth that they used to recite the Soorah in the inaudible prayers. It also proves that it is legislated for both the imaam and the one led in the prayer to recite a Soorah in the Thuhr prayer, as pointed out by An-Nawawi. This is the ruling that we adopt; another odd and weak view suggests that the one led in the prayer does not recite a Soorah (after the Faatihah) in the inaudible prayer, just as he does not recite it in the audible prayer. This is incorrect because the one being led in the prayer is ordered to listen to the imaam's recitation in the audible prayer, but in the inaudible prayer he cannot hear the imaam. Therefore, there is no point in remaining silent. The same applies if the one being led in the prayer is far away from the imaam and cannot hear his recitation; in this case, the correct view is that it is legislated for him to recite a Soorah for the reasons that we mentioned.”

Allaah knows best.