Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari reported God’s Messenger as saying:

When you pray make your rows straight and let one of your number act as your <i>imam</i>. If you say the <i>takbir</i> when he says it and say <i>Amen</i> when he says “Not of those with whom You are angry nor of those who go astray”, God will accept your prayer. When he says the <i>takbir</i> and bows, say it and bow, for the <i>imam</i> bows before you and raises himself before you. Then God’s Messenger said, “The one is equivalent to the other.”* And he said: If you say, “O God our Lord, to You be the praise,” when he says, “God listens to him who praises him,” God will listen to you. * Although the <i>imam</i> begins and ends his bowing before you do, your bow lasts the same length of time as his. Muslim transmitted it. In a version by him from Abu Huraira and Qatada the words occur, “And when he recites listen silently.”

وَعَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " إِذَا صَلَّيْتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا صُفُوفَكُمْ ثُمَّ لِيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ فَإِذَا كَبَّرَ فكبروا وَإِذ قَالَ (غير المغضوب عَلَيْهِم وَلَا الضَّالّين) فَقُولُوا آمِينَ يُجِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَإِذَا كَبَّرَ وَرَكَعَ فَكَبِّرُوا وَارْكَعُوا فَإِنَّ الْإِمَامَ يَرْكَعُ قَبْلَكُمْ وَيَرْفَعُ قبلكُمْ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «فَتِلْكَ بِتِلْكَ» قَالَ: «وَإِذَا قَالَ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ فَقُولُوا اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ يسمع الله لكم» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لَهُ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَقَتَادَةَ: «وَإِذا قَرَأَ فأنصتوا»