Refer to Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari and Sharh Sahih Muslim to...
Refer to Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari and Sharh Sahih Muslim to see their sayings about Abu Hurayra’s tradition in details.[^13] Abu Hurayra himself contradicted his tradition when he narrated other traditions saying: “I heard the Prophet (s) saying: The prayer won’t be correct unless al-Fatiha is recited in it.”[^14] Abu Hurayra also said: “The Prophet (s) ordered me to announce in Medina that no prayer (would be correct) without (reciting some of the) Quran, even if it was al-Fatiha and something more.”[^15] He also said: “I heard the Prophet (s) saying: Whoever offers a prayer without reciting al-Fatiha, his prayer is aborted, his prayer is aborted, his prayer is aborted, his prayer is aborted.”[^16] Then why did the Hanafites depend upon the outward meaning of the saying (recite what is easy of the Quran as possible as you can) mentioned in Abu Hurayra’s tradition and give up the clear and true prophetic traditions talking about the prayer?
In fact they depended upon what contradicted the many true traditions and objected to all the other sects of the Muslims and what they gave up was confirmed by the true prophetic traditions and by all the other sects of the Muslims. The Hanafites might depend upon the Quranic verse ( therefore read what is easy of the Quran 73:20) as their evidence for this matter. The answer: this verse had nothing to do with the subject of reciting Quranic suras in the prayer at all.