Does the Imam receive the reward for attending the forty days from the first Takbir (Takbirat al-Ihram)?

The Imam receives reward and virtue due to the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Whoever prays to Allah for forty days in congregation, reaching the first takbir, two immunities will be written for him: immunity from Hellfire and immunity from hypocrisy." This is due to the generality of the hadith and the inclusiveness of the word "whoever" (man) which applies to both the Imam and the follower.