Lightening the prayer: those who used to keep it light

Sayyiduna Malik bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I took part in a military expedition with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I never saw an imam who led an obligatory prayer more briefly than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray a prayer that was both brief and complete.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his sermon were both of moderate length.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Keep the prayer short, for among the people are the weak, the elderly and those in a hurry for some need."

Sayyiduna Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "I stay away from the Fajr prayer because so-and-so makes the prayer very long!" At that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up to admonish, and I had never seen him angrier during any admonition than I saw him that day. He addressed the people, saying: "O people! Among you are some who drive people away from the religion. Whoever among you leads the people in prayer should keep it short, for among the people are the weak, the elderly and those in a hurry for some need."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) led his companions in prayer and recited Surah al-Baqarah in it. At that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "O Mu'adh! Do you want to put people to trial? Do you want to put people to trial?!"

Sayyiduna Uthman bin Abi al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Lead your people in prayer, and whoever leads a people in prayer should keep it short, for among the people are the weak, the elderly and those in a hurry for some need. But when you pray alone, make it as long as you wish."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the briefest and most complete prayer of all people.

Abbas al-Jushami said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Some imams drive people away from the congregation."

Prayer was mentioned in the presence of Sayyiduna Abu Waqid al-Laythi (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the lightest of people in the prayer he led for others, and the longest of them in the prayer he offered himself.

Sayyiduna Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whoever leads us in prayer should perform the bowing and prostration completely, for among us are the weak, the elderly, those in a hurry for some need, the sick and travellers. This is how we used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)."

Thabit said: I prayed the Isha prayer with Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), and he made it as short as Allah willed.

Mus'ab bin Sa'd said: When my father prayed in the mosque, he kept the bowing and prostration short and prayed lightly, and when he prayed at home, he lengthened the prayer and the bowing and prostration. I asked him about this, and he said: "We are imams who are followed."

Abu Raja' said: I saw Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) offer a very short prayer. I said to him: "You are Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and yet you pray so briefly?" Sayyiduna al-Zubayr said: "We want to ward off these whisperings."

Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Shorten this prayer and finish it before the whisperings of Satan come."

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), while teaching a man, said: "A man keeps the prayer short and performs the bowing and prostration completely."

Isma'il said that his father (Abu Khalid) used to pray behind Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). The prayer of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah was like the prayer of Qays: he would perform the bowing and prostration completely but keep the prayer short. Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah was asked about this: "Was the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) like this?" He said: "It was like this, and even shorter than this."

Abu Khalid said: I saw Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) offer a very short prayer, so I said to him: "Was the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) like this?" He said: "Yes, and it was even shorter than this."

Amr bin Maymun said: When Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed and the people scattered, Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward and led the prayer. In that prayer he recited two short surahs of the Qur'an, Surah al-Kawthar and Surah al-Nasr.

Ibrahim used to keep the prayer short but performed the bowing and prostration completely.

Abu Mijlaz said: The early generations used to pray completely but keep it short, and they guarded it from the whisperings of Satan.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was shorter and lighter than that of all other people.

Amr bin Maymun said: I have not seen prayer as brief anywhere else as I have seen it between these two walls, meaning the Grand Mosque of Kufah.

Al-Nu'man bin Qays said: When the women passed by Ubaydah while he was praying, they would say to one another: "Keep the prayer short, for look how short Ubaydah's prayer is."