Hadith 22648

حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيٌّ يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، قَالَ : " كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَأُ فِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ الْأُولَيَيْنِ مِنَ الظُّهْرِ يُسْمِعُنَا الْآيَةَ أَحْيَانًا ، فَيُطِيلُ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الْأُولَى ، وَيُقَصِّرُ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ ، وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ الْأُولَيَيْنِ مِنَ الْعَصْرِ ، وَيُطِيلُ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الْأُولَى مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ، وَيُقَصِّرُ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ " .
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in prayer, he would recite (Qur'an) in the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr, and sometimes he would let us hear a verse from it. In this too, he would make the first rak'ah relatively long and the second shorter. He would do the same in the Fajr prayer, making the first rak'ah long and the second comparatively shorter. And in the first two rak'ahs of Asr as well, he would recite (Qur'an).
Hadith Reference مسند احمد / مسند الأنصار رضي الله عنهم / 22648
Hadith Grading حکم دارالسلام: إسناده صحيح، خ: 762، م: 451