Abu Wa'il narrates: Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a brief and eloquent sermon to us. When he descended from the pulpit, we said: O Abu Yaqzan! You delivered an eloquent and brief sermon; if you had given a longer (sermon), it would have been appropriate. He replied: I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say this: "A man's prolonging of the prayer and shortening of the sermon is a sign of his understanding. So, you people should prolong the prayer and shorten the sermon, for some speech is (as effective as) magic."