Moreover, I regard this ḥadīth as defective because of a break in the chain: it is al-Ḥasan narrating from Samurah. Although al-Ḥasan did hear from him in general, he was a known mudallis, and here he gives the report with a mere “ʿan” without clearly stating that he heard this particular narration from Samurah. Consequently, the report is weak.

Nor does the text itself specify that the pause was as long as the Shāfiʿīs claim, so they have absolutely no evidence in it—ponder this well.

As for al-Shawkānī’s statement in al-Sayl al-Jarrār 1/225 that after finishing al-Fātiḥah the Prophet ﷺ would fall silent for a lengthy pause and then recite the sūrah, none of the ḥadīth versions contain the extra word “lengthy.”

It appears he confused the wording of the report with al-Khaṭṭābī’s comment on it, where the latter said: “He would only keep silent … so that those behind him could recite,” a statement al-Shawkānī quoted in Nayl 2/200. It is also possible that al-Khaṭṭābī was interpreting Aḥmad’s wording: “When he said, wa-la l-ḍāllīn (and not of those who go astray), he again paused briefly.” You already know that the place of the second pause is after all the recitation has been completed, and that its chain is weak.

I have treated the question in detail in Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl 2/284–288.