the bowing (1), the prostration, and the sitting between the two prostrations were all nearly the same in length.
Shuʿbah said, “I mentioned this to ʿAmr ibn Murrah (2), and he replied, ‘I have seen ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā, and his prayer was not like that’ (3).”
Al-Bukhārī (4) also narrated this ḥadīth—omitting only the standing and the sitting—stating that the acts were “almost equal” in duration (5). The reason (6) is clear: standing for the recitation and sitting for the tashahhud are normally longer than the other pillars, but because the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would shorten the standing and fully perform the other pillars, their lengths became nearly the same.
Thus each of the two reports corroborates the other: al-Barāʾ sometimes spoke in approximate terms without specifying, and at other times he excluded certain elements and then specified them.
Accordingly, it is permissible to describe the standing along with the other pillars as “close in length,” especially in contrast to certain governors (7) who prolong the standing yet shorten the bowing and the prostrations, creating a pronounced disparity.