330 – Abu Hurayrah (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “When any one of you leads the people in prayer, let him shorten it; for among them are the young, the elderly, the weak, and those who have a need. But when he prays alone, he may pray however he wishes.” Agreed upon. (1)

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• “When one of you leads” (idhā amma aḥadukum): idhā is a conditional particle and amma is its verb.
• “Let him shorten it” (fal-yukhaffif): this is the apodosis, hence the prefixed fa.
• “For among them are” (fa-inna fīhim): a clause of causation.
• “The young” (as-ṣaghīr): accusative as the noun of inna; the subsequent words are coordinated with it, while the predicate of inna is fīhim.
• “The weak” (ad-ḍaʿīf): i.e., physically weak on account of illness, old age, frailty, and the like.

Points derived from the ḥadith

1. It is recommended to keep the prayer brief when leading the congregation—whether in an obligatory prayer or a voluntary one—because the worshippers include children, the elderly, and the physically weak who cannot endure a long service, as well as those with pressing needs whose minds are preoccupied for fear that their need may be lost or spoiled, and so forth.
2. The narration also shows that if the group is small and they themselves prefer a longer prayer, that is permissible, for the right is theirs and they have expressed that wish; in such a case, lengthening the prayer is unobjectionable.