When he finished reciting al-Fātihah, he would say “Āmīn” (1). If he was reciting aloud, he would raise his voice when saying it, and those behind him would say it too.

He observed two pauses: one between the opening declaration of Allah’s greatness and the recitation, about which Abū Hurayrah asked him (2). There is disagreement concerning the second: some reports place it after al-Fātihah, while others place it after the recitation and before bowing. It has also been said: rather (3), there were two pauses besides the first, making three (4). Apparently, however, there were only two. As for the third, it was very brief, merely to catch his breath; he did not proceed straight from recitation into bowing. This differed from the first pause, which he made long enough for the opening supplication. As for the second, it has been said that its purpose was to allow those praying behind him to recite. On this interpretation, it should be extended long enough for al-Fātihah to be recited. The third, however, was merely for rest and breathing (5), so it was a brief pause. Those who did not mention it omitted it because of its brevity, while those who counted it regarded it as a third pause. Thus, there is no disagreement between the two reports. This is the most plausible explanation of this (6) hadith.

This is borne out by the fact that one of those who narrated the hadith concerning the two pauses was Samurah ibn Jundub, who