and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, began to pray while looking toward the mountain pass.” Abū Dāwūd explained that he had sent a horseman to the pass during the night to keep watch. This looking about was a matter of attending to jihad during prayer and falls under the overlap between acts of worship, as with prayer in times of danger.

Similar to this is Umar’s statement, may Allah be pleased with him: “Indeed, I prepare my army while I am praying” (1). This combines jihad and prayer (2). Likewise, reflecting (3) on the meanings of the Quran and drawing out its treasures of knowledge during prayer combines prayer and knowledge. This is one thing; the wandering glances and thoughts of the heedless and distracted are quite another. Success comes only through Allah.

His regular practice, peace and blessings be upon him, was to make the first two units of a four-unit prayer longer than the last two, and the first unit longer than the second. Hence Saʿd said to Umar: “As for me, I prolong the first two units and keep the last two brief, sparing no effort to follow the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him” (4).

Likewise, his practice, peace and blessings be upon him, was to make the dawn prayer longer than the other prayers, as mentioned earlier. Ā’ishah said: “Allah prescribed the prayers as two units each. When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, migrated, the prayers performed when not travelling were increased, except for the dawn prayer, which was left unchanged because of its lengthy recitation, and the sunset prayer, because it is the day’s odd-numbered prayer.” Abū Hātim Ibn Hibbān narrated it in