what others find lengthy. It therefore varies with people’s habits and the duration of acts of worship; nor is there a fixed measure in every act of worship that is not prescribed by the Sharia.

It is thus clear that the Muslim must refer to the Sunnah to determine how brief or lengthy the prayer should be. This also makes clear that the Prophet’s command to keep it brief does not contradict his command to prolong it, as in the hadith of ʿAmmār recorded in the Sahīh, where he said:

“A man’s lengthy prayer and brief sermon are a sign of his understanding of religion. So prolong the prayer and keep the sermon brief.”

Elsewhere, he commanded them to keep the prayer brief, and there is no contradiction between the two. Here, the prayer is to be lengthy relative to the sermon; there, it is to be brief relative to what some imams did during his lifetime, such as reciting Surah al-Baqarah in the ʿIshāʾ prayer. Hence he said:

“When one of you prays alone, let him prolong it as much as he wishes.”

He thus made clear that someone praying alone is not subject to a limit on the length of his prayer that would keep it brief, unlike the imam, who must take account of those praying behind him. Among them are the sick, the elderly, and those with pressing needs. Accordingly, the established Sunnah is to shorten the prayer rather than prolong it when something arises that affects the congregation or some of its members. As he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“I begin the prayer intending to prolong it, but then I hear a child crying and shorten it, knowing the distress his mother feels.”

This was also the reason the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave in the previously cited hadith of Ibn Masʿūd.