Another lesson is that the eldest should be given precedence when leading the prayer, because the Prophet ﷺ said, “Let the eldest among you lead.” This does not conflict with his other statement, “The one who is most proficient in reciting the Book of Allah should lead the people,” for the young men in this delegation had all arrived together and, outwardly, there was no appreciable difference in their Qurʾan recitation—their levels were much the same, with none clearly surpassing the others. Therefore he said, “Let the eldest among you lead,” since their recitation was equal, or nearly so. When individuals are equal in recitation, adherence to the Sunnah, and precedence in migration, the matter reverts to whoever is oldest in years. This shows that advanced age is respected, and the elder is preferred over others provided the others do not possess some distinguishing virtue that outweighs his seniority.

A further benefit is the desirability of guiding people in every matter—even when one assumes the issue is already known. The Prophet ﷺ therefore instructed them, “Pray such-and-such a prayer at such-and-such a time,” despite the fact that they had prayed with him for twenty nights and already knew the times. Yet, by way of reminder, he said: “Pray ẓuhr at its time, pray ʿaṣr at such-and-such a time, pray maghrib at such-and-such a time, pray ʿishāʾ at such-and-such a time, and pray fajr at such-and-such a time.”