—who would carry his pillow and his siwak (tooth-stick)—and he once prayed with the Prophet ﷺ during the night. The Prophet ﷺ stood for so long that his standing became exceedingly prolonged. As has already been mentioned in the ḥadith of ʿĀʾishah, he ﷺ would stand until his feet cracked or swelled—at times they cracked, at other times they swelled from the length of his standing.

It is also soundly reported from Ḥudhayfah that, in a single rakʿah, he recited three of the long surahs: al-Baqarah, al-Nisāʾ, and Āl ʿImrān.

Likewise, Ibn Masʿūd —may Allah be pleased with him—prayed with him one night, and the Prophet ﷺ prolonged the standing so much that Ibn Masʿūd almost did something inappropriate, meaning something a person would normally dislike to do. They asked him, “What did you intend to do, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān?” He replied, “I thought of sitting down and leaving him,” that is, sitting while the Prophet ﷺ remained standing, because Ibn Masʿūd became weary and exhausted, even though he was a young man. The Prophet ﷺ, however, did not tire, for he was the most devoted worshipper of Allah and the most God-fearing among people. In this there is evidence that standing in night prayer and lengthening that standing is a Sunnah, and that whoever does so is following the example of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

However, know that if you lengthen the standing, the Sunnah is to lengthen the bowing, the prostration, the sitting between the two prostrations, and the standing after bowing as well. Part of the Prophet’s practice ﷺ was to keep his prayer proportionate: when he lengthened the standing, he lengthened the other pillars; and when he shortened the standing, he shortened the other pillars. This is