148 – Abū ʿAbd Allāh Jābir ibn Samurah (Allah be pleased with him) reported: “I used to perform the prayers with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and his prayer was of moderate length and his sermon was of moderate length.” Recorded by Muslim.

The phrase “of moderate length” (qaṣdan) means that it was neither long nor short, but in between.

Explanation
Jābir ibn Samurah (Allah be pleased with him) relates that he prayed with the Prophet ﷺ—apparently the Friday prayer—and found both the prayer and the sermon to be of balanced length: not so brief as to be deficient, and not so protracted as to become wearisome. The Prophet ﷺ has also said, “The lengthiness of a man’s prayer and the brevity of his sermon are a sign of his understanding,” meaning an indication and proof of his grasp of the religion. From this ḥadīth we learn that a person should not overburden himself or impose hardship upon himself in worship; rather, he should undertake only what he can realistically manage. And Allah alone grants success.

149 – Abū Juḥayfah Wahb ibn ʿAbd Allāh (Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet ﷺ established bonds of brotherhood between Salmān and Abū al-Dardāʾ. Salmān once visited Abū al-Dardāʾ and noticed that Umm al-Dardāʾ was dressed in rough, worn clothing. He asked, “What is the matter with you?” She replied, “Your brother Abū al-Dardāʾ has no interest in this world.” Then Abū al-Dardāʾ came in and prepared food for him. He said, “Eat, for I am fasting.” Salmān replied, “I will not eat until you eat.” So Abū al-Dardāʾ ate. When night fell Abū al-Dardāʾ got up to pray, but Salmān said to him, “Go to sleep,” and he lay down. Then Abū al-Dardāʾ arose again to pray