In every prayer there is a recitation. We make you listen what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made us listen, and we keep hidden from you what he kept hidden from us.  

أَسْمَعَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَسْمَعْنَاكُمْ وَمَا أَخْفَى عَلَيْنَا أَخْفَيْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ  

The apostle of Allah ﷺ used to lead us in prayer and recite in the first two rak’ahs of the noon prayers Fatihat al-kitab and two surahs, and he would sometimes recite loud enough for us to hear the verse. He would prolong the first rak’ah of the noon prayer and shorten the second; and he did so in the morning prayer. Abu Dawud said: Musaddad did not mention the words fatihat al-kitab and surah.  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي بِنَا فَيَقْرَأُ فِي الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ فِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ الأُولَيَيْنِ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَسُورَتَيْنِ وَيُسْمِعُنَا الآيَةَ أَحْيَانًا وَكَانَ يُطَوِّلُ الرَّكْعَةَ الأُولَى مِنَ الظُّهْرِ وَيُقَصِّرُ الثَّانِيَةَ وَكَذَلِكَ فِي الصُّبْحِ  

He would recite Fatihat al-kitab in the last two surahs. Hammam added: He would prolong the first rak’ah but would not prolong the second so much; and he did so similarly in the afternoon prayer, and so in the morning prayer.  

عَنْ أَبِيهِ بِبَعْضِ هَذَا وَزَادَ فِي الأُخْرَيَيْنِ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَزَادَ عَنْ هَمَّامٍ قَالَ وَكَانَ يُطَوِّلُ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الأُولَى مَا لاَ يُطَوِّلُ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ وَهَكَذَا فِي صَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ وَهَكَذَا فِي صَلاَةِ الْغَدَاةِ  

We thought that by this (prolonging the first rak’ah). He (the prophet) meant that the people might join the first rak’ah.  

أَنْ يُدْرِكَ النَّاسُ الرَّكْعَةَ الأُولَى  

We asked Khabbab: Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recit (the Quran) in the noon and afternoon prayers? He replied: Yes. We then asked: How did you know this? He said: By the shaking of his beard, may peace be upon him.  

قُلْنَا لِخَبَّابٍ هَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقْرَأُ فِي الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ قَالَ نَعَمْ قُلْنَا بِمَ كُنْتُمْ تَعْرِفُونَ ذَاكَ قَالَ بِاضْطِرَابِ لِحْيَتِهِ  

The prophet ﷺ used to stand in the rak’ah of prayer so much so that no sound of steps heard.  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يَقُومُ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الأُولَى مِنْ صَلاَةِ الظُّهْرِ حَتَّى لاَ يَسْمَعَ وَقْعَ قَدَمٍ