4. The Book of Prayers
٤۔ كتاب الصلاة
My father said, "The Prophet ﷺ in Zuhr prayers used to recite Al-Fatiha along with two other Suras in the first two rakʿat: a long one in the first rakʿa and a shorter (Sura) in the second, and at times the verses were audible. In the ʿAsr prayer the Prophet ﷺ used to recite Al-Fatiha and two more Suras in the first two rakʿat and used to prolong the first rakʿa. And he used to prolong the first rakʿa of the Fajr prayer and shorten the second.
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَقْرَأُ فِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ الأُولَيَيْنِ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الظُّهْرِ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَسُورَتَيْنِ يُطَوِّلُ فِي الأُولَى وَيُقَصِّرُ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ وَيُسْمِعُ الآيَةَ أَحْيَانًا وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي الْعَصْرِ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَسُورَتَيْنِ وَكَانَ يُطَوِّلُ فِي الأُولَى وَكَانَ يُطَوِّلُ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الأُولَى مِنْ صَلاَةِ الصُّبْحِ وَيُقَصِّرُ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ
The People of Kufa complained against Saʿd to ʿUmar and the latter dismissed him and appointed ʿAmmar as their chief . They lodged many complaints against Saʿd and even they alleged that he did not pray properly. ʿUmar sent for him and said, "O Aba 'Is-haq! These people claim that you do not pray properly." Abu 'Is-haq said, "By Allah, I used to pray with them a prayer similar to that of Allah's Apostle and I never reduced anything of it. I used to prolong the first two rakʿat of ʿIsha prayer and shorten the last two rakʿat." ʿUmar said, "O Aba 'Is-haq, this was what I thought about you." And then he sent one or more persons with him to Kufa so as to ask the people about him. So they went there and did not leave any mosque without asking about him. All the people praised him till they came to the mosque of the tribe of Bani ʿAbs; one of the men called Usama bin Qatada with a surname of Aba Saʿda stood up and said, "As you have put us under an oath; I am bound to tell you that Saʿd never went himself with the army and never distributed (the war booty) equally and never did justice in legal verdicts." (On hearing it) Saʿd said, "I pray to Allah for three things: O Allah! If this slave of yours is a liar and got up for showing off, give him a long life, increase his poverty and put him to trials." (And so it happened). Later on when that person was asked how he was, he used to reply that he was an old man in trial as the result of Saʿd's curse. ʿAbdul Malik, the sub narrator, said that he had seen him afterwards and his eyebrows were overhanging his eyes owing to old age and he used to tease and assault the small girls in the way.
شَكَا أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ سَعْدًا إِلَى عُمَرَ ؓ فَعَزَلَهُ وَاسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمَّارًا فَشَكَوْا حَتَّى ذَكَرُوا أَنَّهُ لاَ يُحْسِنُ يُصَلِّي فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ هَؤُلاَءِ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّكَ لاَ تُحْسِنُ تُصَلِّي قَالَ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ أَمَّا أَنَا وَاللَّهِ فَإِنِّي كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي بِهِمْ صَلاَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا أَخْرِمُ عَنْهَا أُصَلِّي صَلاَةَ الْعِشَاءِ فَأَرْكُدُ فِي الأُولَيَيْنِ وَأُخِفُّ فِي الأُخْرَيَيْنِ قَالَ ذَاكَ الظَّنُّ بِكَ يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ فَأَرْسَلَ مَعَهُ رَجُلاً أَوْ رِجَالاً إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ فَسَأَلَ عَنْهُ أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ وَلَمْ يَدَعْ مَسْجِدًا إِلاَّ سَأَلَ عَنْهُ وَيُثْنُونَ مَعْرُوفًا حَتَّى دَخَلَ مَسْجِدًا لِبَنِي عَبْسٍ فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ أُسَامَةُ بْنُ قَتَادَةَ يُكْنَى أَبَا سَعْدَةَ قَالَ أَمَّا إِذْ نَشَدْتَنَا فَإِنَّ سَعْدًا كَانَ لاَ يَسِيرُ بِالسَّرِيَّةِ وَلاَ يَقْسِمُ بِالسَّوِيَّةِ وَلاَ يَعْدِلُ فِي الْقَضِيَّةِ قَالَ سَعْدٌ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لأَدْعُوَنَّ بِثَلاَثٍ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ عَبْدُكَ هَذَا كَاذِبًا قَامَ رِيَاءً وَسُمْعَةً فَأَطِلْ عُمْرَهُ وَأَطِلْ فَقْرَهُ وَعَرِّضْهُ بِالْفِتَنِ وَكَانَ بَعْدُ إِذَا سُئِلَ يَقُولُ شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ مَفْتُونٌ أَصَابَتْنِي دَعْوَةُ سَعْدٍ قَالَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُهُ بَعْدُ قَدْ سَقَطَ حَاجِبَاهُ عَلَى عَيْنَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ وَإِنَّهُ لَيَتَعَرَّضُ لِلْجَوَارِي فِي الطُّرُقِ يَغْمِزُهُنَّ