11. Commencement of the Prayer
١١۔ كتاب الافتتاح
"We entered upon Anas bin Malik and he said: 'Have you prayed?' We said: 'Yes.' He asid: 'O slave girl, bring me water for Wudhu! I have never prayed behind any Imam whose prayer more closely resembles the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ than this Imam of yours.'" Zaid said: "Umar bin Abdul Aziz used to complete the bowing and prostration (without rushing) and lighten the standing and sitting."
يَا جَارِيَةُ هَلُمِّي لِي وَضُوءًا مَا صَلَّيْتُ وَرَاءَ إِمَامٍ أَشْبَهَ صَلاَةً بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ إِمَامِكُمْ هَذَا قَالَ زَيْدٌ وَكَانَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ يُتِمُّ الرُّكُوعَ وَالسُّجُودَ وَيُخَفِّفُ الْقِيَامَ وَالْقُعُودَ
"I have never prayed behind anyone whose prayer more closely resembled that of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ than so-and-so." (The narrator) Sulaiman siad: "He used to make the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr lengthy and the last two shorter, and he would make 'Asr shorter; in Maghrib he would recite the short Mufassal surahs, in Isha' the medium-length Mufassal surahs and in Subh the long Mufassal surahs.
مَا صَلَّيْتُ وَرَاءَ أَحَدٍ أَشْبَهَ صَلاَةً بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ فُلاَنٍ قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ كَانَ يُطِيلُ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ الأُولَيَيْنِ مِنَ الظُّهْرِ وَيُخَفِّفُ الأُخْرَيَيْنِ وَيُخَفِّفُ الْعَصْرَ وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الْمَغْرِبِ بِقِصَارِ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الْعِشَاءِ بِوَسَطِ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الصُّبْحِ بِطُوَلِ الْمُفَصَّلِ