Among the beauties of the Prophetic biography.
The shortened prayer.
His worship was lengthy and profound.
It was adorned with warm devotion.
And made pleasant by constant humility.
And yet,
whenever people prayed with him,
he would be considerate of their weak,
merciful to their young,
and mindful of the situation of their women.
Anas Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"I enter the prayer intending to prolong it,
but then I hear the crying of a child,
so I shorten my prayer,
knowing the distress the mother feels due to his crying."
Herein lies a marvelous mercy,
and a consideration for the interests of the people,
and a lightening of the burden upon women,
and the validity of their attending congregational prayer with their young children,
and the compassion of a shepherd for his flock.
In another hadith:
"Indeed, among you are those who drive people away;
so whoever among you leads the people in prayer,
let him shorten it,
for among them are the weak, the elderly, and those with needs."
Thus, this prayer, which was so exalted in the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
and which was the delight of his eyes,
would see the rule of prolongation set aside,
out of mercy and compassion for the woman and her child.
What character that is!
And what religion compares to ours in its greatness and mercy?
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds. ﴿
He commanded the Imams to consider the circumstances of the people and their needs,
whether due to weakness, illness, or necessity.
And the urgency of those with needs,
calls upon you to recognize all the meanings of majesty and reverence for this upright religion,
and this blessed Sharia,
which came to benefit people, not to harm them.
Just as prayers are beloved to the Imams,
as is the recitation of the Qur'an within them and beautifying it,
one must remember that people have occupations and burdens,
which require us to exercise wisdom in the performance of those acts of worship.
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And He has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty. ﴿
And peace.
Among the beauties of the Prophetic biography.