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lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon
Abu Wa'il reported:
'Ammar delivered to us the sermon. It was short and eloquent. When he (Ammir) descended (from the pulpit) we said to him: 0 Abd al-Yaqzn, you have delivered a short and eloquent sermon. Would that you had lengthened (the sermon). He said: I have heard the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying: The lengthening of prayer by a man and the shortness of the sermon is the sign of his understanding. So lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon, for there is charm (in precise) expression.
The Islamic methodology is based on easiness and warding off the hardship. If anyone adopted extremism or tried to overburden himself or to cause the people to be in hardship, he will be overwhelmed by the tolerance and moderation of Islam.
The religion of Islam is the easiness itself - as this indicated in this Hadith – through its approach, Islam overcome all the extremists or those who overburden themselves with the deeds which they can not afford.
The preachers should put this commandment before their eyes to avoid the burden of excesses, which causes hardship to the sick, the elderly, those who have errands to do or those who will travel.
The Friday sermon precedes the prayer. People wait for it in a state of ablution, the disable ones can not wait for long time, especially in case of overcrowding, some patients can not still for a long time without answering the call of nature or at least passing wind. Yet, they will not be able to renew the ablution, then what to do?! Whereas the preacher goes on in his sermon, moving from one subject to another subject, and forgetting these patients, people with needs, and those who sit in the sun. This preacher really committed injustice against these people!
It is clear that he wronged and violated the Prophetic Sunnah. Moreover, he cause people to dislike the prayer and the sermon, this really happens and we may see some people leaving the mosque during the Friday sermon because of the extended sermon.
I call upon all the preachers to follow this prophetic tradition, and to choose the words which are easy and perceivable to the minds of people of the different classes.
The preacher shall plan his sermon properly; he shall choose the subject which he wants to cover so that the elements may not exceed it. He shall be keen on attracting the peoples` minds to the topic. The preacher must support his sayings with the Qur'anic verses and the Hadiths of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Speech is an art based on attracting the emotions and feelings of people, the choice of what suits them, and the exploration of the times when they are more attentive and receptive to what is said to them.
