and recited aloud in it. Al-Tirmidhi (13) said: This is a hasan sahih (good and authentic) hadith. This is because it is a nafilah (supererogatory) prayer for which congregational prayer has been legislated; thus, reciting aloud is among its sunnahs, like the prayers for rain (istisqa'), the two 'Eids, and the tarawih prayers. As for the statement of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, "I estimated his recitation," there is debate regarding its chain of narration because it is from the narration of Ibn Ishaq. It is also possible that she heard his voice but did not understand the words due to the distance, or that he recited portions other than the beginning of the Quran, equivalent in length to Surat al-Baqarah. Furthermore, our hadith is authentic and explicit, so how could it be contradicted by something like this? As for the hadith of Samurah, it is possible that he did not hear him due to the distance, for in his hadith it says, "I was pushed into the mosque, and it was bi-azz (14)," meaning packed with a crowd. Al-Khattabi mentioned this (15). One who is in such a state cannot reach a place from which he can hear. Moreover, this is a negation that could be attributed to many reasons, so how could an authentic, explicit hadith be abandoned for its sake! Their analogy is invalidated by the Friday prayer, the two 'Eids, and the prayer for rain; analogizing this prayer to these prayers is more appropriate than analogizing it to the Dhuhr prayer, due to the distance between them and its resemblance to these. As for the proof regarding the description of the prayer, Aisha narrated, saying: The sun eclipsed during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went out to the mosque, stood up, pronounced the takbir, and the people formed rows behind him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then recited a long recitation, then pronounced the takbir and bowed a long bowing, then raised his head, saying: "Allah hears those who praise Him; our Lord, and to You be the praise."