the first rak'ah. And on the authority of Abdullah bin Abi Awfa: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to stand in the first rak'ah of the Dhuhr prayer until no sound of a footstep could be heard (17). The hadith of Abu Sa'id (18) was narrated by Ibn Majah, and in the other rak'ah it was about half of that. This is more appropriate, because it agrees with the authentic hadiths. Furthermore, even if we were to assume a contradiction, it would be necessary (19) to prioritize the hadith of Abu Qatadah (20), because it is more authentic and contains an addition, which is the precision of distinguishing between the two rak'ahs. Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said regarding an Imam who lengthens the second [rak'ah]—meaning more than the first: It is said to him, "Learn regarding this." He also said regarding an Imam who shortens the first and lengthens the latter: This is not appropriate; he should be spoken to and ordered [otherwise].

Section: Ahmad (21) said in a narration by Abu Talib and Ishaq bin Ibrahim: There is no harm in [reciting] a surah over two rak'ahs. This is due to what Zayd bin Thabit narrated, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited Al-A'raf in the Maghrib prayer over both rak'ahs (22). [Al-Khallal narrated with his chain of authority from] (23) Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to divide Al-Baqarah over two rak'ahs. [And with his chain of authority from Al-Zuhri, he said: Anas informed me] (24), he said: Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, led us in the Fajr prayer, and he opened with the surah Al-Baqarah, and he recited it in two rak'ahs. When he finished, Umar stood up to him and said: "You almost did not finish until the sun had risen." He replied: "If it had risen, it would have found us not in a state of heedlessness."