Ammar delivered a sermon to us that was brief yet profoundly eloquent. When he descended from the pulpit, we said to him, "Abu al-Yaqzan, you spoke with great eloquence and brevity. If only you had spoken at greater length!"He replied, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'A man's lengthy prayer and short sermon are a sign of his understanding. So lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon, for indeed some eloquent speech is like magic.'"
خطبنا عمار فأوجز وأبلغ، فلما نزل قلنا: يا أبا اليقظان! لقد أبلغت وأوجزت، فلو كنت تنفست! فقال: إني سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: إن طول صلاة الرجل وقصر خطبته مئنة من فقهه. فأطيلوا الصلاة، وأقصروا الخطبة، وإن من البيان لسحرا.
Muslim narrated it in the chapter on Friday (869), by way of Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Malik bin Abjar, from his father, from Wasil bin Hayan, who said, Abu Waail said, and then he related it.His saying, "If only you had taken a breath," means, if only you had extended your speech somewhat. And his saying, "an indication of his understanding," with a hamzah, a short vowel, and a doubled nun, means that this is something by which a man's understanding can be inferred.As for what is reported from Ibn Masud as a raised hadith, "Shortening the sermon and lengthening the prayer is an indication of a man's understanding. So lengthen the prayer and shorten the sermon, for indeed there is a magic in eloquent speech, and there will come after you a people who lengthen their sermons and shorten their prayers," this is daif.Bazzar narrated it (638, in Kashf Astar) through the hadith of Qays bin Rabi, from Amash, from Umara bin Umayr, from Abdul-Rahman bin Yazid, from Abdullah bin Masud, who related the hadith.Qays bin Rabi was declared daif by more than one scholar, and he changed as he grew old, so material that was not originally part of his hadith was introduced to him, and he then narrated it. He was the sole transmitter of this report.Bazzar said, "We do not know of anyone who narrated it this way except Yahya, from Qays."Haythami said, "Bazzar narrated it, and Tabarani narrated part of it as a stopped report in Kabir, and the men of the stopped report are trustworthy. Among the men of Bazzar's report is Qays bin Rabi, whom Shuba and Thawri considered trustworthy, but the people generally declared him daif."