Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) stated, in what he quoted from Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him), that he , one night, meaning on one of the nights. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes prayed with some of his Companions; sometimes he prayed with Hudhayfah, sometimes with Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and sometimes with Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray at night alone, because congregation is not prescribed in the night prayer except in Ramadan. However, there is no harm in establishing a congregation for it occasionally, as in this hadith. He says: He recited the surah in full, so Hudhayfah thought he would bow with it, meaning that when he finished al-Baqarah, he would bow. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) continued and recited al-Imran in full in one rak'ah. He recited in a measured manner, not in a hurry. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) combined recitation with dhikr, with du'a, and with reflection. For the one who asks when there is a request, seeks refuge when there is a warning, and glorifies when there is glorification, undoubtedly he is contemplating his recitation and reflecting on it. Thus, this standing becomes a garden among the gardens of dhikr: recitation, glorification, du'a, and reflection. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not bow for these three surahs—al-Baqarah, al-Nisa, and al-Imran—which are more than five parts, five and a quarter parts. So reflect: if a person recites them in a measured manner, seeks refuge at the verse of warning, asks at the verse of mercy, and glorifies at the verse of glorification, how long would the duration be? Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand until his feet swelled and cracked. Ibn Mas'ud, who was young, when he prayed with him one night, says: He was unable to endure it due to the length of the standing. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed after completing the three surahs. And so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray, making the prayer proportional. If he lengthened the standing, he lengthened the bowing, the prostration, the standing after the bowing, and the sitting between the two prostrations. And if he shortened the recitation, he shortened the bowing, the prostration, and the standing, so that the prayer would be proportional. This was his practice (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) in the obligatory prayer and in the voluntary prayer as well. He used to make his prayer proportional. So in this hadith, there are several benefits:
The first benefit, which is the reason the author cited the hadith, is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the work of a mujahid who strives himself in obedience. For he performed this arduous work entirely seeking the Face of Allah and His pleasure, as Allah the Exalted said in describing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions: “You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure.”
And among the benefits is the permissibility of congregational prayer in the night prayer, the permissibility of establishing a congregation in the night prayer. But this is not constant; it is done occasionally in other than Ramadan. As for Ramadan, it is a sunnah that the people stand in congregation.
And among the benefits is that it is recommended for a person in the night prayer, when he passes a verse of mercy, to ask; he should stop and ask. For example, if he passes a mention of Paradise, he stops and says: “O Allah, I ask You to make me among its people. O Allah, I ask You for Paradise.” If he passes a verse of warning, he stops and says: “I seek refuge in Allah from that. I seek refuge in Allah from the Fire.” If he passes a verse of glorification, meaning the exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), he stops and glorifies Allah and exalts Him. This is in the night prayer. In the obligatory prayer, there is no harm in doing this, but it is not a sunnah. If he does it, he is not forbidden from it, and if he leaves it, he is not commanded to do it. Unlike the night prayer, where it is better to do so: to seek refuge at the verse of warning, to ask at the verse of mercy, and to glorify at the verse of glorification.
And among the benefits of this hadith is the permissibility of placing some surahs before others. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed al-Nisa before al-Imran, whereas the order is that al-Imran comes before al-Nisa. But this, may Allah know best, was before the final period. In the final period, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to place al-Imran before al-Nisa. Therefore, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) arranged it in this order, meaning that al-Imran comes before al-Nisa. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pair al-Baqarah with al-Imran, like his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): or or . So the important point is that the order, in the end, was placing al-Imran before al-Nisa.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to glorify and repeat the glorification. For Hudhayfah said: “He says: Glory to my Lord, the Supreme”, and he mentioned that he lengthened it. And he said: “Glory to my Lord, the Most High”, and he mentioned that he lengthened it, and he did not mention anything else. This indicates that however much you repeat the glorification in the bowing and prostration, it is a sunnah. But with this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say in his bowing and prostration, and he used to frequent this saying: And he also used to say: So whatever dhikr and du'a is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it is recommended for a person to say it in his prayer. We ask Allah the Exalted to grant us and you the following of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in appearance and in reality, and to take care of us and you in this world and the Hereafter. Indeed, He is Generous and Noble.