Explanation of the Hadith of Mu'adh: (Are you a disbeliever, O Mu'adh?)

The listener Yahya Ghazi al-'Anzi from Riyadh sent a question saying: Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) rebuked Mu'adh for his recitation of Surat al-Baqarah and said: , so the *Naqqarun* (those who pick at faults) latched onto this word and did not pay attention to what came before it or what came after it. What is meant by his saying "what came before it and what came after it," and who are the *Naqqarun*? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided the imams to be gentle with the people, saying: . Therefore, it is obligatory for the imam to consider the matter and not make things difficult for the people. The role model is the Prophet (peace be upon him); the role model is the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in all his actions, due to the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) : [Al-Ahzab: 21]. So, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray a moderate prayer that did not involve lengthening that would burden the people.
Therefore, it is obligatory for the imams to follow his example (peace and blessings be upon him) and emulate him in all five prayers, so that they do not cause fitnah (trial/discord) for the people, and so that they do not encourage them to abandon prayer in congregation. If he prays a moderate prayer that does not burden the people, the people will gather and pray in congregation, they will take pleasure in the prayer, and they will advise one another to perform it in the mosques. For this reason, in the other wording: , meaning: those who drive people away from prayer in congregation. . For this reason, he said to Mu'adh: , and he said after that: . This is what came after "May Allah send blessings and peace upon him," and what came before it was: . Then he guided to , and in some narrations , meaning in the middle-length surahs, meaning these surahs and those similar to them, in 'Isha', Zuhr, and 'Asr. As for Fajr, he would recite longer than that. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite in Fajr from Surat al-Tur, and from (Qaf and the Glorious Qur'an), and "The Hour is near," and "The Overwhelming," and the like of them, (peace and blessings be upon him). So in Fajr, it is lengthened somewhat, like (Qaf) and the like. And in Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha', he would recite from the middle-length surahs. And in Maghrib, sometimes from the short surahs, and sometimes he would lengthen it somewhat, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, but the most common practice was with the short surahs. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good and do you good.