Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْحَنَفِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا الضَّحَّاكُ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ بُكَيْرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْأَشَجِّ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا أَشْبَهَ صَلَاةً بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ فُلَانٍ لِإِمَامٍ كَانَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ يَسَارٍ فَصَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَهُ فَكَانَ يُطِيلُ الْأُولَيَيْنِ مِنْ الظُّهْرِ وَيُخَفِّفُ الْأُخْرَيَيْنِ وَيُخَفِّفُ الْعَصْرَ وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الْأُولَيَيْنِ مِنْ الْمَغْرِبِ بِقِصَارِ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الْأُولَيَيْنِ مِنْ الْعِشَاءِ مِنْ وَسَطِ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الْغَدَاةِ بِطُوَالِ الْمُفَصَّلِ قَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ وَحَدَّثَنِي مَنْ سَمِعَ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ يَقُولُ مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا أَشْبَهَ صَلَاةً بِصَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ هَذَا الْفَتَى يَعْنِي عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ قَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ فَصَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ وَكَانَ يَصْنَعُ مِثْلَ مَا قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ يَسَارٍ.
English Translation
Abu Hurayrah said: "I have not seen anyone whose prayer more closely resembled that of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) than so-and-so" - referring to an imam in Madinah. Sulayman ibn Yasar said: "I prayed behind him, and he would lengthen the first two rak'ahs of Dhuhr and shorten the last two, shorten Asr, recite short surahs of al-Mufassal in the first two rak'ahs of Maghrib, recite medium-length surahs of al-Mufassal in the first two rak'ahs of Isha, and recite long surahs of al-Mufassal in the Fajr prayer." Al-Dahhak said: "Someone who heard Anas ibn Malik told me that he said: 'I have not seen anyone whose prayer more closely resembled that of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) than this young man' - meaning Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz." Al-Dahhak said: "I prayed behind Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and he did the same as what Sulayman ibn Yasar described."