Brevity in Preaching

Shaqiq bin Salamah reported:
Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) used to preach to us once every Thursday. A man said to him: "O Abu 'Abdur-Rahman, we love your talk and we wish that you preach us every day." He said: "There is nothing to prevent me from doing so, but I don't lest I bore you. I follow the same method in preaching to you that Messenger of Allah ﷺ adopted in preaching to us for fear of boredom."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

عن أبى وائل شقيق بن سلمة قال: كان ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه يذكرنا في كل خميس، فقال له رجل: يا أبا عبد الرحمن، لوددت أنك ذكرتنا كل يوم، فقال: أما إنه يمنعني من ذلك أني أكره أن أملكم وإني أتخولكم بالموعظة، كما كان رسول الله ﷺ يتخولنا بها مخافة السآمة علينا. ((متفق عليه)) .

'Ammar bin Yasir (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "Prolonging Salat (prayer) and shortening the Khutbah (religious talk) indicate the religious knowledge of the person. Make your Salat long and your sermon short."

[Muslim].

وعن أبى اليقظان عمار بن ياسر رضي الله عنهما قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "إن طول صلاة الرجل، وقصر خطبته، مئنة من فقهه، فأطيلوا الصلاة، وأقصروا الخطبة" ((رواه مسلم)).

Mu'awiyah bin Al-Hakam As-Sulami (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
While I was in Salat with Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man in the congregation sneezed and I responded with: 'Yarhamuk-Allah (Allah have mercy on you).' The people stared at me with disapproving looks. So I said: "May my mother lose me. Why are you staring at me?" Thereupon, they began to strike their thighs with their hands. When I saw them urging to me to remain silent, I became angry but restrained myself. When Messenger of Allah ﷺ concluded his Salat. I have never before seen an instructor who gave better instruction than he, may my father and mother be sacrificed for him. He neither remonstrated me, nor beat me, nor abused me. He simply said,"It is not permissible to talk during Salat because it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring His Greatness as well as recitation of the Qur'an," or he said words to that effect." I said: "O Allah's Messenger, I have but recently accepted Islam, and Allah has favoured us with Islam. There are still some people among us who go to consult soothsayers." He said, "Do not consult them." Then I said: "There are some of us who are guided by omens." He said, "These things which come to their minds. They should not be influenced by them."

[Muslim].

وعن معاوية بن الحكم السلمي رضي الله عنه قال: "بينا أنا أصلي مع رسول الله ﷺ ، إذا عطس رجل من القوم فقلت: يرحمك الله، فرماني القوم بأبصارهم ! فقلت: واثكل أمياه ! ما شأنكم تنظرون إلى؟ فجعلوا يضربون بأيديهم على أفخاذهم ! فلما رأيتهم يصمتونني لكنى سكت. فلما صلى رسول الله ﷺ، فبأبي هو وأمي، ما رأيت معلما قبله ولا بعده أحسن تعليماً منه، فوالله ما كهرني ولا ضربني ولا شتمني، قال: "إن هذه الصلاة لا يصلح فيها شئ من كلام الناس، إنما هى التسبيح والتكبير، وقراءة القرآن" أو كما قال رسول الله ﷺ قلت: يا رسول الله، إنى حديث عهد بجاهلية، وقد جاء الله بالإسلام، وإن منا رجالً يأتون الكهان؟ قال: "فلا تأتهم، قلت: ومنا رجال يتطيرون؟ قال: ذاك شئ يجدونه في صدورهم، فلا يصدهم" ((رواه مسلم)).