Abu Wa'il (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once Hazrat Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered to us an extremely eloquent and concise sermon. When he descended from the pulpit, we said, "O Abu al-Yaqzan! You delivered a very eloquent and concise sermon; if you had taken a breath in between (and spoken at greater length, it would have been excellent)." He replied, "I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'A person's long prayer and short sermon are signs of his understanding. Therefore, make the prayer long and the sermon short, for some speech has the effect of magic.'"