English translation
1354. It was narrated that Ghudaif bin Hārith said: "I came to 'Aishah and asked: 'Did the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ recite Qur'ān loudly or softly?' She said: 'Sometimes he would recite loud and sometimes softly.' I said, 'Allāhu Akbar! Praise is to Allāh [1] Some of them say that it is to elongate the pronunciation of the letter preceding a 'weak' letter, i.e., Alif, Waw, and Yā. So he elongates the Lām before the Hā in the majestic name Allāh, the Mīm before the Nūn in the name Ar-Rahmān, and the Hā before the Yā in Ar-Rahīm. This is the interpretation Ibn Hajar chose in Fathul-Bārī (no. 5045). Others said it means to elongate the 'weak' letters appropriately. Others said that it refers to those letters that are customarily elongated (this is the most popular view), and others add that it refers to raising and lowering the voice as well. See explanation by Sindī on Ibn Mājah, An-Nisā'ī, and Awunul-Ma'bud. Who has made this matter one of broad scope.” (Hasan)