Does the imam’s consistent recitation of long surahs and short surahs in the second rak'ah fall within the scope of bid'ah (religious innovation)?

The questioner:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner says: We have an imam in the congregational prayer who commits to reciting from the long surahs of the mushaf, such as al-Baqarah and al-Imran, in the first rak'ah, and from the short surahs in the second rak'ah. He adheres to this method in every prayer. The question is: Does his adherence to this fall within the scope of bid'ah (religious innovation)?

The Shaykh:
Yes, if he commits to this and persists in it, it falls within the scope of bid'ah (religious innovation), because the one who hears it assumes that this is prescribed (mashru') since he persists in it, and thus assumes that it is prescribed. This is a matter in which it is not permissible to persist in something for which there is no evidence (dalil) for persisting in it. Yes.

The presenter:
In the name of Allah, peace be upon you.

The Shaykh:
Also, the fact that he cuts off the Qur'an—reading from al-Baqarah and then reading from another surah—the first and most appropriate thing is to follow the verses consecutively. So if he reads the first verses, he should read the verses following them from the same surah. Yes.