What is preferable for the imam to recite in every rak'ah: a complete surah or a part of a surah?
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Question:
He says: What is preferable in prayer for the imam, to recite a complete surah, or to recite a part of a surah in every rak'ah?
Answer:
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) in *Zad al-Ma'ad* states that it was the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he would either recite a surah in every rak'ah, or divide a surah between the two rak'ahs. He would recite a distinct surah in every rak'ah, or divide a surah between the two rak'ahs. This is the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Or he would start from the beginning of the surah, but it is not obligatory for him to complete it; he would recite from it and stop in the middle. There is no harm in that, but starting from the end of it is not from the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
And he would not start from the middle of it and take from the middle of it, except for the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite in the first rak'ah from Surat al-Baqarah, the words of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:136] and in the second: [Ali 'Imran 3:64] because the first is about the oneness of lordship and the second is about the oneness of worship. This is how he would recite in a surah in the two rak'ahs of Fajr, meaning the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr. And they are from the middle of the surah. This is specific to the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr. This is how the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did it. Yes.
He says: What is preferable in prayer for the imam, to recite a complete surah, or to recite a part of a surah in every rak'ah?
Answer:
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) in *Zad al-Ma'ad* states that it was the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he would either recite a surah in every rak'ah, or divide a surah between the two rak'ahs. He would recite a distinct surah in every rak'ah, or divide a surah between the two rak'ahs. This is the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Or he would start from the beginning of the surah, but it is not obligatory for him to complete it; he would recite from it and stop in the middle. There is no harm in that, but starting from the end of it is not from the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
And he would not start from the middle of it and take from the middle of it, except for the regular voluntary prayer of Fajr. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite in the first rak'ah from Surat al-Baqarah, the words of Allah the Exalted:
Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham
قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَSay, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا إِلَىٰ كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما الأفضل أن يقرأ الإمام في كل ركعة سورة كاملة أم جزء من سورة؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.