The Sunnah regarding the surahs recited in voluntary prayers
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you well. The author of this letter says: In the regular voluntary prayers and other voluntary prayers, I always recite Surat al-Kafirun and Surat al-Ikhlas after al-Fatihah, and sometimes I recite the Verse of the Throne. Then I recite Surat al-Kafirun in the first rak'ah, and then I recite Surat al-Ikhlas in the second rak'ah. Is my action correct? Please guide us, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The specific recitation of Surat al-Kafirun and Surat al-Ikhlas in voluntary prayers is only reported in two voluntary prayers. The first is the regular voluntary prayer after Fajr. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would sometimes recite al-Kafirun in the first rak'ah and al-Ikhlas in the second, and sometimes he would recite[Al-Baqarah 2:136] in the first and [Ali 'Imran 3:64] in the second.
The second voluntary prayer in which al-Kafirun and al-Ikhlas are recited is the two rak'ahs of tawaf, the two rak'ahs performed after tawaf. As for other voluntary prayers, it is not reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified these two surahs or these two verses from al-Baqarah and Aal 'Imran in them. Does one recite whatever is easy for him from the Qur'an, whether al-Kafirun and al-Ikhlas or otherwise?
One is not restricted to specifying a certain surah or a certain verse except by evidence, and the evidence is not reported except in these two voluntary prayers: the regular prayer after Fajr and the sunnah of tawaf.
The scholars said that the wisdom behind reciting these two surahs, Surat Qul ya ayyuha al-kafirun and Surat al-Ikhlas, is that they contain a type of theoretical and practical tawhid. The theoretical tawhid is in Surat al-Ikhlas:[Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4] This is the attribute of the Most Merciful (Glorified and Exalted is He), and it is from the theoretical, narrative tawhid, tawhid al-rububiyyah. And Qul ya ayyuha al-kafirun is in the practical tawhid, which is tawhid al-'ibadah. And ya ayyuha al-kafirun [Al-Kafirun 109:2-3] to the end of the surah is in tawhid al-'ibadah, which is tawhid al-uluhiyyah. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified these two surahs because they include the two types of theoretical and practical tawhid, so that the Muslim remembers his creed and purifies his worship for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
Likewise, in the verse from al-Baqarah:[Al-Baqarah 2:136] This is in theoretical tawhid, tawhid al-rububiyyah. And His saying (the Exalted): [Ali 'Imran 3:64] contains practical tawhid, tawhid al-'ibadah and al-uluhiyyah. Yes.
May Allah reward you with good and do you well. The author of this letter says: In the regular voluntary prayers and other voluntary prayers, I always recite Surat al-Kafirun and Surat al-Ikhlas after al-Fatihah, and sometimes I recite the Verse of the Throne. Then I recite Surat al-Kafirun in the first rak'ah, and then I recite Surat al-Ikhlas in the second rak'ah. Is my action correct? Please guide us, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The specific recitation of Surat al-Kafirun and Surat al-Ikhlas in voluntary prayers is only reported in two voluntary prayers. The first is the regular voluntary prayer after Fajr. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would sometimes recite al-Kafirun in the first rak'ah and al-Ikhlas in the second, and sometimes he would recite
Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us
قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَاSay, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا إِلَىٰ كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْThe second voluntary prayer in which al-Kafirun and al-Ikhlas are recited is the two rak'ahs of tawaf, the two rak'ahs performed after tawaf. As for other voluntary prayers, it is not reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified these two surahs or these two verses from al-Baqarah and Aal 'Imran in them. Does one recite whatever is easy for him from the Qur'an, whether al-Kafirun and al-Ikhlas or otherwise?
One is not restricted to specifying a certain surah or a certain verse except by evidence, and the evidence is not reported except in these two voluntary prayers: the regular prayer after Fajr and the sunnah of tawaf.
The scholars said that the wisdom behind reciting these two surahs, Surat Qul ya ayyuha al-kafirun and Surat al-Ikhlas, is that they contain a type of theoretical and practical tawhid. The theoretical tawhid is in Surat al-Ikhlas:
(1) Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One, (2) Allah, the Eternal Refuge. (3) He neither begets nor is born, (4) Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ(2) I do not worship what you worship. (3) Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.
لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ وَلَا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُLikewise, in the verse from al-Baqarah:
Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to
قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَىٰSay, "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»، 4185- السنة فيما يقرأ من السور في النوافل - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.