Reciting a surah after al-Fatihah and explaining the long, medium, and short surahs of the final section of the Qur'an.

The Shaykh : Then, after al-Fatihah, one recites a surah. In the Fajr prayer, it is from the long surahs of the final section; in the Maghrib prayer, it is from the short surahs of the final section; and in the remaining prayers, it is from the medium surahs of the final section. This is the general practice. So what is the final section? The final section is from the surah to the end of the Qur'an. It is called the final section because of the abundance of its endings. Its long surahs are from to 'Amma, its medium surahs are from 'Amma to al-Duha, and its short surahs are from al-Duha to the end of the Qur'an. Thus, recitation in the Fajr prayer is from the long surahs of the final section, in the Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha' prayers from the medium surahs of the final section, and in the Maghrib prayer from the short surahs of the final section. It is a recommended practice in the Maghrib prayer to occasionally recite from the long surahs of the final section, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did. It is established that he recited in it with al-Tur, and it is established that he recited in it with al-Mursalat. He also recited in it with the surah al-A'raf. Therefore, reciting from the long surahs of the final section in the Maghrib prayer occasionally is a recommended practice due to the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).