Is it permissible to split surahs in the loud prayers?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah.
Your Eminence, is it permissible to split surahs during the loud prayers?
The Shaykh : In what sense?
The questioner : For example, I read from Surat al-Hadid, starting with Surat al-Hadid, for instance, I read ten verses or five verses, then I bowed in that rak'ah. In the second rak'ah, I completed the five verses, or I read, for example, from Surat al-Hashr, from the middle of Surat al-Hashr, for instance, five verses, and in the second rak'ah I read five verses. Is that permissible?
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning he asks, saying: Is it permissible for the one praying to read verses from a surah, whether from its beginning, its middle, or its end?
And the answer is yes, it is permissible for the one praying to read a complete surah or part of a surah, whether that part is from its beginning, its middle, or its end, due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Muzzammil 73:20].
And the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 397a But it is better to read a complete surah, because this is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) guided Mu'adh ibn Jabal to when he said to him: and the like.
Therefore, the scholars said that it is recommended to read a surah that is from the long ones of the final section in Fajr, from the short ones in Maghrib, and from the medium ones in the rest.
The long ones of the final section are from Qaf to 'Amma, the short ones are from al-Duha to the end of the Qur'an, and the medium ones are from 'Amma to al-Duha. This is what is better.
And if he reads from the long ones in Maghrib sometimes, that is from the Sunnah, because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he read in it with al-Tur, and he read in it with al-Mursalat, and he read in it with Surat al-A'raf. But the norm, meaning it should be that his reading is mostly as we described: in Fajr from the long ones of the final section, in Maghrib from the short ones, and in the rest from the medium ones.
And if he reads verses from a surah, there is no blame on him, because it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) read in the two rak'ahs of Fajr:[Al-Baqarah 2:136] the verse, and in the second rak'ah: [Ali 'Imran 3:64] the verse. But for a person not to read from surahs except rarely, as is found with some imams, some imams you hardly hear them read a surah, but they always read verses from a surah, and this is undoubtedly contrary to the Sunnah. Yes.
Your Eminence, is it permissible to split surahs during the loud prayers?
The Shaykh : In what sense?
The questioner : For example, I read from Surat al-Hadid, starting with Surat al-Hadid, for instance, I read ten verses or five verses, then I bowed in that rak'ah. In the second rak'ah, I completed the five verses, or I read, for example, from Surat al-Hashr, from the middle of Surat al-Hashr, for instance, five verses, and in the second rak'ah I read five verses. Is that permissible?
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning he asks, saying: Is it permissible for the one praying to read verses from a surah, whether from its beginning, its middle, or its end?
And the answer is yes, it is permissible for the one praying to read a complete surah or part of a surah, whether that part is from its beginning, its middle, or its end, due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
so recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an
فاقرؤوا ما تيسر من القرآنAnd the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
recite whatever you conveniently can from the Qur'an
اقرأ ما تيسر معك من القرآنWhy don't you read with al-Shams wa Duhaha and al-Layl idha Yaghsha and Subh Asma Rabbika al-A'la
هلّا قرأت بالشمس وضحاها والليل إذا يغشى سبح اسم ربك الأعلىTherefore, the scholars said that it is recommended to read a surah that is from the long ones of the final section in Fajr, from the short ones in Maghrib, and from the medium ones in the rest.
The long ones of the final section are from Qaf to 'Amma, the short ones are from al-Duha to the end of the Qur'an, and the medium ones are from 'Amma to al-Duha. This is what is better.
And if he reads from the long ones in Maghrib sometimes, that is from the Sunnah, because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he read in it with al-Tur, and he read in it with al-Mursalat, and he read in it with Surat al-A'raf. But the norm, meaning it should be that his reading is mostly as we described: in Fajr from the long ones of the final section, in Maghrib from the short ones, and in the rest from the medium ones.
And if he reads verses from a surah, there is no blame on him, because it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) read in the two rak'ahs of Fajr: