Is there any legal objection if the imam reads the Qur'an in the Fajr or 'Isha' prayer in a continuous sequence, starting from al-Baqarah to the end of the Qur'an, with the intention that
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The questioner : Is there any legal objection if the imam reads the Qur'an in the Fajr or 'Isha' prayer in a continuous sequence, starting from al-Baqarah to the end of the Qur'an, with the intention that he review the Qur'an and let the worshippers hear it over the course of the year, knowing that he is careful to read the prostration verses and the human (al-Insan) on Friday Fajr, and sometimes reads from Part 'Am in 'Isha' to fulfill the Sunnah?
The Shaykh : I do not see this as appropriate, because this was not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor from his Companions. There is no doubt that this imam is not more eager than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to have the people hear the entire Qur'an. Also, do the people praying with him pray with him every day from the beginning of the Qur'an to its end?
The general rule or the established fact is no. One of them might pray in this mosque today and in another mosque the next day, and so on, so the entire Qur'an is not heard by everyone.
In any case, I see that the imam should not do this. If the intention is worship, it becomes a religious innovation (bid'ah), because bid'ah is worshipping Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions did not do. It is sufficient for our brothers to read as the Sunnah has come.
Then there is another matter that some imams have become accustomed to, where you find him always reading from the middle or the end of the surahs. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says in Zad al-Ma'ad: that this was not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, a person should read from al-Mufassal, because of the comfort it provides to the worshippers, and because if al-Mufassal is repeated to the people, they may memorize it, since its surahs are short and its verses are generally short. If it is repeated to the worshippers, they will memorize it. For this reason, you will find that many of the common people memorize much of al-Mufassal through the imam's recitation of it.
Then, if the imam reads from the middle of a surah, especially the long surahs, it may cause confusion for the one who has memorized the Qur'an. Because if he starts the verse from the middle of the surah, let us say from the middle of al-Baqarah, the person will wonder how long he has been reading, whether he will complete al-Baqarah and read a part or more, or whether he will read a few verses and stop.
So the listener who has memorized the Qur'an remains in confusion with himself about when to bow and when it will end. Therefore, I see that our brother imams should pay attention to this issue, and strive to read from al-Mufassal, which starts with Qaf and ends with the surah al-Nas. He should read from the long surahs of al-Mufassal in Fajr, from the short ones in Maghrib generally, and from the middle ones in the rest. The scholars said: "Its long surahs are from Qaf to 'Am, its short surahs are from al-Duha to al-Nas, and its middle surahs are from 'Am to al-Duha".
The Shaykh : I do not see this as appropriate, because this was not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor from his Companions. There is no doubt that this imam is not more eager than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to have the people hear the entire Qur'an. Also, do the people praying with him pray with him every day from the beginning of the Qur'an to its end?
The general rule or the established fact is no. One of them might pray in this mosque today and in another mosque the next day, and so on, so the entire Qur'an is not heard by everyone.
In any case, I see that the imam should not do this. If the intention is worship, it becomes a religious innovation (bid'ah), because bid'ah is worshipping Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions did not do. It is sufficient for our brothers to read as the Sunnah has come.
Then there is another matter that some imams have become accustomed to, where you find him always reading from the middle or the end of the surahs. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says in Zad al-Ma'ad: that this was not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, a person should read from al-Mufassal, because of the comfort it provides to the worshippers, and because if al-Mufassal is repeated to the people, they may memorize it, since its surahs are short and its verses are generally short. If it is repeated to the worshippers, they will memorize it. For this reason, you will find that many of the common people memorize much of al-Mufassal through the imam's recitation of it.
Then, if the imam reads from the middle of a surah, especially the long surahs, it may cause confusion for the one who has memorized the Qur'an. Because if he starts the verse from the middle of the surah, let us say from the middle of al-Baqarah, the person will wonder how long he has been reading, whether he will complete al-Baqarah and read a part or more, or whether he will read a few verses and stop.
So the listener who has memorized the Qur'an remains in confusion with himself about when to bow and when it will end. Therefore, I see that our brother imams should pay attention to this issue, and strive to read from al-Mufassal, which starts with Qaf and ends with the surah al-Nas. He should read from the long surahs of al-Mufassal in Fajr, from the short ones in Maghrib generally, and from the middle ones in the rest. The scholars said: "Its long surahs are from Qaf to 'Am, its short surahs are from al-Duha to al-Nas, and its middle surahs are from 'Am to al-Duha".