Ruling on Resuming the Seeking of Refuge and the Basmalah When Interrupting the Recitation of the Qur'an for Supplication

The second question in the letter of our brother Muhammad Bakri states: I recite the Qur'an, praise be to Allah, and when I reach the descriptions of the believers, I supplicate to Allah to make me among them. And when I reach the descriptions of the disbelievers and hypocrites and their end, I seek refuge in Allah that He not make me among them. So, after the supplication, am I required to recite the Basmalah again, or do I continue the recitation without it? And is it permissible to interrupt the recitation for supplication? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
Answer: This is permissible. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did this. It is said that in his night prayer, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him, when he passed by verses of warning, he would seek refuge, and when he passed by verses of mercy, he would ask his Lord for mercy. So there is no harm in this; rather, this is recommended in the night prayer and in the recitation during the day outside of prayer. All of this is recommended. You are not required to repeat the Basmalah or the seeking of refuge. Rather, you make this supplication and then proceed with the recitation without the need to repeat the seeking of refuge or the Basmalah. And this is all if you are praying alone in a voluntary prayer. As for if you are in an obligatory prayer, it is not established that he (peace and blessings be upon him) did this in the obligatory prayer. Likewise, if you are with an imam, you listen to your imam and do not make these supplications while the imam is reciting. Rather, you listen and pay attention in the loud prayers. As for in the quiet prayers, you recite al-Fatihah and whatever is easy for you with it, without these supplications that are made in voluntary prayers. This is because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do this in the obligatory prayer. And perhaps the reason for that, and Allah knows best, is to make things easy for the people and not to prolong it for them. Because if he supplicated at every verse containing mercy and sought refuge at every verse containing warning, the prayer might become long, and it might be difficult for the people. So it was from the mercy of Allah, and from His kindness to His servants, and from His gentleness with them, that He legislated not doing that in the obligatory prayer, so that the recitation would be continuous and so that the recitation would not be prolonged for the people. As for in voluntary prayers, in the night prayer, the Duha prayer, and other voluntary prayers, there is no harm; the matter is broad in them. Yes.