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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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The ruling on the order of reciting the surahs of the Qur'an

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I heard that it is obligatory for the one praying to recite from the surahs of the Qur'an in order, for example, not to recite Surat al-Ikhlas and then recite Surat al-Kafirun, but rather the reverse?
Answer: This is better, but it is not obligatory. It is better to follow the order in the mushaf. However, if he reverses it and recites:
Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
[Al-Ikhlas 112:1]
in the first rak'ah and recites in the second:
May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruinedتَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ
[Al-Masad 111:1]
, or:
Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar.إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ
[Al-Kawthar 108:1]
, there is no harm in that. This is because the order was determined by the ijtihad of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and because 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would sometimes place some before others. He might recite the later surah before the earlier one in the two rak'ahs. It is reported that he recited Surat al-Nahl in the first rak'ah and Surat Yusuf in the second, and Yusuf comes before it in the mushaf.
The point is that this order is recommended. If he recites some surahs in prayer or outside of it before the ones that precede them, there is nothing wrong with it and no harm, if Allah wills. But the better and more preferable thing is to follow what the Companions did (may Allah be pleased with them) and to arrange them, reciting a surah or verse and then reciting the surah and verse in the surah that follows it. Except if a boy is learning, he starts with:
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ
[An-Nas 114:1]
, then
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreakقُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ
[Al-Falaq 113:1]
, then with:
Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
[Al-Ikhlas 112:1]
. The teacher teaches him the short surahs first, so there is no harm in that for the sake of teaching, because he starts with the small ones, the short surahs, which are easier for them, so there is no harm in that. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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