What is the ruling on reversing the order of surahs when reciting the Qur'an in prayer?

Question:
What is the ruling on reversing the order of surahs, such as reciting the end of Surah Al Imran in the first rak'ah and the end of Surah al-Baqarah in the second rak'ah?

Answer:
There is no harm in this; because the ordering of the surahs is a matter of independent legal reasoning and a recommended practice. So if one recites the end of Surah Al Imran in the first rak'ah and the end of Surah al-Baqarah in the second, there is no harm. However, it is better to do the opposite: to recite Surah al-Baqarah in the first and Surah Al Imran in the second. Likewise, if one recites [Al-Ikhlas] in the first and recites [Al-Masad] in the second, there is no harm, but it is better to do the opposite. It is better to place what was placed first in the Qur'an first, and what was placed last in the second, this is the best, according to the order of the mushaf, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) arranged it through their independent legal reasoning.