Reciting a soorah after al-Faatihah in the third & fourth rak’ah

Reference: Fataawa Manaar al-Islaam – Volume 1, Page 166, Question No.136

Question: During the prayers which consist of three and four raka’aat (i.e. the Zhuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Ishaa. prayers), is it permissible to recite anything from the Qur.aan after having recited [Soorah] al-Faatihah during the raka’aat (i.e. the third and fourth) following the first tashahhud?

Response: That which is correct during the prayers which have three and four raka’aat is to recite [Soorah] al-Faatihah and to follow it with a Soorah in the first two rak’ah’s [only]. And there is no harm in reciting more than [Soorah] al-Faatihah during the Zhuhr and ‘Asr prayers sometimes, but not always. So if he were to read more than [just Soorah] al-Faatihah in [the third and fourth raka’aat of the] Zhuhr and ‘Asr [prayers], then there is no harm in this, whilst it is preferred to mostly not read anything after [Soorah] al-Faatihah after the first tashahhud (i.e in the third and fourth raka’aat).

And Allaah is the Expounder of All Success.

- from London, UK. He is a graduate of the Islaamic University of Madeenah, having graduated from the Institute of Arabic Language, and later the Faculty of Sharee'ah in 2004.

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