Question:
Assalamualaikum SS Dato’ Seri Mufti. What is the ruling of reciting the same surah after al-Fatihah in the first two rakaat of prayer?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt. wbt.
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Basically, reciting surah after al-Fatihah is sunnah even if it is a short surah. It is sunnah to recite surah in the first two rakaat. Whether the prayer is jahriyyah or sirriyah. As for the makmum, it is not sunnah to recite the surah, but encouraged to listen to the recitation of surah by the imam. (See al-Iqna’ fi Hal Alfaz Abi Syuja’, 1/142)
Answering the above question, in a hadith narrated by Mu’az bin Abdillah al-Juhaniy, a man from Juhainah told him:
أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : يَقْرَأُ فِي الصُّبْحِ ( إِذَا زُلْزِلَتْ الْأَرْضُ ) فِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ كِلْتَيْهِمَا ، فَلَا أَدْرِي أَنَسِيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمْ قَرَأَ ذَلِكَ عَمْدًا
“He had heard the Prophet (ﷺ) reciting "When the earth is shaken" (Surah 99) in both rak'ahs of the morning prayer. But I do not know whether he had forgotten, or whether he recited it on purpose.”
Sunan Abu Daud (816)
Syeikh Syamsul Haq al-‘Azim al-Abadi explained: “The Companions are uncertain regarding the repetition of the recitation of surah by the Prophet PBUH, whether it is because he had forgotten because usually the Prophet PBUH would recite a different surah from the first rakaat in the second rakaat. (If this is so), then it is not sanctioned for his ummah. Or the Prophet PBUH’s actions are on purpose to show that it is permissible? Thus, the incident of the repetition of the recitation of the same surah raise doubts, whether this matter is sanctioned or not. When determining whether something is sanctioned or not, then the actions of the Prophet PBUH should be prioritized to be seen as something that is sanctioned. For the origin of the actions of the Prophet PBUH are sanctioned, while forgetting something is not considered as the origin of the prophet PBUH’s actions.” (See ‘Aun al-Ma’bud, 3/23)
Ibn Qudamah said: It is permissible if a person recites on the first rakaat a surah, then repeat the same surah in his second rakaat. This is in accordance with a narration from Abu Daud where a man from Juhainah heard the Prophet PBUH recites surah “إذا زلزلت” (al-Zalzalah) in Subh prayer for both rakaats. (See al-Mughni, 1/536)
In another hadith from Aisyah R.Anha, she said:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- بَعَثَ رَجُلاً عَلَى سَرِيَّةٍ ، وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ لأَصْحَابِهِ فِى صَلاَتِهِمْ فَيَخْتِمُ بِ (قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ) فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا ذُكِرَ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فَقَالَ « سَلُوهُ لأَىِّ شَىْءٍ يَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ ». فَسَأَلُوهُ فَقَالَ لأَنَّهَا صِفَةُ الرَّحْمَنِ فَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِهَا. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : أَخْبِرُوهُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّهُ
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a man in charge of an expedition and he would recite for his Companions during their prayer, ending (recitation) with:" Say, He is God, One." When they returned mention was made of it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (the Holy Prophet) told them to ask him why he had done like that. So, they asked him and he said: Verily, it is an attribute of the Compassionate One, and (for this reason) I love to recite it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) thereupon said: Inform him that Allah loves him.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (7375) and Sahih Muslim (1926)
Ibn al-‘Arabi said: “The above hadith is the evidence to the permissibility of repeating the same surah for every rakaat.” (See Ahkam al-Quran, 4/468)
In al-Mausu’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, it is stated: “The majority of scholars from madhab Hanafi, Syafie and Hanbali are of the opinion that it is permissible for a person to repeat the recitation of surah from the surahs in the Quran from the one he recites in his first rakaat.” (See al-Mausu’ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah, 25/290)
Conclusion
It is permissible for a person to recite certain surah after al-Fatihah in the first rakaat and then repeat the same surah in the second rakaat. However, in our opinion it is prioritized to recite different surah or verse according to what the Prophet PBUH usually recite after Fatihah in prayer. Thus, its permissibility does not mean that it should be performed in such a way for every prayer, but it can be done sometimes by the imam in prayer.
May Allah SWT give us the correct knowledge and understanding in practising His commandments. Amin.