Can I read more than one Surah after Surah al-Faatihah in Salaah?

by Asma bint Shameem

Can I read more than one Surah after Surah al-Faatihah in Salaah ?

🌿ANSWER🌿

Yes it is permissible to read more than one Surah after al-Faatihah in your prayer.

The recitation of a Surah after Surah al-Faatihah is a flexible matter.

You can read one whole Surah or part of a Surah or read more than one Surah after Surah al-Faatihah

in the same rak’ah.

(In fact the recitation of the Qur’aan after Surah al-Faatihah is not mandatory).

The matter is flexible.

📌 Proof:

The Prophet ﷺ recited two Surahs after al-Faatihah in many prayers, and these Surahs are called “ النظائر“ or “pairs”.

There are several ahaadeeth about that.

For example:

🍃 A man came to Ibn Mas’ood radhi Allaahu anhu and said:

“I recite al-Mufassal in one rak’ah.” (“Al-Mufassal” is that portion of the Qur’aan that starts with Surah Qaf, up to the end of the Qur’aan)

He said, “That is too quick, like reciting poetry.

But the Prophet ﷺ used to recite ‘pairs’, two Surahs in one rak’ah:

al-Najm and al-Rahmaan in one rak’ah,

al-Qamar and al-Haaqqah in one rak’ah,

al-Toor and al-Dhaariyyaat in one rak’ah,

al-Waaqi’ah and al-Qalam in one rak’ah,

al-Ma’aarij and al-Naaz’iaat in one rak’ah,

al-Mutaffifoon and ‘Abasa in one rak’ah,

al-Muddaththir and al-Muzzammil in one rak’ah, al-Insaan and al-Qiyaamah in one rak’ah, al-Naba’ and al-Mursalaat in one rak’ah,

al-Dukhaan and al-takweer in one rak’ah.”

(Abu Dawood 1396; saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood)

🍃 And the Prophet ﷺ recited three surahs one after the other in a SINGLE rak’ah when he prayed Tahajjud.

Hudhayfah radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“I prayed with the Prophet

ﷺ one night, and he started to recite al-Baqarah.

I thought, he will do rukoo when he reaches one hundred aayaat, but he kept going.

I thought, he will complete it in one rak’ah, but he kept going.

I thought, he will do rukoo now, but he started to recite al-Nisaa, and he recited all of it, then he started to recite Aal Imraan and recited all of it.”

(Muslim 772)

🍃 AbdulAziz ibn Jurayj said:

“I asked A’ishah radhi Allaahu anhaa, mother of the believers:

“With which (surah) the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ used to observe witr?

She said:

“In the third rak'ah he would recite:

"Say, He is Allaah, the One" (Surah al-Ikhlaas 112), and "Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak" (Surah al-Falaq 113), and "Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind" (Surah an-Naas 114).

(Abu Dawood 1424:saheeh by al-Albaani)

And there are many other examples.

🍃 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

“It is permissible for a person to recite two or three Surahs after al-Faatihah, or he may limit himself to just one, or he may divide a Surah in two halves (split between two rak’ahs).

All of these are permissible, because of the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says:

“So, recite you of the Qur’aan as much as may be easy for you”

[al-Muzzammil 73:20]

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Then recite whatever you can of the Qur’aan.”

(Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 13/question no. 500)

And Allaah knows best.