Is Reciting Three Surahs in One Rakʿah Against the Sunnah?
Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il – Discussion on Ṣalāh, Volume 1, Page 135
❖ Question
If a person, in a two- or three-rakʿah prayer, recites Sūrat al-Naṣr in one rakʿah and in another rakʿah recites the last three surahs (Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ, Sūrat al-Falaq, and Sūrat al-Nās), will this act be considered against the Sunnah?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
This act is permissible and not against the Sunnah.
Imām al-Ḥākim narrated in al-Mustadrak (Vol. 1, p. 305) that:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in Witr prayer:
- In the second rakʿah recited “Qul yā ayyuhā’l-kāfirūn”
- And in the third rakʿah recited “Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad” along with al-Muʿawwidhatayn (Sūrat al-Falaq and Sūrat al-Nās).
This narration proves that reciting three surahs in a single rakʿah is not against the Sunnah.
◈ Important Note
- The general and most frequent practice of the Prophet ﷺ was to keep the last rakʿah shorter than the earlier ones.
- Therefore, keeping the final rakʿah brief is closer to the Sunnah.
- However, if someone recites three short surahs in a single rakʿah, this is also permissible and not contrary to the Sunnah.
“ھٰذا ما عندی، واللہ أعلم بالصواب“
