What is the Prescribed Recitation in Fajr Sunnah?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
What is the Masnūn (prescribed) recitation in the Sunnah prayers of Fajr?
✿ Answer:
The Noble Prophet ﷺ would perform the Sunnah of Fajr briefly, and he would recite the following verses therein:
In the first rakʿah, he used to recite from Surah al-Baqarah:
﴿ قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا ﴾
“Say: We believe in Allah and what has been sent down to us…”
(Surah al-Baqarah, 2:136)
In the second rakʿah, he would recite from Surah Āl ʿImrān:
﴿ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ ﴾
“We believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims (in submission to Him).”
(Surah Āl ʿImrān, 3:52)
📚 Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 727
❀ Narration of Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قرأ في ركعتي الفجر: قل يا أيها الكافرون، وقل هو الله أحد.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited in the two rakʿāt of Fajr: “Qul yā ayyuhal-kāfirūn” (Surah al-Kāfirūn) and “Qul huwallāhu aḥad” (Surah al-Ikhlāṣ).
📚 Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 726
❀ Narration of Jābir bin ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنهما:
A man stood up and performed the two Sunnah rakʿāt of Fajr. In the first rakʿah, he recited Surah al-Kāfirūn. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“This person has recognized his Lord.”
In the second rakʿah, he recited Surah al-Ikhlāṣ. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“This person has brought faith in his Lord.”
Ṭalḥah رضي الله عنه said:
“I consider it recommended to recite these two Sūrahs in the two Sunnah rakʿāt of Fajr.”
📚 Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 2460 (6/213), with a sound chain
❀ Imām Ṭaḥāwī رحمه الله reported:
هذا عبد عرف ربه.
“This servant has recognized his Lord.”
📚 Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār: 1/298
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله graded this narration as Ḥasan (sound):
📚 Natāʾij al-Afkār: 1/503–504
✅ Conclusion:
The Sunnah rakʿāt of Fajr are to be kept brief, and the following recitations are established from authentic narrations:
① Surah al-Kāfirūn in the first rakʿah
② Surah al-Ikhlāṣ in the second rakʿah
Alternatively, the verses:
- ﴿ قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ ﴾ in the first rakʿah
- ﴿ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَاشْهَدْ ﴾ in the second rakʿah
are also authentically reported.
Both methods are Sunnah, and reciting either pair is proven from the practice of the Prophet ﷺ.
