❖ Ruling on Reciting Additional Sūrah After Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in the Last Two Rakʿāt ❖
✍ Answered by: Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir ḥafiẓahullāh
Is it permissible for the Imam to recite another Sūrah after Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in the last two rakʿāt of a four-rakʿah prayer?
✔ Yes, the Imam is allowed to recite an additional Sūrah after Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in all four rakʿāt of the prayer.
➤ However, what is obligatory (farḍ) in each rakʿah is only the recitation of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah.
➤ If the Imam wishes to add another Sūrah in the third and fourth rakʿah, he may do so, and there is no harm in it.
This permissibility is supported by a narration in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, where it is shown that the Prophet ﷺ at times recited additional verses beyond Sūrat al-Fātiḥah even in the last rakʿāt of the prayer.
➤ While it is sunnah to restrict recitation to only Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in the last two rakʿāt,
➤ It is also permissible to recite another Sūrah or verse afterward, and this is established in the Sunnah.
✍ Answered by: Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Question
Is it permissible for the Imam to recite another Sūrah after Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in the last two rakʿāt of a four-rakʿah prayer?
❖ Answer
✔ Yes, the Imam is allowed to recite an additional Sūrah after Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in all four rakʿāt of the prayer.
➤ However, what is obligatory (farḍ) in each rakʿah is only the recitation of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah.
➤ If the Imam wishes to add another Sūrah in the third and fourth rakʿah, he may do so, and there is no harm in it.
❖ Evidence from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
This permissibility is supported by a narration in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, where it is shown that the Prophet ﷺ at times recited additional verses beyond Sūrat al-Fātiḥah even in the last rakʿāt of the prayer.
Conclusion
➤ While it is sunnah to restrict recitation to only Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in the last two rakʿāt,
➤ It is also permissible to recite another Sūrah or verse afterward, and this is established in the Sunnah.
