Question
How long can the recitation in nafl (voluntary) prayers be?
Answer
In nafl prayers, one may recite as much of the Qur’an as one wishes. The length of recitation is not restricted.
Evidence from Aḥādīth
❀ Sayyidunā Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (رضي الله عنه) reported:
صليت مع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات ليلة، فافتتح البقرة... ثم افتتح النساء، فقرأها، ثم افتتح آل عمران، فقرأها
“One night I prayed with the Prophet (ﷺ). He began with Sūrat al-Baqarah. I thought he would bow at one hundred verses, but he continued. I thought he would complete it in one rakʿah, but he carried on and began Sūrat al-Nisāʾ, completed it, then began Sūrat Āl ʿImrān and completed it.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 772)
❀ Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān asked Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) about the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ in Ramadan. She said:
ما كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يزيد فى رمضان ولا فى غيره على إحدى عشرة ركعة...
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never exceeded eleven rakʿahs in Ramadan or outside of it. He would pray four, do not ask about their beauty and length, then another four, do not ask about their beauty and length, and then he would pray three (witr)…”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1147; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 738)
❀ In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (1123):
يسجد السجدة من ذلك قدر ما يقرأ أحدكم خمسين آية
“He (ﷺ) would remain in prostration as long as one of you would take to recite fifty verses before raising his head.”
❀ Sayyidunā Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhanī (رضي الله عنه) said:
لأرمقن صلاة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الليلة...
“I decided to observe the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one night. He prayed two short rakʿahs, then two very long rakʿahs, then two shorter than the previous ones, then two shorter still, until finally the last two were the shortest. Then he prayed witr, making a total of thirteen rakʿahs.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 765)
Practice of the Salaf
Some of the pious predecessors (salaf) were even reported to recite the entire Qur’an in one rakʿah during qiyām al-layl.
It is also important to note that when the recitation was long, the rukūʿ and sujūd were also long in proportion.
Conclusion:The recitation in nafl prayers can be as long as desired, even extending to several sūrahs or the entire Qur’an, following the practice of the Prophet ﷺ and the righteous predecessors.
