Can a Follower Recite Beyond Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
Can the follower (muqtadi) recite beyond Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr prayers?
❖ Answer:
Yes, in Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr prayers, the follower may recite beyond Sūrah al-Fātiḥah.
Evidence from Hadith
❀ Sayyidunā ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn (RA) narrates:
إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى الظهر، فجعل رجل يقرأ خلفه بسبح اسم ربك الأعلى، فلما انصرف قال : أيكم قرأ -أو أيكم القاري – فقال رجل : أنا، فقال : قد ظننت أن بعضكم خالجنيها .
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led Ẓuhr prayer, and a man behind him began reciting Sabbih isma rabbika al-aʿlā (Sūrah al-Aʿlā) somewhat aloud. When the Prophet ﷺ concluded the prayer, he asked: ‘Who among you recited (aloud) — or who was the reciter?’ A man said: ‘I did.’ The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘I thought that someone was contending with me in recitation.’”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 398)
This Hadith proves that in Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr, the follower may recite beyond Sūrah al-Fātiḥah, but not aloud. The Prophet ﷺ did not prohibit the companion from reciting; rather, he only showed dislike for loud recitation behind the Imam.
❀ Sayyidunā Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh (RA) said:
كنا نقرأ فى الظهر والعصر خلف الإمام فى الركعتين الأوليين بفاتحة الكتاب وسورة وفي الأخريين بفاتحة الكتاب .
“In Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr, we (the companions) used to recite behind the Imam in the first two rakʿahs Sūrah al-Fātiḥah and another Sūrah, and in the last two rakʿahs only Sūrah al-Fātiḥah.”
(Sunan Ibn Mājah: 843, chain authentic)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) declared its chain authentic.
(Kitāb al-Aḥkām al-Kabīr: 2/479)
❀ Similarly, it is authentically reported that Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (RA) used to recite behind the Imam in Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr.
(Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār al-Ṭaḥāwī: 1/219; al-Sunan al-Kubrā al-Bayhaqī: 2942, chain authentic)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī (رحمه الله) declared this chain authentic.
Conclusion:In Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr prayers, the follower may recite more than Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in the first two rakʿahs, and in the last two rakʿahs restrict himself to Sūrah al-Fātiḥah. The condition is that the recitation should be silent and not audible enough to disturb the Imam’s recitation.
