QUESTION:
In a 4 rak’ah Sunnah prayer do you have to read a Surah after reciting Surah al-Fatihah? I know that when you are praying a 4 rak’ah farD prayer you don’t have to recite anything in the 3rd and 4th rak’ah but I want to know if it is the same case when reading the Sunnah prayer.
ANSWER:
It is wajib (necessary) to add any Surah (or 3 short ayahs or one long ayah) after Surah al-Fatihah in all the rak’ahs of the Sunnah and Nawafil prayers.
To recite at least one ayah in the first two rak’ahs of a farD prayer, and every rak’ah of Witr, Sunan and Nawafil prayer is wajib for the Imam as well as the Munfarid (one praying alone).
[Hashiyah al-Tahtawi alal Maraqi pg 226]
Allah knows best.
Answered by Mawlana Mohammed Kashif
Also see:
[Q-ID0048] The ruling of reciting Surah Fatihah in last 2 rak’ahs of fardh prayer
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