Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

dear brother

assalamo alaikum

thank alot to you and your team for guiding us to the path of sunnah. may Allah bless you and your team.

i hope you will clarify the questions in detail.

my questions are:

1. with reference to salah - suppose i say 2 rakah of prayer, in the first i start with bismillah hirrahma nirahim... then surah fateha and followed by another surah (for e.g surah nass) should i say bismillah again before saying surah naas or just once at the begining of surah fatiha.
2. in all 5 salahs is there any recommended and preferable surahs to be read according to sunnah for e.g for jumma prayer my friend says after surah fatiha surah aalah, surah ghasiya or surah jumma and surah munafequn. can you pls tell me regarding fajar, zohar and so on......

jazakallah

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Answer:

Bismillah in Prayers

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause. We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Your Question-1: with reference to salah - suppose i say 2 rakah of prayer, in the first i start with bismillah hirrahma nirahim... then surah fateha and followed by another surah (for e.g surah nass) should i say bismillah again before saying surah naas or just once at the begining of surah fatiha.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.121

There is a unanimous consensus in their opinion amongst the jurists and scholars in Islam regarding the recitation of the ‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem’ before the recitation of each Surah (except the 9^th Surah At-Taubah) in one’s prayer or otherwise.

1. It is a verse of Surah al-Fatihah and of every surah of the Qur'an (except Surah Taubah). Therefore, it is to be recited with Al-Fatihah during those prayers that are said aloud or quietly. The strongest support of this opinion comes from the hadith of Na'em al-Mujammir who said, "I prayed behind Abu Hurairah and he recited aloud, ‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem' and then he recited al-Fatihah." At the end of the hadith, he is quoted as saying, "By the One in whose Hand is my soul, I have done what resembles how we prayed with the Messenger of Allah (saws)."

2. The phrase ‘Bismillah……’ is a verse by itself and was revealed to demarcate different Surahs in the Quran. It is allowed to recite it with Surah al-Fatihah (in fact it is preferred), but it is not sunnah to recite it aloud. Anas said, "I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman, and they did not recite it aloud."

Ibn al-Qayyim has reconciled both opinions by saying, "Sometimes the Prophet (saws) would recite it aloud, but most of the time he would say it quietly and not aloud."

Beloved Sister, there is absolutely no difference of opinion amongst the scholars in Islam that one should recite the ‘Bismillah…..’ every time one starts the recitation of a Surah (except the 9^th Surah Taubah), whether in prayer or otherwise. It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would sometimes recite the ‘Bismillah….’ aloud in the congregation prayers when he would start recitation of any Surah, and most times he (saws) would recite it quietly; but he (saws) would always recite it.

Your Question-2: in all 5 salahs is there any recommended and preferable surahs to be read according to sunnah for e.g for jumma prayer my friend says after surah fatiha surah aalah, surah ghasiya or surah jumma and surah munafequn. can you pls tell me regarding fajar, zohar and so on......

Sahih Muslim Hadith 1907 Narrated by Nu'man ibn Bashir

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to recite on the two 'Ids and in Friday (mid-day) prayer: "Glorify the name of Thy Lord, the Most High" (Surah 87 Al-Aala), and: "Has there come to thee the news of the overwhelming event" (Surah 88 Al-Ghashiyah). And when the 'Id and Jumu'ah combined on the same day, he (saws) recited these two (Surahs) in both the prayers.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.16 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet used to recite the following in the Fajr prayer of Friday, "Alif, Lam, Mim, Tanzil" (Surat 32 As-Sajdah) and "Hal-ata-ala-l-Insani" (Surah 76 Ad-Dhahr).

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to recite specific Surahs during the Friday ‘fajr’ prayers, the Friday mid-day prayers, and the two prayers of Eid as mentioned above. But for the other daily obligatory congregational prayers, he (saws) did not recite a set of specific Surahs, but rather would recite from amongst the various Surahs or verses of the Quran as he wished.

Thus, in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), there is no particular set of Surahs which are required to be recited in the daily five obligatory prayers; after the recitation of Surah Fatihah, one may recite from amongst whichever Surah or verses one has memorized from the Glorious Quran and is easy for them.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan