Scholarly opinions on reciting more than Al-Faatihah after the first two Rak‘ahs
We recite a short Soorah after Al-Faatihah in the first and second Rak‘ahs after which we only recite Al-Faatihah during the obligatory prayer. Do we do this in the Sunnah prayers as well?
The recitation of a Soorah after Al-Faatihah in the first and second Rak‘ahs during prayer is permissible at all times, so the obligatory prayer and other prayers are equal in this regard. Disagreement between the scholars only occurred regarding that which is recited after Al-Faatihah in the final Rak‘ahs (whether two or one, depending on which prayer it is). The Maalikis consider that the recitation is only legislated during the first two, but that there is nothing wrong with reciting Quran after Al-Faatiha in the third or the fourth Rak`ahs. The opinion of the Shaafi‘is and the main view of the Hanbalis is that only the recitation in the first two Rak‘ahs is permissible. Along with that opinion, the other view of the Shaafi‘is also permit reciting in the final Rak‘ahs due to the Hadeeth compiled by Muslim in his Saheeh on the authority of We estimated the duration of the standing of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the Thuhr and ‘Asr prayers. We estimated the length of his standing in the first two Rak‘ahs of Thuhr and it lasted as long as one would recite Soorah As-Sajdah. We then estimated the last two Rak‘ahs and found them to be half that length. We estimated the length of his standing in the first two Rak‘ahs of the ‘Asr prayer and it lasted the length of the last two Rak‘ahs of the Thuhr prayer, and the last two Rak‘ahs of ‘Asr was half of that. The most preponderant opinion is that it is permissible to recite in the Rak‘ahs following the first two in both the obligatory and voluntary prayers, due to the above-mentioned Hadeeth that was compiled by