829 - Muhammad ibn Isma'il narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Kathir narrated to us, from al-Awza'i, that Umar ibn Abd al-'Aziz used to recite {By the morning brightness} and {Have We not expanded for you your breast?} in one rak'ah, and he would recite {Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?} and {For the accustomed security of the Quraysh} in one rak'ah.

Chapter: Reciting the End of Surahs in Obligatory Prayer

• I asked Ahmad, saying: "Should one recite a surah from the Mufassal in a rak'ah, then bow, and [then] recite the end of Ali 'Imran—meaning in the second rak'ah?" He said: "Some of the Tabi'in did this," and he granted a concession for it.

• And I asked Ishaq, saying: "Does one recite the end of a surah in an obligatory prayer?" He said: "It is permissible."

• And I also heard Ishaq saying: "There is no harm in a man reciting a portion of a surah in the obligatory [prayer], and reciting the remainder of it in the second rak'ah, or reciting something else—another surah, or a portion of a surah."

He said: "And the recitation of the surah from the Mufassal that the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions recited afterward is more beloved to us than shortening the surah—whether it be from the beginning or the end—in order to follow the example of the predecessors. Some of them would do it occasionally, yet some people have treated it as if it were a Sunnah. [However,] adhering to what the predecessors were upon is superior, and everything that is recited along with the Mother of the Book [al-Fatiha] is permissible, and the excellence lies in what we have clarified."