those portions that warrant length, of lightening what should be light, of dividing the Qur’an into sections, and of performing the prayer in keeping with that division.

2 – The Prophet’s practice ﷺ was not to confine the Maghrib recitation to the short mufassal sūrahs. To do so consistently is contrary to the Sunnah. In fact, it is Sunnah to alternate in Maghrib between the long and the short mufassal, as well as other sūrahs.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr said: “It is related that he recited al-Aʿrāf, al-Ṣāffāt, al-Dukhān, al-Ṭūr, Sabbih (al-Aʿlā), al-Tīn, and al-Mursalāt, and that he also recited the short mufassal therein. All of these are sound and well-known reports.”

3 – The correct view is that the mufassal begins with Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt and ends with Sūrat al-Nās. Its long section runs from al-Ḥujurāt to al-Nabaʾ, the middle from al-Nabaʾ to al-Ḍuḥā, and the short from al-Ḍuḥā to the end of the Qur’an. It is called “mufassal” because of the many pauses between its verses.

4 – The wisdom behind lengthening the recitation in Fajr is that both the angels of the night and the angels of the day attend it, as Allah says: “and the dawn recitation—for the dawn recitation is witnessed” (17:78). In addition, it occurs at a time when people are inclined to sleep, so it is lengthened to give them a chance to catch the prayer. Maghrib, by contrast, is shortened because its time span is brief. ʿIshāʾ, Dhuhr, and ʿAsr remain upon the original principle: a middle course—neither so light as to omit the recommended elements nor so long as to burden the weak.
The incident of Muʿādh and the Prophet’s instruction to him on how to pray and what to recite is the foundational text for this subject.

This ruling concerns the imam who leads the congregation, for the worshippers’ prayer is tied to his. As for one who is praying alone, he may pray as he wishes, so long as he does not depart from what people customarily recognize.
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