that are authentic and well known. End of quotation (1).
As for always reciting the short surahs of al-Mufassal in this prayer, that was the practice of Marwān ibn al-Hakam. For this reason, Zayd ibn Thābit rebuked him, saying to him (2): “Why do you recite the short surahs of al-Mufassal in Maghrib? I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recite the longer of the two long surahs in Maghrib.” He said: I asked, “What is the longer of the two long surahs?” (3) He replied, “Al-A‘rāf (The Heights).” This is an authentic hadith reported by the compilers of the Sunan (4). Al-Nasā’ī (5) also reported from ‘Ā’ishah that the Prophet ﷺ recited Surah al-A‘rāf in the Maghrib prayer, dividing it between two rak‘ahs (units of prayer) (6). Thus, making it a regular practice in this prayer to recite a short verse and a surah from the short surahs of al-Mufassal (7) is contrary to the Sunnah; it was the practice of Marwān ibn al-Hakam.
(1) “Intahā (End of quotation)” is supplied from ق, مب, and ن.
(2) “Lahu (to him)” is omitted in ق and م.
(3) “Qāla: qultu … al-tūlayayn (He said: I asked … the two long surahs)” is omitted in ك owing to a copyist’s eye-skip.
(4) Also reported by al-Bukhārī (764), as noted earlier (p. 235).
(5) In al-Mujtabā (991) and al-Kubrā (1065). Also reported by al-Tabarānī in Musnad al-Shāmiyyīn (3362) and al-Bayhaqī (2:392), from ‘Ā’ishah, through Hishām ibn ‘Urwah, from his father, from her. Ibn Hajar said in al-Talkhīs (2:486): “It is defective.” Indeed it is: Ibn Abī Hātim asked his father about ‘Ā’ishah’s hadith, and he replied: “This is an error. Rather, it is from his father, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as a mursal report.” See al-‘Ilal (484). Likewise, after mentioning this hadith in Ma‘rifat al-Sunan (3:340), al-Bayhaqī said: “The correct version is the transmission of Ibn Abī Mulaykah, from ‘Urwah, from Marwān, from Zayd ibn Thābit.” This is the preceding hadith. The transmissions from Hishām ibn ‘Urwah differ concerning this hadith; see al-Tirmidhī’s al-‘Ilal al-Kabīr (pp. 76–77) and al-Dāraqutnī’s al-‘Ilal (1144).
(6) ك and مب read: “al-rak‘atayn (the two rak‘ahs).”
(7) ج adds after this: “huwa (it).”