the Ma’m?m?n, not even by those who practice Ijtihad for different criteria are going to be applied and hence disorder in Sal?t.
The decision of such a matter refers to All?h ( - عز وجل -) and His messenger ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) who was the only Im?m in Medina at his time for all people: the weak, the old, the young and those in dire needs.
He ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to recite between sixty to one hundred ?yahs in the Fajr Sal?t -as affirmed in the two Sah?hain. (1) He ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to recite S?rahs: Q?f (2) , Al-W?qi‘ah (3) , Al-Fath (4) , Al-Mu’min?n (5) , At-Tur (6) , Ar- R?m (7) , Y?s?n (8) , and As-S?ff?t (9) which when the prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to recite in Sal?t, the Sah?bah would consider it as short, as Ibn ‘Umar stated. He said: ‘The prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to order the Im?ms to make their Sal?t short and used to recite S?rah As-S?ff?t when he led us in Sal?t’. (10)
In Thuhr Sal?t, he ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to recite in each of the first two Rak‘ahs a bout 30 ?yahs, and fifteen in each of the last two ones -as narrated in “Sah?h Muslim” that the period he ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) used to stand
(1) See: “Sah?h Al-Bukh?r?” (vol. 2 / p. 251) and “Sah?h Muslim” (vol. 4 / p. 179).
(2) It consists of (45) ?yahs. See: “Sah?h Muslim” (vol. 4 / p. 179).
(3) It consists of (96) ?yahs. See: “Musnad Ahmad” (vol. 3 / p. 333). The had?th’s chain of narration is a sound one.
(4) It consists of (29) ?yahs. See: “The Musannaf” by Abdir Razz?q (vol. 2 / p. 118).
(5) It consists of (118) ?yahs. See: “Sah?h Muslim” (vol. 4 / p. 177).
(6) It consists of (49) ?yahs. See: “Sah?h Al-Bukh?r?” (vol. 3 / p. 480).
(7) It consists of (60) Ayahs. See: “Musnad Ahmad” (vol. 3 / pp. 471 - 2) and (vol. 4 / p. 363), “Al-Mujtab?” (vol. 2 / p. 56), “Musnad Al-Bazz?r” (vol. 1 / p. 234). The had?th relating this is weak-as mentioned in “Tam?mul Minnah” (p. 180).
(8) It consists of (83) ?yahs. See: “Musnad Ahmad” (vol. 4 / p. 34). The had?th relating this is an authentic one.
(9) It consists of (182) ?yahs. See: “Al-Mujtab?” (vol. 2 / p. 65). This had?th has an authentic chain of narrators. In “Iqtid?’ As-Sir?t Al-Mustaq?m”, Ibn Taymiyyah reported the ‘Ulamah’s unanimous agreement that it is of Sunnah to recite the long S?rahs of Al-Mufassal in the Fajr Sal?t. The first of these is Q?f and the last is Surah An-Naba’. Some say the last of the Mufassal is Surah An-N?zi‘?t. See: “Tafs?r Ibn Kath?r” (vol. 4 / p. 220) and “Al-Father Rabb?n?” (vol. 3 / p. 211).
(10) Narrated by An-Nas?’? in “Al-Mujtab?” (vol. 2 / p. 95) through an authentic chain of narrators.