What Is the Ruling of Reciting the Suras in Order?

Question:

What is the ruling of reciting the Suras in order in the various types of prayer? What should one do, if they accidentally began reciting from Sura al-Nas in the first rak’a?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Reciting Qur’an in Order

It is prohibitively disliked to intentionally recite in a backwards order in the obligatory and/or necessary prayers. This does not apply to voluntary prayers. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

If one accidentally recited in a backwards order, it is not disliked. In such a case it is best for them to continue and not disrupt the recitation. [Ibid.]

Sura al-Nas in the First Rak’a

If one recites, in the first unit from Sura al-Nas, it is best for them to recite the Fatiha and some part of Sura al-Baqara in the second – if possible. There is no dislike in this as the order has not been changed. [Ibid.]

Likewise, due to the praise of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), who was asked, “What action is most beloved to Allah?” He replied, “The one who finishes (reciting the Qur’an) then starts anew.” [Tirmidhi]

I hope this helps,
Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.