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Fatwa CenterRecitation of Qur'an in the prayers
Question
In all prayers Fard, Sunnah, Nafil it is compulsory to recite three verses of the Holy Qur’an. My question is, is the three verses to be recited in each Rak’ah or divided into other Rak’ah. For example, in Fard prayers are the three verses to be recited in each Rak’ah or in two Rak’ah?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The recitation of a Surah after Fatihah in prayer is something desirable and not a Wajib (obligation), this is the view of the four schools of thought.
However, the Hanafi Madhab is of the view that the recitation of Fatihah is not a pillar in prayer, and it is enough to recite anything from the Qur'an, even one Ayah (verse), according to the prevailing opinion of this Madhab. It is reported that Abu Hanifa is of the view that the minimum that should be recited in prayer is 3 Ayahs.
The majority of the scholars who say that it is preferable to read some Surah or verses after the Fatihah, consider, however, that one Ayah is sufficient, and it is better to read 3 Ayah, and if someone recites a whole Surah, that is the best, even if it is a short one.
What is meant by the ‘minimum’ requirement is in relation to each Rak’ah, not in relation to all Rak’ah as a whole.
It is known, however, that the majority of scholars consider that it is not likable to recite a Surah after Fatihah in the last 2 Rak’ah of Zuhr, Asr, and Isha prayers, and in the last Rak’ah of Maghrib prayer.
Allah knows best.
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