Reciting Only A Portion Of The Sunnah Qiraat In Salaah

In the situation wherein two Surahs are stipulated as Sunnah Qira’ah in the Ahadeeth, like Surah As-Sajdah and Surah Al-Dahr in the Fajr Salaat on a Friday, then to read a portion of either Surah in each Rakaat will not suffice as being Sunnah Qira’ah.

Similarly, with regard to the Surahs that are  stipulated for Jumu’ah Salaah such as Surah Al-A’laa and Surah Al-Ghaashiyah or Surah Al-Jumu’ah and Surah Al-Munafiqoon, they should be recited in full to acquire the virtue of Sunnah Qira’ah.

As for the situation wherein two specific Surahs are not stipulated, the Fuqaha have given guidelines as to how much should be read, which are as follows:

1. If a person is a Muqeem:
   
   If circumstances are conducive, i.e., there is sufficient time for him to perform his Salaah, then for Fajr Salaah, about 40-50 Aayaat should be read over two Rakaats besides Surah Fatiha. In Zuhr Salaah, the same amount or less should be recited. In Asr and Esha Salaah, about 20 Aayaat should be recited over two Rakaats besides Surah Fatiha, and in Maghrib Salaah, anything below thisamount should be recited.
   
   If circumstances are not conducive; e.g., time is short or a person fears his wealth or his life, then that amount should be recited which will suffice for the time he has available to him. 
   
   
2. If a person is a Musaafir:
   
   If circumstances are conducive, i.e., he is not bound by any time constraints or fears, in Fajr and Zuhr Salaah, Surah Burooj, or any other Surah similar to Surah Burooj should be recited, in Asr and Esha Salaah, anything shorter than Surah Burooj, and in Maghrib Salaah, the extremely short Surahs should be recited.
   
   If circumstances are not conducive, i.e., he is bound by time constraints, etc., he can read any Surah which he desires.

Along with the above rules, one should keep in mind that the Fuqaha have also mentioned that for a Muqeem, it is Mustahab to read from Tiwaal-e-Mufassal (Surah Hujuraat – Surah Burooj) in the Fajr and Zuhr Salaahs, from Awsaat-e-Mufassal (Surah Burooj – Surah Bayyinah) in the Asr and Esha Salaahs, and from Qisaar-e-Mufassal (Surah Bayyinah – Surah Naas) in the Maghrib Salaah.