Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
What is ruling concerning the 2nd raka’ah being longer than the 1st raka’ah? Does it apply to all ṣalāh farḍ, nafl and tarāwīḥ?
Answer:
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allāh, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for contacting Mathābah Institute.
It is deemed makrūh tanzīhī (slightly disliked) to lengthen the second raka’ah over the first, in both mandatory prayers (ṣalāh) and all optional prayers as well. – (See: Rad Al-Muḥtār, Vol 1, Page 542, Dār Al-Fikr[1])
“The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to lengthen the first raka’ah more than the second and used to do the same in the ‘Asr and Fajr prayers.” – (Saḥīḥ Bukhārī 776)[2]
Only Allāh knows best
[1] وَتُطَالُ أُولَى الْفَجْرِ عَلَى ثَانِيَتِهَا بِقَدْرِ الثُّلُثِ وَقِيلَ النِّصْفِ نَدْبًا فَلَوْ فَحُشَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ فَقَطْ وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ وَلِي الْكُلُّ حَتَّى التَّرَاوِيحُ قِيلَ وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى وَإِطَالَةُ الثَّانِيَةِ عَلَى الْأُولَى يُكْرَهُ تَنْزِيهًا إجْمَاعًا إنْ بِثَلَاثِ آيَاتٍ إنْ تَقَارَبَتْ طُولًا وَقِصَرًا وَإِلَّا اُعْتُبِرَ الْحُرُوفُ وَالْكَلِمَاتُ – كتاب الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين رد المحتار ج١/ ص٥٤٢ دار الفكر
[2] وَيُطَوِّلُ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الأُولَى مَا لاَ يُطَوِّلُ فِي الرَّكْعَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ وَهَكَذَا فِي الْعَصْرِ وَهَكَذَا فِي الصُّبْحِ – رواه البخاري ٧٧٦
