What is the ruling on the prayer led by an Imam who bows after reciting part of a verse, regardless of whether the meaning is complete or not?
If the Imam recites Al-Fatiha and a complete verse or more, then concludes his recitation with part of a verse, his prayer is valid, and he is considered to have fulfilled the Sunnah regarding the recitation in addition to Al-Fatiha. However, if he recites only part of a verse after Al-Fatiha and then bows, then if what he recited has a complete meaning, the Sunnah is considered fulfilled according to some jurists. If it does not have a complete meaning, the Sunnah is not fulfilled, and his prayer remains valid, but it is not permissible to intentionally do so. Among the etiquettes of recitation is that pausing at words whose meaning is not complete is considered an ugly pause (waqf qabih) and should not be intentionally done.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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