[A shorter method of performing ṣalāt al‑āyāt is as follows:] after one has made the intention [of performing the prayer], he says takbīr and recites Sūrat al-Ḥamd; then, he divides the verses of the other surah into five parts and recites one verse or more, or even less, provided that – based on obligatory precaution – it is a complete sentence. He must start from the beginning of the surah and must not suffice with reciting bismillāh [on its own and count that as one verse].
Then, he goes into rukūʿ, raises his head, and without reciting Sūrat al-Ḥamd he recites the second part of the other surah. He then goes into rukūʿ again, and so on until he completes the other surah before he goes into the fifth rukūʿ. For example, if the other surah is Sūrat al-Falaq,[1] he first says: بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ۞ قُلْ أَعُوْذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ bismil lāhir raḥmānir raḥīm. qul aʿūdhu birabbil falaq In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the Ever-Merciful.
Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak,...and goes into rukūʿ [for the first time]; he then stands up and says: مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ min sharri mā khalaq from the evil of what He created,...and goes into rukūʿ again [for the second time]; he then stands up and says: وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ wa min sharri ghāsiqin idhā waqab and from the evil of the darkness of night when it settles,...and goes into rukūʿ again [for the third time]; he then stands up and says: وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ wa min sharrin naffāthāti fil ʿuqad and from the evil of those who blow on knots,...and goes into rukūʿ again [for the fourth time]; he then stands up and says: وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ wa min sharri ḥāsidin idhā ḥasad and from the evil of an envier when he envies.’...and goes into rukūʿ for the fifth time.
He then stands up, performs two sajdahs, and proceeds to perform the second rakʿah in the same way as the first. After the second sajdah [of the second rakʿah], he says tashahhud and the salām of the prayer. It is permitted for one to divide the surah into less than five parts, but whenever he completes the surah, it is necessary that he recite Sūrat al-Ḥamd before performing the next rukūʿ.