Standing
The surah after Al-Fātiḥah
What people commonly recite next, and why those surahs.
Why it is said here
After Al-Fātiḥah, some more of the Qur'an is recited in the first two units. The Prophet ﷺ recited longer passages at Fajr, medium ones at Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr, and shorter ones at Maghrib. He kept certain pairings: al-Kāfirūn and al-Ikhlāṣ in the two units of the sunnah before Fajr and after Maghrib, al-Sajdah and al-Insān at Fajr on Friday, and al-Aʿlā with al-Ghāshiyah on Fridays and the two ʿĪds. Learning the meaning of a handful of short surahs changes far more of your week than learning many you never say.
Reciting something after Al-Fātiḥah in the first two units is a strong sunnah; the prayer is not invalidated by leaving it.
Where the schools differ: The Ḥanafīs consider it wājib (required, though of a lower level than a pillar) in the first two units; the others treat it as recommended.
al-Bukhārī 776; Muslim 462 (ṣaḥīḥ)
Every statement of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these. Āyah references open here in AyaSeerah with the canonical text, translation and abridged tafsīr; ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com. Nothing here has to be taken on trust.