Encouraging the Recitation of Certain Surahs and Ayahs

497. Abu Said Rafi ibn al-Mu’alla, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to me, ‘Shall I teach you the greatest surah of the Qur’an before you leave the mosque?’ He took my hand. When we were about to leave, I said, ‘O   Messenger of Allah, you said, “I will teach you the greatest surah of the Qur’an?”‘ He said, ‘“Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds” (the beginning of the Fatiha) are the Seven Oft-repeated ones and the Glorious Qur’an which I was given.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Fadailu’l-Qur’an, 9).

Annotation:The Fatiha is also named as “Sab al-Mathani” (the dual chapter of seven verses) or Al-Qur’an al-Adhim (The Qur’an the Great). Sab al-Mathani refers of the Fatiha’s being seven verses, revelation of the Qur’an in both Mecca and Medina, the Qur’anic style of taking matters both from positive and negative aspects etc. The title “Al-Qur’an al-Adhim” refers to the Fatiha’s being the essence and spirit of the Qur’an, and its holding the   meanings of the Qur’an in a compacted form.

498. Abu Said al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said about the Surah Al-Ikhlas, beginning with “Say: ‘He—(He is) Allah, (Who is) the Unique One of Absolute Oneness,” “By the One in whose hand my soul is, it is equal to a third of the Qur’an.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Fadailu’l-Qur’an, 13).

In one variant, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to his Companions, “Are any of you unable to recite a third of the Qur’an in a night?” That was difficult for them and they said, “Which of us is able to do that, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “‘Say: He is Allah, Absolute Oneness, Allah, the Everlasting Sustainer of all’ constitutes a third of the Qur’an.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Fadailu’l-Qur’an, 13).

501. Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The Qur’an contains a surah of thirty verses which will intercede for a man until he is forgiven. It is: ‘Blessed be He who has the Kingdom in His Hand!’” (Surah al-Mulk) (Sunan Abu Dawud, Salah, 327; Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Fadailu’l-Qur’an, 9).

 

Nawawi, Imam. Riyad As-Salihin; The Gardens of the Righteous: A collection of authentic hadiths. Tughra Books Press, Inc. 2014