´It was narrated that 'Uqbah bin 'Amir said:` "I came to the Messenger of Allah [SAW] while he was riding, and I put my hand on his foot and said: 'Teach me Surah Hud, teach me Surah Yusuf. He said: 'You will never recite anything more precious before Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, than: 'Say: I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of the daybreak.'"
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
"‘Be of greater eminence’—that is, in regard to seeking refuge, otherwise, in some other respect, another surah could be superior."
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 5441
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
954. Commentary: A beginner student should start with the shorter surahs, not with the longer ones. When ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir radi Allahu anhu requested to be taught two long surahs at the very beginning—namely Surah Hud and Surah Yusuf—you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) guided that one should begin with the shorter surahs. The shorter surahs have their own virtue. Or, it is possible that the occasion was one of seeking refuge (isti‘adhah). It is evident that the relevance which the two surahs of seeking refuge (al-Mu‘awwidhatayn) have to this purpose is not possessed by any other surah.
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 954
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
Urdu marginal note:
"He became silent"—The Prophet's (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) practice of stating something once and then becoming silent was intended to create eagerness and attentiveness in the heart of the listener, so that the importance of the forthcoming statement would become clear to him.
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 5440