(Excerpt taken from Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri’s book: “Virtues of Surahs and Verses”)
Narration of Qatādah ibn Nuʿmān رضي الله عنه:
قَامَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، فَقَرَأَ: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، يُرَدِّدُهَا لَا يَزِيدُ عَلَيْهَا، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْنَا قَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ رَجُلًا قَامَ اللَّيْلَةَ يَقْرَأُ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ لَا يَزِيدُ عَلَيْهَا، كَأَنَّ الرَّجُلَ يَتَقَلَّلُهَا، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّهَا لَتَعْدِلُ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ.
A man stood during the night prayer and repeatedly recited Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ, adding nothing else.
In the morning, someone mentioned this to the Prophet ﷺ as if considering it a small act.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! It is equal to one-third of the Qur’an.”
Sahih al-Bukhari: 5013
Narration of ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها:
إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَ رَجُلًا عَلَى سَرِيَّةٍ، وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ، فَيَخْتِمُ بِقُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا ذَكَرُوا ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَقَالَ: سَلُوهُ لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ؟ فَسَأَلُوهُ، فَقَالَ: لِأَنَّهَا صِفَةُ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِهَا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: أَخْبِرُوهُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّهُ.
The Prophet ﷺ appointed a man as commander of a military expedition.
He would lead his companions in prayer and always conclude his recitation with Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ.
When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet ﷺ, who asked them to inquire why he did so.
He replied: “Because it describes the Most Merciful, and I love to recite it.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Inform him that Allah loves him.”
Sahih al-Bukhari: 7375; Sahih Muslim: 813
Narration of Buraydah al-Aslamī رضي الله عنه:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ، الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ.
A man made this supplication:
“O Allah! I ask You by bearing witness that You are Allah, there is no deity but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient, who begets not, nor is begotten, and there is none like unto You.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! He has asked Allah by His Greatest Name (Ism al-Aʿẓam), which, when invoked, He responds, and when requested through it, He grants.”
Sunan Abu Dawud: 1493; Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3475; Sunan Ibn Majah: 3857 – Chain Sahih
Authenticated as:
Narration of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه:
إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سَمِعَ رَجُلًا يَقْرَأُ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ حَتَّى خَتَمَهَا، فَقَالَ: وَجَبَتْ. قِيلَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَا وَجَبَتْ؟ قَالَ: الْجَنَّةُ.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ heard a man reciting Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ until he completed it and said:
“It has become obligatory.”
They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what has become obligatory?”
He said: “Paradise has become obligatory for him.”
Al-Muwaṭṭa’ of Imām Mālik: 1/208; Musnad Ahmad: 2/302, 2/453, 2/536; Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 995; Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 2897 – Chain Hasan
Imām al-Tirmidhī called it Hasan Sahih Gharīb,
and both al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī graded it Sahih.
Narration of Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنه:
A man performed two rakʿahs of Fajr Sunnah.
In the first rakʿah, he recited Surah Al-Kāfirūn, and in the second, Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“This is a servant who recognized his Lord.”
And after the second, he said:
“This is a servant who believed in his Lord.”
Ṭalḥah رضي الله عنه said:
“I love to recite these two surahs in these two rakʿahs.”
Sahih Ibn Ḥibbān: 6/213, Hadith 2460 – Chain Hasan
In Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār by Imām al-Ṭaḥāwī (1/298), it is stated:
“هَذَا عَبْدٌ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ.”
“This is a servant who has truly recognized his Lord.”
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله graded it Hasan in Natā’ij al-Afkār (1/503–504).
① Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ equals one-third of the Qur’an.
② It reflects Allah’s love for those who recite it regularly.
③ It contains the Greatest Name of Allah (Ism al-Aʿẓam).
④ Reciting it leads to Paradise.
⑤ It is a surah that embodies true recognition of Allah’s Oneness and perfection.
① Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ Equals One-Third of the Qur’an
Narration of Qatādah ibn Nuʿmān رضي الله عنه:
قَامَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، فَقَرَأَ: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، يُرَدِّدُهَا لَا يَزِيدُ عَلَيْهَا، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْنَا قَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ رَجُلًا قَامَ اللَّيْلَةَ يَقْرَأُ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ لَا يَزِيدُ عَلَيْهَا، كَأَنَّ الرَّجُلَ يَتَقَلَّلُهَا، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّهَا لَتَعْدِلُ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ.
A man stood during the night prayer and repeatedly recited Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ, adding nothing else.
In the morning, someone mentioned this to the Prophet ﷺ as if considering it a small act.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! It is equal to one-third of the Qur’an.”
Sahih al-Bukhari: 5013② The Surah that Earned Allah’s Love
Narration of ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها:
إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَ رَجُلًا عَلَى سَرِيَّةٍ، وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ، فَيَخْتِمُ بِقُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا ذَكَرُوا ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَقَالَ: سَلُوهُ لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ؟ فَسَأَلُوهُ، فَقَالَ: لِأَنَّهَا صِفَةُ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِهَا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: أَخْبِرُوهُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّهُ.
The Prophet ﷺ appointed a man as commander of a military expedition.
He would lead his companions in prayer and always conclude his recitation with Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ.
When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet ﷺ, who asked them to inquire why he did so.
He replied: “Because it describes the Most Merciful, and I love to recite it.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Inform him that Allah loves him.”
Sahih al-Bukhari: 7375; Sahih Muslim: 813③ The Surah Containing Allah’s Greatest Name (Ism al-Aʿẓam)
Narration of Buraydah al-Aslamī رضي الله عنه:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ، الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ.
A man made this supplication:
“O Allah! I ask You by bearing witness that You are Allah, there is no deity but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient, who begets not, nor is begotten, and there is none like unto You.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! He has asked Allah by His Greatest Name (Ism al-Aʿẓam), which, when invoked, He responds, and when requested through it, He grants.”
Sunan Abu Dawud: 1493; Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3475; Sunan Ibn Majah: 3857 – Chain SahihAuthenticated as:
- Hasan Gharīb by Imām al-Tirmidhī
- Sahih by Ibn Ḥibbān (Hadith 291)
- Sahih by al-Ḥākim (1/504) on the conditions of al-Bukhārī and Muslim
- Confirmed by Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī
④ Recitation of Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ Grants Paradise
Narration of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه:
إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سَمِعَ رَجُلًا يَقْرَأُ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ حَتَّى خَتَمَهَا، فَقَالَ: وَجَبَتْ. قِيلَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَا وَجَبَتْ؟ قَالَ: الْجَنَّةُ.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ heard a man reciting Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ until he completed it and said:
“It has become obligatory.”
They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what has become obligatory?”
He said: “Paradise has become obligatory for him.”
Al-Muwaṭṭa’ of Imām Mālik: 1/208; Musnad Ahmad: 2/302, 2/453, 2/536; Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 995; Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 2897 – Chain HasanImām al-Tirmidhī called it Hasan Sahih Gharīb,
and both al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī graded it Sahih.
⑤ Recognizing and Believing in One’s Lord
Narration of Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنه:
A man performed two rakʿahs of Fajr Sunnah.
In the first rakʿah, he recited Surah Al-Kāfirūn, and in the second, Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“This is a servant who recognized his Lord.”
And after the second, he said:
“This is a servant who believed in his Lord.”
Ṭalḥah رضي الله عنه said:
“I love to recite these two surahs in these two rakʿahs.”
Sahih Ibn Ḥibbān: 6/213, Hadith 2460 – Chain Hasan⑥ Words of the Scholars
In Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār by Imām al-Ṭaḥāwī (1/298), it is stated:
“هَذَا عَبْدٌ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ.”
“This is a servant who has truly recognized his Lord.”
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله graded it Hasan in Natā’ij al-Afkār (1/503–504).
Summary of Virtues
① Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ equals one-third of the Qur’an.
② It reflects Allah’s love for those who recite it regularly.
③ It contains the Greatest Name of Allah (Ism al-Aʿẓam).
④ Reciting it leads to Paradise.
⑤ It is a surah that embodies true recognition of Allah’s Oneness and perfection.
