Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: O Abu' al-Mundhir, do you know the verse from the Book of Allah which, according to you, is the greatest? I said: Allah and His Apostle (ﷺ) know best. He again said: Abu'l-Mundhir, do you know the verse from the Book of Allah which, according to you, is the greatest? I said: Allah, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. Thereupon he struck me on my breast and said: May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu'l-Mundhir!
Is any one of you incapable of reciting a third of the Qur'an in a night? They (the Companions) asked: How could one recite a third of the Qur'an (in a night)? Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: "'Say: He is Allah, One' (Qur'an. cxii) is equivalent to a third of the Qur'an."
He (the Messenger of Allah) said: Allah divided the Qur'an into three parts, and he made:" Say: He, Allah is One." one part out of the (three) parts of the Qur'an.
وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ، وَيَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، جَمِيعًا عَنْ يَحْيَى، - قَالَ ابْنُ حَاتِمٍ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، - حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ كَيْسَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو حَازِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " احْشِدُوا فَإِنِّي سَأَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكُمْ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ " . فَحَشَدَ مَنْ حَشَدَ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَرَأَ { قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ} ثُمَّ دَخَلَ فَقَالَ بَعْضُنَا لِبَعْضٍ إِنِّي أُرَى هَذَا خَبَرٌ جَاءَهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَذَاكَ الَّذِي أَدْخَلَهُ . ثُمَّ خَرَجَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " إِنِّي قُلْتُ لَكُمْ سَأَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكُمْ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ أَلاَ إِنَّهَا تَعْدِلُ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ " .
Get together. for I am going to recite one-third of the Qur'an before you. And those who could get together gathered there. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out and recited:" Say: He, Allah, is One." He then entered (his house). Some of us said to the others: Perhaps there has been some news from the heaven on account of which he has gone Inside (the house). The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) again came out and said: I told you that I was going to recite one-third of the Qur'in; keep in mind, this (Surah Ikhlas) is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'an.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and said: I am going to recite before you one-third of the Qur'an. He (the Holy Prophet) then recited:" Say: He is Allah, One--Allah, the Eternal," to the end of the Surah.
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ الْحَارِثِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي هِلاَلٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا الرِّجَالِ، مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أُمِّهِ، عَمْرَةَ بِنْتِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَكَانَتْ فِي حَجْرِ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَ رَجُلاً عَلَى سَرِيَّةٍ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ لأَصْحَابِهِ فِي صَلاَتِهِمْ فَيَخْتِمُ بِـ { قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ} فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا ذُكِرَ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " سَلُوهُ لأَىِّ شَىْءٍ يَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ " . فَسَأَلُوهُ فَقَالَ لأَنَّهَا صِفَةُ الرَّحْمَنِ فَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِهَا . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَخْبِرُوهُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّهُ ".
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a man in charge of an expedition and he would recite for his Companions during their prayer, ending (recitation) with:" Say, He is God, One." When they returned mention was made of it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (the Holy Prophet) told them to ask him why he had done like that. So they asked him and he said: Verily, it is an attribute of the Compassionate One, and (for this reason) I love to recite it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) thereupon said: Inform him that Allah loves him.
What wonderful verses have been sent down today. the like of which has never been seen! They are:" Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the dawn," and" Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of men."