123 / The Merit of Reciting the Last Two Verses of Surah al-Baqarah Every Night

It is authentically established in the Sunnah that the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—encouraged the recitation every night of the two verses with which Surah al-Baqarah concludes, and he—peace and blessings be upon him—mentioned a tremendous virtue for doing so. In the two Sahīh collections, Abū Mas'ūd—may Allah be pleased with him—reported that the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Whoever recites the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah during the night, they will suffice him.” 1.

This hadith demonstrates the merit of reciting these two verses every night:

“The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, as do the believers. Each believes in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’ And they say, ‘We hear and obey. We seek Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the final return.’ Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. It will have whatever good it earns and bear whatever evil it commits. ‘Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not lay upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy upon us. You are our Protector, so grant us victory over the disbelieving people.’” 2.

These are two magnificent verses. The first affirms the faith of the Messenger and the believers with him in Allah and in everything He—glorified is He—commanded them to believe, as well as their submission and obedience to Him—glorified is He—in all His commands. In it, He—glorified is He—states that they believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. This entails believing in everything Allah has stated about Himself and everything His messengers have conveyed about Him,