against the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him. For this reason, it is all the more incumbent upon a Muslim to ascertain which reports on this subject are authentic by consulting scholars and studying the matter with specialists. Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on him—said in his book al-Manār al-Munīf fī al-Sahīh wa-l-Daʿīf: “Among these—that is, among the fabricated hadiths—are reports mentioning the virtues of the surahs and claiming that whoever recites such-and-such a surah will receive such-and-such a reward. Such reports cover the Quran from beginning to end, as cited by al-Thaʿlabī and al-Wāhidī at the beginning of every surah and by al-Zamakhsharī at its end. ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak said, ‘I believe the heretics fabricated them.’

The authentic hadiths concerning the surahs include the hadith about al-Fātiha, stating that nothing comparable to it was revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, or the Psalms; the hadith about al-Baqara and Āl Imrān, stating that they are the two radiant surahs; the hadith about the Throne Verse, stating that it is the foremost verse of the Quran; the hadith about the final two verses of al-Baqara, stating that whoever recites them at night, they will suffice him; the hadith stating that when al-Baqara is recited in a house, no devil approaches it; the hadith stating that whoever recites the first ten verses of al-Kahf will be protected from the trial of the Dajjāl; the hadith about ‘Say: He is Allah, the One,’ stating that it is equivalent to one-third of the Quran—and no reports concerning the virtue of any surah are as sound as those concerning it; the hadith about the two surahs of refuge, stating that no one seeking refuge has ever done so with anything comparable to them; and the Prophet’s words—peace and blessings be upon him—‘Verses have been revealed to me whose like has never been seen,’ after which he recited them.

Next after these reports, though less sound than they are, comes the hadith stating that ‘When the Earth Is Shaken’ is equivalent to half of the Quran; the hadith stating that ‘Say: O Disbelievers’ is equivalent to one-quarter of the Quran; and the hadith stating that ‘Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion’ saves one from the punishment of the grave. All the remaining reports, such as, ‘Whoever recites such-and-such a surah will be given such-and-such a reward,’ are fabrications attributed to the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him. Their fabricator himself admitted to fabricating them and said: