Section Four
On Its Virtues and Distinctive Features

This magnificent surah possesses numerous merits and unique qualities; indeed, no chapter of the Quran—apart from what is likewise established for Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ—has more rigorously authenticated reports concerning its excellence. We shall list here whichever of its virtues come readily to mind.

First Merit: It is the greatest and most excellent surah in the Quran. In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī it is narrated from Abū Saʿīd ibn al-Muʿallā who said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, ‘Shall I not teach you a surah that is the greatest surah in the Quran before you leave the mosque?’” He continues: “He took my hand, and when he was about to leave the mosque I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, you said you would teach me the greatest surah in the Quran.’ He replied, ‘Yes: al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbil-ʿālamīn (“All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds”). It is the Seven Oft-Repeated and the Magnificent Quran that I have been given.’” (1)