‘Ali ibn Sa‘id al-Nasawi (1) informed us: Sa‘id ibn ‘Ufair narrated to us; Yahya ibn Ayyub narrated to us, from ‘Umarah ibn Ghaziyyah, from Shurahbil, the client of the Ansar, from Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever receives a kindness should reciprocate it. If he finds nothing with which to reciprocate it, then let him praise its giver; for when he praises him, he has thanked him. But if he conceals it, he has been ungrateful for it. Whoever adorns himself with what he has not been given is like one wearing two garments of falsehood.” (2)
Abu Sa‘id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha‘labi informed us; al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn informed us; Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrated to us; Abu al-Qasim ibn Mani‘ narrated to us; Mansur ibn Abi Muzahim narrated to us; Waki‘ narrated to us, from Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman—that is, al-Qasim ibn al-Walid—from al-Sha‘bi, from al-Nu‘man ibn Bashir, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say from the pulpit: “Whoever does not give thanks for little does not give thanks for much. Whoever does not thank people does not thank Allah Most High. Speaking of Allah’s blessing is gratitude, while withholding mention of it is ingratitude. Unity is mercy, and division is punishment.” (3)
According to the recitation of the people of Makkah, the sunnah is to pronounce the takbir, beginning with Surat al-Duha, at the opening of every surah until one completes the Quran, saying: “Allah is the Greatest.”
The eminent shaykh and imam, the reviver of the sunnah, defender of hadith, exemplar of the imams, disseminator of the religion, pillar of Islam, imam of the imams, and mufti of the East, Abu Muhammad al-Husayn ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “This is how I recited it to the imam and Quran-reciter Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Hamidi in Merv. He said: ‘I recited to Abu al-Qasim Tahir ibn ‘Ali al-Sayrafi.’ He said: ‘I recited to Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn Mihran.’ He said: ‘I recited to Abu ‘Ali Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Hamid al-Saffar, the Quran-reciter.’ He said: ‘I recited to Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Musa al-Hashimi.’ He said: ‘I recited to Abu Rabi‘ah and al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Haddad, and they both recited to Abu al-Husayn ibn Abi Bazzah, who informed them’