They asked, ‘How can one recite one-third of the Quran?’ He replied, ‘“Say: He is Allah, the One” is equivalent to one-third of the Quran.’”

Muslim also narrated from Abū al-Dardā’ that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Allah divided the Quran into three parts and made ‘Say: He is Allah, the One’ one of those parts.”

In Sahīh al-Bukhārī, ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Abī Sa‘sa‘ah narrated from Abū Sa‘īd:

“A man heard another man repeatedly reciting ‘Say: He is Allah, the One.’ In the morning, he went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned this to him, regarding that recitation as little. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘By Him in whose hand is my soul, it is indeed equivalent to one-third of the Quran.’”

Al-Bukhārī also recorded from Abū Sa‘īd, who said: “My brother Qatādah ibn al-Nu‘mān informed me that a man stood in prayer during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, reciting ‘Say: He is Allah, the One’ before dawn, without reciting anything else…” The rest of the hadith follows in similar wording.

In Sahīh Muslim, Abū Hurayrah said:

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Gather together, for I shall recite to you one-third of the Quran.’ So people gathered. Then the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out, recited ‘Say: He is Allah, the One,’ and went back inside. We said to one another, ‘I think some news has come to him from heaven, and that is what made him go inside.’ Then the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out and said, ‘I told you that I would recite to you one-third of the Quran. Indeed, it is equivalent to one-third of the Quran.’”

In another wording recorded by Muslim, he said: “The Messenger of Allah came out to us