“Perhaps you will say: ‘These observations of yours aim to establish the superiority of some Quranic verses over others. Yet all of it is Allah’s speech. How, then, can its verses differ from one another? How can some be nobler than others?’

“Know that if the light of insight does not guide you to the distinction between the Verse of the Throne and the verse on debts, or between Sūrat al-Ikhlās and Sūrat Tabbat, and your fainthearted soul, steeped in blind imitation, recoils from acknowledging such distinctions, then follow the bearer of the revealed Law—Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. It was to him that the Quran was revealed, and he said:

‘Yā Sīn is the heart of the Quran.’

“The reports establish that some parts are nobler than others. He said:

‘The Opening of the Book is the best surah of the Quran.’

“He also said:

‘The Verse of the Throne is the foremost verse of the Quran.’

“And he said:

‘“Say: He is Allah, One” equals one-third of the Quran.’

“The reports concerning the merits of the Quran’s powerful passages, and the particular excellence of certain surahs and verses and the abundant reward for reciting them, are innumerable. Consult the books of hadith for them if you wish. We shall now draw your attention to the meaning of these four reports concerning the superiority of these surahs.”

I say:

Allah willing, we shall mention his explanation of the superiority of “Say: He is Allah, One.” Among those who discussed the scholars’ views on this subject and attributed this position to certain early scholars was al-Qādī ‘Iyād in his Commentary on Sahīh Muslim. Commenting on the Prophet’s words to Ubayy—“Do you know which verse in Allah’s Book is the greatest?”—and his mention of the Verse of the Throne, he said:

“This provides evidence that some parts of the Quran are superior to others