- “Everything has a summit, and the summit of the Quran is Surat al-Baqarah. When Satan hears Surat al-Baqarah being recited, he leaves the house in which it is recited.”
Al-Hakim recorded it (1/561) through the route of Amr ibn Abi Qays, from Asim ibn Abi al-Najud, from Abu al-Ahwas, from Abdullah ibn Masud, both as a report attributed to Ibn Masud and as one attributed to the Prophet. He said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic,” and al-Dhahabi agreed with him.
I say: In my view, it is good, for Asim has some weakness in his retention. Al-Hakim also has another route for the latter half of it, from Asim on the same authority, with similar wording. As for the first half, al-Darimi recorded it (2/447) through the route of Hammad ibn Salamah, from Asim on the same authority, as a report attributed to Ibn Masud, adding: “Everything has an inner core, and the inner core of the Quran is the Mufassal section.” I say: Its chain is good.
The hadith has a corroborating report, with similar wording, from Sahl ibn Sad attributed to the Prophet, and another from Abu Hurayrah with similar wording. Both are cited in the other book (1348 and 1349). Its first part also has another corroborating report from Maqil ibn Yasar, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: “Al-Baqarah is the summit and highest part of the Quran. Eighty angels descended with every verse of it, and ‘Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer’ was brought forth from beneath the Throne and joined to it…” Ahmad recorded it (5/26) from a man, from his father, from him.
I say: This chain is plainly weak. In some routes, the first man is named Abu Uthman, and it is explicitly stated there that he is not Abu Uthman al-Nahdi; thus, in any case, he is unknown.