- “Whoever recites ‘Say: He is Allah, the One’ to its conclusion ten times, Allah will build for him a palace in Paradise.”
Ahmad (5/437) and al-‘Uqayli in al-Du‘afa’ (147) recorded it through Ibn Lahi‘ah and Rushdayn ibn Sa‘d, who said: Zaban ibn Fa’id al-Hamrawi narrated to us, from Sahl ibn Mu‘adh ibn Anas al-Juhani, from his father, Mu‘adh ibn Anas al-Juhani, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah, from the Prophet, who said this. He added: “‘Umar said: ‘Then we shall have many palaces, O Messenger of Allah!’ He replied: ‘Allah has more, and what He has is better.’” Ibn al-Sunni (687) also recorded it from Ibn Lahi‘ah alone, without this addition.
I say: This chain is somewhat weak because of Zaban. Al-Hafiz said: “He is weak in hadith, despite his righteousness and worship.” Al-Haythami said in al-Majma‘ (7/145): “Al-Tabarani and Ahmad narrated it, and their chains contain Rushdayn ibn Sa‘d and Zaban. Both are weak, although both have received some qualified commendation.”
I say: Ibn Lahi‘ah’s corroboration of Rushdayn in Ahmad’s version strengthens it and makes a defect in Rushdayn less likely. Zaban is not accused of dishonesty, so his hadith may be used as corroboration. I have found for it one connected corroborating report and another mursal report. As for the first, al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Awsat from Abu Hurayrah as a report attributed to the Prophet, with the same wording but without the addition. He added: “Whoever recites it twenty times, Allah will build for him two palaces; and whoever recites it thirty times, Allah will build for him three.” Al-Haythami said: “Its chain contains Hani ibn al-Mutawakkil, who is weak.”
As for the other, al-Darimi said in his Sunan (2/459): ‘Abdullah ibn Yazid narrated to us; Haywah narrated to us; Abu ‘Aqil informed me that he heard Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib say: “Indeed, the Prophet of Allah said”—and he cited the hadith in full, like the hadith of Mu‘adh ibn Anas, including the second addition found in the first corroborating report.