THE VIRTUE OF SŪRAH AL-IKHLĀS

Anas bin Malik (radiyallāhu anhu) narrated: The Jews of Khaybar came to Rasūlullāh (sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam), and asked, “Tell us about the attributes of your Lord.” In response, Sūrah al-Ikhlās was revealed. This noble sūrah clearly describes the attributes of Allah the Exalted in a pure form.
Sūrah al-Ikhlās is equivalent to one-third of the Qur’ān al-Karīm. Nabī (sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam) said, “How could any of you be incapable of reading one-third of the Qur’ān every night? Whoever recites Sūrah al-Ikhlās during the night [is as if he] has recited one-third of the Qur’ān.” Therefore, anyone who recites this noble Sūrah three times would receive the reward as if they have recited the entire Qur’ān al-Karīm. There are numerous ahādīth concerning this matter. It is narrated:
“Whoever recites this noble sūrah three times, it is as if he has recited the entire Qur’ān. Whoever recites it thirty times, no one in the world can match his reward unless they read more. Whoever recites it two hundred times will have his abode in the highest levels of Jannah. Whoever recites this noble sūrah upon entering his home will keep poverty away from him.”
The Qur’ān has an aspect of its recited words and the aspect of meaning. Muslims earn rewards from both. The reward from the recitation of the uttered words is for the limbs, while the reward from contemplating its meaning during recitation is the share of the heart. The fact that reciting Sūrah al-Ikhlās once equals reciting one-third of the Qur’ān pertains to this latter aspect. This is because one of the three fundamentals of the Qur’ān is the science of tawhīd (monotheism), and this sūrah specifically pertains to the tawhīd of Allah the Exalted. When a person reads this noble surah, it is as though he read all the noble verses related to the oneness of Allah, contemplating their meanings at the same time.
Allah Ta‘ālā, out of sheer generosity, grants more reward for some effortless acts of worship than for others that involve much more difficulty. Indeed, more rewards are allocated for worship performed at certain times and places than at others. All of this contains wisdom known only to Allah. Our task is to seize these opportunities as blessings.