The special merit of the Opening surah, al-Fātiḥah

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُعَلَّى، قَالَ: كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي فِي الْمَسْجِدِ، فَدَعَانِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَلَمْ أُجِبْهُ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنِّي كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي، فَقَالَ: «أَلَمْ يَقُلِ اللَّهُ: ﴿اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ﴾ [الأنفال: 24]». ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي: «لَأُعَلِّمَنَّكَ سُورَةً هِيَ أَعْظَمُ السُّوَرِ فِي القُرْآنِ، قَبْلَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مِنَ المَسْجِدِ». ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي، فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ، قُلْتُ لَهُ: «أَلَمْ تَقُلْ: لَأُعَلِّمَنَّكَ سُورَةً هِيَ أَعْظَمُ سُورَةٍ فِي القُرْآنِ؟»، قَالَ: «﴿الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ [الفاتحة: 2]، هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي، وَالقُرْآنُ العَظِيمُ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُهُ».

تحميل الملف الصوتي

Sa‘īd ibn al-MuꜤallā narrated:

1. I was praying in the mosque when God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) called me, but I did not answer him.

2. I said: ‘Messenger of God, I was praying’.

3. He said: ‘Has God not said: “Believers, respond to the call of God and the Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life?”’ (8: 24)

4. He then said to me: ‘Before you leave the mosque, I shall teach you a surah, which is the greatest surah in the Qur’an’.

5. He then took me by the hand. When he was about to go out, I said to him: ‘Have you not said: I shall teach you a surah, which is the greatest surah in the Qur’an’.

6. He said: ‘Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds (1: 2) It is the seven oft-repeated verses and the sublime Qur’an I have been given’.

Summary of Meaning

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The hadith makes clear that answering the Prophet’s call is obligatory even if a person is in the middle of a prayer. It also tells us that the opening surah, al-Fātiḥah, is the greatest surah in the Qur’an.