Quran is a gift of ALLAH SWT for all mankind, and each word of the holy Quran has enormous blessings and rewards for those who recite it. Every surah and ayah of the Quran contains wisdom and the message of ALLAH SWT to show the right path to humankind.
Likewise, there are various benefits of reciting Surah Ikhlas. Surah Ikhlas is in the 30thJuz of the Quran and its 112th surah of the Quran.
This little surah contains only 4 verses and focuses on Tawheed and the oneness of ALLAH SWT. This Surah holds great importance with extraordinary virtues for us.
Various Ahadees mention the importance of this great Surah.
Translation of Surah Ikhlas- “Say, “He is ALLAH, (who is) One. ALLAH, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent.”
One of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said to Him:
“I love this Surah (Ikhlas).”
The Prophet (PBUH) replied:
“And your love for it will enable you to enter paradise.” (Tirmidhi)
This hadith indicates that loving Surah Ikhlas can make you enter paradise. Therefore, a Muslim must try to develop a love for this Surah, which can be done in the form of memorizing it and then reciting it as frequently as possible.
In another hadith, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:
“Say: He is ALLAH, Absolute Oneness, By Him in Whose hand my soul is, it is equal to one-third of the Quran!” (Bukhari)
This hadith makes it evident that the recitation of Surah Ikhlas brings the benefit of reward equal to the recitation of one-third of the Quran. Therefore, as much as the Muslim recites it, the more reward he or she gains.
This reward of reciting one-third of the Quran is further emphasized by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in one more hadith on another occasion in the following way:
“Whoever recited Surah Zilzilah would get the reward of reciting half the Quran. Whoever recited Surah al Kafirun would get a reward as if reading a quarter of the Quran. Whoever recited Surah al Ikhlas would get a reward as if reading one-third of the Quran.” (Tirmidhi)
We must make it a habit of reciting Surah Ikhlas to receive more and more rewards as ALLAH SWT made it so easy for us to grab the blessings and rewards.
Prophet Muhammad SAW also said in another Hadees about Surah Ikhlas:
“If anyone recites two hundred times daily, QulhuALLAHuAhad, the sins of fifty years will be wiped out, unless he is in debt.” (Tirmidhi)
This Hadees shows us how powerful Surah Ikhlas is, hence we must make it a part of our lives and take out some time to recite Surah Ikhlas 200 times every day. If we make it a habit and do it with sincerity, it won’t be difficult as it is a very small Surah. And we all need forgiveness for our sins as we are humans and we do commit sins in some or another way. May ALLAH SWT help us to stay away from all big and small sins and accept our forgiveness.
In one more Hadees, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
“When you recite Surah Fatiha and Surah Ikhlas upon lying on your bed, you will be safeguarded and should become fearless of everything except death.” (Tafseer Mazhari)
Hazrat Aisha RA narrated that –Whenever the Prophet (SAW) went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over them after reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Fala,q, and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face, and front of his body. He used to do that three times. (Bukhari)
‘Aisha (May ALLAH be pleased with her) reported:
Messenger of ALLAH, (ﷺ) appointed a man in charge of an army unit who led them in Salat (prayer); he always concluded his recitation with Surat Al-Ikhlas: “Say (O Muhammad (SAW)): ‘He is ALLAH, (the) One. ALLAH-us-Samad (AlALLAHlah – the Self-Sufficient). He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none equal or comparable to Him.”‘ (112:1-4)
In another Hadees:
Anas RA has reported that Rasulullah SAW said, “If anyone who is about to sleep on his bed lies on his right side, then recited Al-Ikhlas 100 times, ALLAH will say to him on the Day of the resurrection, ‘My slave, enter Paradise to your right side.’”
(Tirmidhi)
The Prophet SAW also said: “Whoever recites QulhuwaAllaahuAhad(Surah Ikhlas) ten times, ALLAH SWT will build for him a house in Paradise.”(Sahihal-Jami al-Saghir, 6472)
As we have seen from the above Ahadees that Surah Ikhlas is an important and virtuous Surah. Hence, we must realize the benefits of this Surah and memorize this Surah. It is very important to understand its meaning and make it a practice to recite it every day to get rewarded.