فشكونا إِلَيْه مَا نلقى مِنَ الحَجَّاجِعن الزبير بن عدي ، قَالَ : أتينا أنسَ بن مالك

. فَقَالَ : اصْبرُوا ؛ فَإنَّهُ لا يَأتي عليكم زَمَانٌ إلاَّ والَّذِي بَعدَهُ شَرٌّ مِنهُ حَتَّى تَلقَوا رَبَّكُمْ

سَمِعتُهُ مِنْ نَبِيِّكُمْ

Zubayr ibn ʿAdi RA narrates: Anas ibn Malik RA came to us and we complained to him about the tyranny which we were experiencing at the hands of Ḥajjaj. He said: “Exercise patience for surely every era will be followed by another that is worse than it, until you meet your Sustainer. I heard this from your Messenger ﷺ.” [Bukhari]

The words “until you meet your Sustainer” indicate that a believer will only be at complete ease when he meets his Sustainer.

Anas ibn Malik RA mentioned that “I heard this from your Messenger ” as a consolation to those who complained to him.

The ḥadith urges us to be patient and to hasten towards good deeds because each era will be worse than the previous one. As we move further away from the era of prophethood; innovation, trials and calamities will increase. This is a general rule, however there were exceptions such as the just rule of ʿUmar ibn ʿAbdul ʿAzīz R, which followed that of the tyrant Ḥajjaj ibn Yusuf. In addition, the eras of ʿIsa AS and Imam Mahdi R, which are to come, will be periods of prosperity and righteousness.

EASY GOOD DEEDS – Reciting Surah Ikhlaas

Although reading or reciting any part of Qur’an is an act of merit, but reading or reciting of certain Surahs have been indicated by our blessed Prophet ﷺ as particularly meritorious and rewarding. Among the short Surahs, Surah Ikhlaas has been indicated as much rewarding.

Parable of reciting one-third of the Quran

Abu Sa’id Al-Khudriy RA narrated:

أنَّه سمعَ رجلًا يقرأُ (قل هوَ اللَّهُ أحدٌ) يردِّدُها، فلمَّا أصبحَ غدا إلى رسولِ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ فذَكَرَ ذلِكَ لَهُ، وَكانَ الرَّجلَ يتقالُّها فقالَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ: والَّذي نفسي بيدِهِ إنَّها لتعدلُ ثلثَ القرآنِ‏

“A man heard another man reciting (Surah Al-Ikhlas) and he was repeating it (in his prayer). The next morning, he came to Rasulullah ﷺ and mentioned the whole story to him as if he regarded the recitation of that Surah as insufficient. Rasulullah ﷺ then replied, “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is! That (Surah Al-Ikhlas) equals one-third of the Quran.” [Bukhari]

In another Hadith,

قالَ النَّبيُّ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم لأصْحابِهِ: أيَعْجِزُ أحَدُكُمْ أنْ يَقْرَأَ ثُلُثَ القُرْآنِ في لَيْلَةٍ؟ فَشَقَّ ذلكَ عليهم وقالوا: أيُّنا يُطِيقُ ذلكَ يا رَسولَ اللَّهِ؟ فقالَ: اللَّهُ الواحِدُ الصَّمَدُ؛ ثُلُثُ القُرْآنِ

Rasulullah ﷺ said to his Companions, “Is any one of you incapable of reciting one-third of the Quran in one night?” They (the Companions) considered it difficult and said: “O Rasulullah, which of us can afford to do that?” He said, “(Surah Al-Ikhlas) is equivalent to one-third of the Quran” [Bukhari]

Protection from Evil and Black Magic

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ إِذَا أَوَى إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ جَمَعَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ نَفَثَ فِيهِمَا فَقَرَأَ فيهمَا (قل هُوَ الله أحد) و (قل أعوذ بِرَبّ الفلق) و (قل أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ) ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَبْدَأُ بِهِمَا عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَوَجْهِهِ وَمَا أَقْبَلَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاث مَرَّات‏

“Whenever the Prophet ﷺ went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting (Surah Al-Ikhlas), (Surah Al-Falaq) and (Surah 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.” [Muttafaqun ‘Alayh]

Following and practising the Prophet’s Sunnah

In many occasions that our Prophet ﷺ was heard reciting Surah Al-Kafirun (in the first Rak’ah), and Surah Al-Ikhlas (in the second Rak`ah) in the two sunnah Rak’ah of the Subuh prayer and in the two rakaat after Maghrib prayer

ما أُحصي ما سمِعتُ رسولَ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم : يقرأُ في الرَّكعتَيْن بعد المغربِ ، وفي الرَّكعتَيْن قبل صلاةِ الفجرِ بـ (قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ وقُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ)

“I can’t count the number of times Rasulullah ﷺ read in the two rakaat (Sunnah) of Maghrib and in the two rakaat (Sunnah) of Subuh – (Surah Al-Kafirun and Surah Al-Ikhlas)” [Tirmidhi]

and in the Witr prayer, as narrated by Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas RA:

ان رسولُ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم يُوتِرُ بثلاثٍ، يقرأ في الأولى بـ (سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى)، وفي الثانية بـ (قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الكَافِرُونَ)، وفي الثالثة بـ (قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ)

“Rasulullah ﷺ. would perform the Witr prayer in three (rakaat). He would read on the first rakaat (Surah Al-A’la), and on the second rakaat (Surah Al-Kafirun), and on the third rakaat (Surah Al-Ikhlas)” [Tirmidhi]