Hadith: By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, it is equal to one-third of the Qur’an

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الخُدْرِيِّ رَضيَ اللهُ عنهُ:
أَنَّ رَجُلًا سَمِعَ رَجُلًا يَقْرَأُ: {قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ} يُرَدِّدُهَا، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ جَاءَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ، وَكَأَنَّ الرَّجُلَ يَتَقَالُّهَا، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنَّهَا لَتَعْدِلُ ثُلُثَ القُرْآنِ».
[صحيح] - [رواه البخاري] - [صحيح البخاري: 5013]

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
A man heard another man reciting: {Say, “He is Allah, the One”} repeatedly. The next morning, he came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned that to him, as if he thought it was not enough. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, it is equal to one-third of the Qur’an."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari] - [Sahih Bukhari - 5013]

Explanation

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that a man heard another reciting the Surah: {Say, “He is Allah, the One”} repeatedly throughout the night, without adding anything else. The next morning, he came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned that to him, as if the questioner thought it was not enough. Thereupon, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) swore by way of confirmation: By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, it is equal to one-third of the Qur’an.

Benefits from the Hadith

1. The merit of Surat al-Ikhlās and that it is equal to one-third of the Qur’an.
2. It is permissible to recite a small number of verses during the night prayer and repeat them, without belittling this.
3. Al-Māziri said: It was said: It means: The Qur’an consists of three categories: stories, rulings, and the attributes of Allah Almighty. {Say, “He is Allah, the One.”} is exclusively about Allah's attributes, making it one-third—a part of three parts. It was also said: It means: The reward of reciting it is multiplied to equal the reward of reciting one-third of the Qur’an without any additional multiplication.