Is the one who recites Surat al-Ikhlas three times like the one who recites the entire Qur'an?

Question:
He says: Shaykh, this questioner is a person who has recited the entire Qur'an once, while another has recited Surat al-Ikhlas more than three times, acting on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that it equals one-third of the Qur'an. So which of the two is better? And if the first is better, what is the meaning of the hadith regarding the virtue of reciting Surat al-Ikhlas?

Answer:
Yes, it is a mistake to equate reciting Surat al-Ikhlas three times with reciting the entire Qur'an. Reciting the entire Qur'an, including Surat al-Ikhlas, is better. There is no doubt that Surat al-Ikhlas is established to equal one-third of the Qur'an in reward, not in recitation, but in reward. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a book on this topic, titled "The Answer of the People of Knowledge and Faith That Surat al-Ikhlas Equals One-Third of the Qur'an."