The Excellence of the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an

The Shaykh:
May Allah greet you and bless you.

The questioner:
A questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, do the surahs differ in excellence in the Qur'an? For example, does Surat al-Baqarah have a specific excellence, and Surat al-Nisa, and so on?

The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Yes, the surahs differ in rank, and the verses also differ in rank. Thus, some of the Qur'an is better than other parts according to the great meanings it contains. Surat al-Ikhlas is considered equal to one-third of the Qur'an, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said. It has great virtue because it describes the attributes of the Most Merciful (Glorified and Exalted is He). Likewise, the Verse of the Throne is the best of the verses because of what it contains regarding describing Allah with attributes of perfection and purifying Him from deficiencies and His exaltedness. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to some of his Companions, "Do you know, Abu 'Amir ibn Ka'b?" He said, "Do you know is the best?" Then Abu 'Amir said, "The Verse of the Throne." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) struck my chest, the chest of Abu 'Amir, and said, "May this knowledge bring you joy, Abu al-Mundhir." Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh