205. Which Surahs Of The Qur’aan Should I Read Daily/Weekly?

By Asma Bint Shameem

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to read certain specific Suwar (plural of Surah) and Aayaat of the Qur’aan on a regular basis at a specific time or day of the week and he encouraged us to do the same. 

But we can only read those Suwar on a regular basis for which there’s PROOF from the authentic ahaadeeth. 

If there’s no such proof, then reading any Surah of the Qur’aan on a specific day or a specific time or a specific number becomes an ADDITION to the Deen that was sent to the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala. 

And that’s a big SIN. 

May Allaah protect us. 

So let’s see what some of those Suwar are that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam read on a regular basis, daily or weekly. 

1. Reciting Surah al-Kahf on Fridays:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahf on the day of Jumu’ah, will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next.”

(al-Haakim, al-Bayhaqi- saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani)

2. Reciting Surah al-Mulk at Night

Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ud radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“Whoever reads 'al-Mulk’ every night, Allaah will protect him from the torment of the grave. 

At the time of the Messenger of Allaah sal Allaahu 'alayhi wa Sallam, we used to call it al-mani'ah (that which protects). In the Book of Allaah, there is a chapter [and] whoever recites it every night has done very well.”

(Sahih at-Targhib wat-Tarhib, no. 1475)

3. Reading the last two Aayaat of al-Baqarah at bedtime:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Whoever recites the last two verses of Soorat al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice him.” 

(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

4. Reciting Surah Bani Israa’eel and Surah az-Zumar at night:

Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said: 

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam would not go to sleep until he had recited Bani Israa’eel (Soorat al-Isra’) and al-Zumar.”

(al-Tirmidhi -saheeh by al-Albaani)

5. Reading Surah al-Kaafiroon at bedtime:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Recite Qul yaa ayyuha’l-kaafiroon then go to sleep at the end of it, for it is a disavowal of shirk.” 

(Abu Dawood  and at-Tirmidhi-saheeh by al-Albaani)

6. Reading Aayatul Kursi at bedtime:

Abu Hurayrah radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam 

appointed me to guard the zakaah of Ramadhaan, then someone came and started rummaging in the foodstuff … and at the end of the hadeeth he said: 

*“When you go to your bed, recite Aayat al-Kursiy, for there will remain with you a guardian from Allaah, and no devil will approach you, until morning comes.”*

The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: 

“He told you the truth although he is a liar. That was a devil.” (al-Bukhaari) 

7.  Reading the last three Suwar of the Qur’aan at bedtime:

Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:

“When the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam went to bed every night, he would hold his hands together and blow into them, and recite into them Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad, Qul a’oodhu bi rabb il-falaq and Qul a’oodhu bi rabb il-naas. Then he would wipe them over whatever he could of his body, starting with his head and face and the front of his body, and he would do that three times.”

(al-Bukhaari)

8. Reading Surah as-Sajdah before sleeping:

Jaabir radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam never used to sleep until he had recited Alif-laam-meem tanzeel [al-Sajdah] and Tabaarak alladhi bi yadihi’l-mulk [al-Mulk].”

(al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad- saheeh by al-Albaani)

9. Reading Aayatul Kursi and the last three Suwar of the Qur’aan after Salaah. 

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Whoever recites Aayat al-Kursiy immediately after each prescribed prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except death.” (al-Nasaa’i- saheeh by al-Albaani)

And Uqbah Bin Aamir radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu alaiyhi wa Sallam ordered him to recite the last three Surahs of the Qur'an after every prayer.” 

(Ahmad - saheeh by al-Albaani)

10. Reading Surah al-Aa’laa, Kaafiroon and Ikhlaas in Witr. 

Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abzaa radhi Allaahu anhu said that the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to recite Sabbih isma Rabbik al-Alaa (Surah al-Aa’laa), Qul yaa ayyuhaal-kaafiroon (Surah al-Kaafiroon) and Qul huwa Allaahu ahad (Surah al-Ikhlaas) in his witr prayer.” (al-Nisaai- saheeh by al-Albaani)

11. Reciting Surah al-Kaafiroon and Surah al-Ikhlaas in the Sunnah of Fajr and Sunnah of Maghrib:

Abu Huraira radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam would recite in the prayer before dawn prayer the verses, ‘Say: O you unbelievers…’ (Surah al-Kaafiroon) and, ‘Say: He is Allah alone…’ (Surah al-Ikhlaas)” (Muslim)

And Ibn Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to recite in the two Rak’aat for Fajr, and two Rak’aat after Maghrib prayer: “Say: O you unbelievers…” (Surah al-Kaafiroon) and, “Say: He is Allah alone…” (Surah al-Ikhlaas)”

(at-Tabarani - Saheeh by al-Albaani)

12. Reciting Surah al-Ikhlaas 10 times:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Whoever recites Qul huwa Allaahu ahad ten times, Allaah will build for him a house in Paradise.”

(Saheeh al-Jaami al-Sagheer, 6472)

13. Reciting the last 10 Aayaat of Surah Aal-Imraan on waking up:

Ibn Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam woke up and started wiping the sleep from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last ten verses of Surah Al ‘Imran, then he got up and went to a water skin that was hanging there, and did wudu (ablution) from it and did it well, then he stood and prayed.” (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

 Some WEAK/FABRICATED AHAADEETH 

Listed below are some ahaadeeth that are very ‘popular’ among the people although they are either WEAK or FABRICATED. 

We should NOT be reading these Suwar DAILY or on a REGULAR basis at a SPECIFIC time because it’s NOT PROVEN that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam read them regularly at specific times or days. 

There’s no need for any one of us to follow weak ahaadeeth because Alhamdulillaah we have plenty of SAHEEH ahaadeeth to work on. 

When a hadeeth is classified as ‘weak’, it means that it’s highly DOUBTFUL that the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam ever said that or did that or approved of that. 

So why indulge in something that’s doubtful and unsure?

And of course, a fabricated hadeeth is a LIE on the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam. And that is a very grave sin. 

May Allaah save us. 

1. The ‘hadeeth’ about Surah ar-Rahmaan is Munkar (ODD).

“For everything there is a bride and the bride of the Qur’an is Soorat ar-Rahmaan,” 

Shaikh al-Albaani said:

“This is an ODD (munkar) hadith.” (Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth ad-Da‘eefah by al-Albaani (1350).

2. The hadeeth about Surah al-Waaqi’ah is WEAK:

“Whoever recites Soorat al-Waaqi‘ah every night, poverty will never touch him,” 

Shaikh al-Albaani said this is da‘eef (WEAK). (ad-Da‘eefah (289)

3. The ahaadeeth about Surah Yaseen are either WEAK or FABRICATED. 

“Everything has a heart, and the heart of the Qur’aan is Ya-Seen; whoever reads it, it is as if he has read the Qur’aan ten times.”

“Whoever reads Soorat Ya-Seen in one night will be forgiven in the morning.” 

“Whoever continues to read it every night then dies, will die as a shaheed (martyr).”

“Whoever enters the graveyard and reads Soorat Ya-Seen, their (punishment) will be reduced that day, and he will have hasanaat (reward) equal to the number of people in the graveyard.” 

”All the above narrations about Surah Yaseen are either WEAK or FABRICATED”

(al-Mawdoo’aat by Ibn al-Jawzi (2/313); and Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah wa’l-Mawdoo’ah by al-Albaani)

4. The hadeeth about Surah al-Faatihah and Surah al-Muzammil is FABRICATED. 

“Any Muslim who recites the Opening of the Book (al-Faatihah) will be given as much reward as if he recited two-thirds of the Qur’aan, and he will be given reward as if he had given charity to every believer, man and woman… and whoever recites Soorat al-Muzzammil will be relieved of hardship in this world and in the Hereafter.” 

Ibn al-Jawzi said:

“This hadeeth about the virtues of the soorahs is undoubtedly FABRICATED.”

(Al-Mawdoo’aat, 1/391)

Alhamdulillaah, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala has preserved the Deen through the ulama who spent their entire lives researching and sorting through literally thousands of ahaadeeth and thus they clarified for us, which ones of these ahaadeeth are authentic and which ones are not. 

And therefore made it EASY for us to follow only the authentic ones. 

Alhamdulillaah!

That’s the promise of Allaah to preserve the TRUE Deen till the Day of Judgment. 

Of course, the whole of the Qur’aan is Noble and Blessed. 

And it’s virtuous to read ALL of it. 

Read such Surahs as they come along with your daily recitation of the Book of Allaah.

But to PICK OUT these specific Suwar and read them at certain times and days, although it’s not prescribed in the Sharee’ah to do so, is not correct. And falls under the category of bid’ah. 

May Allaah enable us to implement the true Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam and follow only the authentic ahaadeeth that are proven to be his practice. 

Ameen.

وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

“And the first to embrace Islaam of the Muhajirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (the citizens of Al-Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhajirun) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allaah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.” (Surah at-Taubah:100)