- Ubayy ibn Kaʿb reports from the Messenger of God who said: ‘One who reads this surah for ten nights will have God forgive him. And the one who recites it every day will have the surah serve as a light for him on the Day of Judgement.’
- Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) is reported by Dāwūd ibn Farqad to have said: ‘Recite Sūrat al-Fajr in your obligatory and supererogatory prayers for it is the surah of al-Husayn ibn Ali (a). One who recites it will be with al-Husayn ibn Ali in his station in paradise, on the Day of Judgement. Indeed God is mighty and wise.’ In yet another variant of this tradition, Dāwūd ibn Farqad reports Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) as saying: ‘Recite Sūrat al-Fajr in your obligatory and supererogatory prayers for it is the surah of al-Husayn ibn Ali (a), and incline and aspire to it, may God have mercy on you.’ A man by the name of Abū Usāmah, who was present in the gathering, asked him: ‘How did this surah become so special with respect to al-Husayn ibn Ali?’ The Imam replied: ‘Have you not heard His speech, the exalted: O soul at peace! Return to your Lord, well-pleased [with Him] and well-pleasing [Him]! Then enter among My servants! And enter My paradise!? It refers to al-Husayn ibn Ali (a) for he is the soul at peace, well-pleased and well-pleasing. His companions from the family of Muhammad shall be well-pleased with God on the Day of Judgement while He will be well-pleased with them. This surah was revealed in favour of al-Husayn ibn Ali, his partisans, and the partisans of the family of Muhammad in particular. One who persists in the recitation of Sūrat al-Fajr shall be with al-Husayn in his station on the Day of Judgement. God is mighty and wise.’
Note: The ascription of this surah to Imam al-Husayn (a) may be from the perspective that he is the best personification of the last verses of this surah. This interpretation seems corroborated by an explanation of Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), specifically in regard to verse 27 of this surah where the expression soul at peace occurs. He said it referred to al-Husayn ibn Ali (a). It has also been suggested that the ascription of this surah to Imam al-Husayn (a) could be from the perspective that the ten nights, which are sworn by in verse 2, refer to the ten nights of the month of Muharram, which are inextricably linked to the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a). Hence, its ascription to Imam al-Husayn (a) seems to be in the spirit of applied exegesis or from the perspective of a prophecy. However it may be, a note of caution is suggested for those who assume a simplistic understanding of the relation between the recitation of this surah and its promised rewards, in that such reward should be deemed to accrue when the reciter recites the surah with due contemplation and understanding, and endeavours to act according to its teachings. The reciter must aspire to understand and contemplate its contents, perceive its pulses, follow its teachings, and interact with its rhythm and cadence. In short, the reciter needs to live the surah, with all that such a person has been endowed with of a sincere heart, intelligence, and perception. Indeed none can comprehend this surah or the entire Quran save one who blends and integrates with it and submits to its guidance.
[1] Tabrisi.J, 6/484; Tabrisi, 10/730; Nur, 5/571; Thalabi, 10/191.
[2] Thawab, p. 123, cited here from Burhan, 5/649, where instead of the phrase ‘for it is the surah of al-Husayn ibn Ali’, there appears the alternative phrase ‘for it is a surah for al-Husayn ibn Ali’.
[3] Tabrisi, 10/73; Tabrisi.J, 6/484.
[4] The last sentence appears as an addition in a variant of this tradition in Thawab, p. 123, cited here from Burhan, 5/649.
[5] Taʾwīl al-Āyāt, 1/770; Burhan, 5/657-658.
[6] Amthal, 19/170.
[7] Amthal, 19/170.
[8] Amthal, 19/170.
[9] Mudarrisi, 18/78.