O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" I said: "{Allah: none has the right to be worshiped except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining...} [Surat al-Baqarah: 255]." Thereupon, he struck me on the chest and said: "May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu al-Mundhir!
عَنْ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ، أَتَدْرِي أَيُّ آيَةٍ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللهِ مَعَكَ أَعْظَمُ؟» قَالَ: قُلْتُ: اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ، أَتَدْرِي أَيُّ آيَةٍ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللهِ مَعَكَ أَعْظَمُ؟» قَالَ: قُلْتُ: {اللهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ} [البقرة: 255]. قَالَ: فَضَرَبَ فِي صَدْرِي، وَقَالَ: «وَاللهِ لِيَهْنِكَ الْعِلْمُ، أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ».
Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" I replied: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" I said: "{Allah: none has the right to be worshiped except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining...} [Surat al-Baqarah: 255]." Thereupon, he struck me on the chest and said: "May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu al-Mundhir!"
Narrated by Muslim · hadeethenc:65059
Grading: Authentic (as published by the source; the grader is not named)
Explanation from the source
- The Hadīth highlights great excellence for Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him).
- The verse of al-Kursī is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah Almighty. So, we should memorize it, ponder its meanings, and act accordingly.
Topics: Excellence of the Qur'an
Source: HadeethEnc.com, published by HadeethEnc.com. Version API snapshot retrieved 2026-10-11 (the source publishes no version number) (retrieved 2026-10-11). Published by HadeethEnc.com. Shown unmodified; not reviewed by a scholar.