While I was praying, the Prophet ﷺ passed by and called me, but I did not go to him till I had finished my prayer. When I went to him, he said, "What prevented you from coming?" I said, "I was praying." He said, "Didn't Allah say" "O you who believes Give your response to Allah (by obeying Him) and to His Apostle." (8.24) Then he added, "Shall I tell you the most superior Sura in the Qur'an before I go out of the mosque?" When the Prophet ﷺ intended to go out (of the Mosque), I reminded him and he said, "That is: "Al hamdu-li l-lahi Rabbil-ʿalamin (Surat-al-fatiha)' which is the seven oft repeated verses (Al-Mathani) and the Grand Qur'an which has been given to me." (Using translation from Bukhārī 4703)  

مَرَّ بِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَنَا أُصَلِّي فَدَعَانِي فَلَمْ آتِهِ حَتَّى صَلَّيْتُ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي «مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَنِي؟» قُلْتُ كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي فَقَالَ أَلَمْ يَقِلِ اللهُ ﷻ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ} [الأنفال 24]؟ قَالَ «أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكَ أَعْظَمَ سُورَةٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ؟» فَذَهَبَ لِيُخْرِجَ فَذَكَّرْتُهُ فَقَالَ «الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنُ الْعَظِيمُ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُهُ»  

[Machine] The Prophet ﷺ was on a journey when a man came and sat beside him. The Prophet ﷺ turned to him and said, "Shall I not inform you about the best of the Quran?" The man replied, "Recite it to me." Then the Prophet ﷺ recited, "Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds."  

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فِي مَسِيرٍ لَهُ فَنَزَلَ وَنَزَلَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى جَانِبِهِ فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَقَالَ «أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُ بِأَفْضَلِ الْقُرْآنِ» قَالَ فَتَلَا عَلَيْهِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ  

If anyone observes a prayer in which he does not recite Umm al-Qur’an, it is incomplete, it is incomplete, it is incomplete, and deficient. (The narrator said) I said: Abu Hurairah, sometime I pray behind the imam(then what should I do)? Pressing my hand he replied: O Persian, recite it inwardly, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying that Allah, Most High, has said: I have Me and the Half for my servant and My servant will receive what he asks. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Recite. When the servant says: “praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe,” Allah, Most High says: “My servant has praised me.” When the servant says: “ The Compassionate, the merciful, “Allah Most High says: “My servant has lauded me.” When the servant says: “Owner of the Day of Judgment,” Allah, Most High, says: “My servant has glorified Me” When the servant says: “ Thee do we worship and of thee we ask help. “ (Allah says) “This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks.” When the servant says: “ Guide us to the Straight Path, the path of those whom thou hast favoured, not ( the path) of those who earn thine anger nor of those who go astray,”(Allah says: ) “This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks.” (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 821)   

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «مَنْ صَلَّى صَلَاةً لَمْ يَقْرَأْ فِيهَا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ هِيَ خِدَاجٌ هِيَ خِدَاجٌ هِيَ خِدَاجٌ غَيْرُ تَمَامٍ» فَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ إِنِّي أَحْيَانًا أَكُونُ وَرَاءَ الْإِمَامِ فَغَمَزَ ذِرَاعِي وَقَالَ اقْرَأْ بِهَا يَا فَارِسِيُّ فِي نَفْسِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ قَالَ اللهُ ﷻ «قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ فَنِصْفُهَا لِي وَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ» قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ اقْرَءُوا يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ {الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ} [الفاتحة 2] يَقُولُ اللهُ «حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي» يَقُولُ {الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ} [الفاتحة 1] يَقُولُ اللهُ «أَثْنَى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي» يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ {مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ} يَقُولُ اللهُ مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي وَهَذِهِ الْآيَةُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ {اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ} [الفاتحة 7] فَهَؤُلَاءِ لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ خَالَفَهُ سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ  

[Machine] I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "Every prayer in which Surah Al-Fatiha is not recited is incomplete, it is incomplete, it is incomplete." Abu Hurairah said, "O Messenger of Allah, sometimes I am behind the Imam (leader of prayer)." He said: "O Persian, recite it to yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: Allah (ﷻ) said: 'I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.' The servant said, 'All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.' Allah (ﷻ) said, 'My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, 'The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,' Allah (ﷻ) says, 'My servant has glorified Me.' When he says, 'Master of the Day of Judgment,' Allah (ﷻ) says, 'My servant has magnified Me,' or 'My servant has entrusted his affairs to Me.' When he says, 'You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help,' Allah (ﷻ) says: 'This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.'" Sufyan said: "I entered upon Al-Ala' bin Abd ar-Rahman in his house when he was sick, and I asked him about this Hadith, so he narrated it to me."  

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «كُلُّ صَلَاةٍ لَا يُقْرَأُ فِيهَا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ فَهِيَ خِدَاجٌ فَهِيَ خِدَاجٌ فَهِيَ خِدَاجٌ» قَالَ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ إِنِّي أَحْيَانًا أَكُونُ وَرَاءَ الْإِمَامِ قَالَ يَا فَارِسِيُّ اقْرَأْ بِهَا فِي نَفْسِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ قَالَ اللهُ ﷻ «قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ» قَالَ الْعَبْدُ {الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ} [الفاتحة 2] قَالَ اللهُ «حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي» فَإِذَا قَالَ {الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ} [الفاتحة 1] قَالَ «اللهُ أَثْنَى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي» فَإِذَا قَالَ {مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ} قَالَ اللهُ «مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي» أَوْ قَالَ «فَوَّضَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِي» فَإِذَا قَالَ {إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ} [الفاتحة 5] قَالَ هَذِهِ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ فِي بَيْتِهِ وَهُوَ مَرِيضٌ فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَحَدَّثَنِي بِهِ  

This is a gate opened in heaven today which had never been opened before. Then when an angel descended through it, he said: This is an angel who came down to the earth who had never come down before. He greeted and said: Rejoice in two lights given to you which have not been given to any prophet before you: Fatihat al-Kitab and the concluding verses of Surah al-Baqara. You will never recite a letter from them for which you will not be given (a reward). (Using translation from Muslim 806)  

بَيْنَا جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَاعِدٌ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ سَمِعَ صَوْتًا نَقِيضًا مِنْ فَوْقِهِ فَقَالَ «هَذَا بَابٌ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فُتِحَ الْيَوْمَ لَمْ يُفْتَحْ قَطُّ إِلَّا الْيَوْمَ فَنَزَلَ مِنْهُ مَلَكٌ» فَقَالَ «هَذَا مَلَكٌ نَزَلَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ لَمْ يَنْزِلْ قَطُّ إِلَّا الْيَوْمَ فَسَلَّمَ» وَقَالَ أَبْشِرْ بِنُورَيْنِ أُوتِيتَهُمَا لَمْ يُؤْتَهُمَا نَبِيٌّ قَبْلَكَ فَاتِحَةُ الْكِتَابِ وَخَوَاتِيمُ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ لَمْ تُقْرَأْ بِحَرْفٍ مِنْهَا إِلَّا أُعْطِيتَهُ