Names of some surahs
Firstly, the better-known names and numbers of the surahs about which you ask are as follows:
- Surah al-Hamdu is Surat al-Fatihah (the Opening), Surah #1
- Surah Inna Fatahna is Surat al-Fath (the Victory), Surah #48
- Allahus-Samad is Surat al-Ikhlas (the Purity), Surah #112
- 'Amma yatasa alun is Surat al-Naba (the Great News), Surah #78
The verse “La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu min al-zalimin (None has the right to be worshipped except You [O Allah]. Glorified (and Exalted) are You. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers) is from Surat al-Anbiya, Surah 21, Verse 87.
A word of warning: The book Dalail al-Khayrat contains weak and fabricated hadiths, and prescribes things that are contrary to the truth, so it is not right for anyone to rely on this book.
Does the translation of the Quran count as the Quran itself?
A translation of the Quran in English or any other language is not counted as Quran itself, and the rulings that apply to Quran do not apply to it. The Quran is the Word of Allah which was revealed in the Arabic tongue.
Virtues of Surat al-Ikhlas
Al-Ahad (the One) and al-Samad (the Self-Sufficient) are two of the great Names of Allah .
Stating that Surat al-Ikhlas should be recited 500 times, and that the verse (interpretation of the meaning) La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu min al-zalimin (None has the right to be worshipped except You [O Allah]. Glorified (and Exalted) are You. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers) [al-Anbiya 21:87] should be recited 100 times is a practice that has no basis whatsoever in the Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), so it is not right to adhere to these numbers. You should act upon the sound hadiths that describe the virtues of this surah and this verse. These reports include the following:
From Qatadah ibn al-Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that a man stayed up to worship Allah at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) just before dawn and recited Qul huwa Allahu ahad, but did not recite anything else. In the morning, the man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and told him about this, thinking that perhaps he was not doing enough. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it is equivalent to one-third of the Quran. (al-Bukhari, 4627).
Ahmad reported from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that a man said, O Messenger of Allah, I have a neighbour who prays at night and he only ever recites Qul huwa Allahu ahad as if he did not think much of this. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it is equivalent to one-third of the Quran. (al-Musnad, 10965)
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to his Companions: Could any one of you not recite one third of the Quran in one night? They found the idea too difficult, and said, Who among us could do that, O Messenger of Allah? He said, Allahul-ahad, al- samad [i.e., Surat al-Ikhlas] is one third of the Quran. (Reported by al-Bukhari, 4628)
`Aishah reported that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to bed, he would cup his hands together, blow into them and recite into them Qul huwa Allahu ahad [Surat al-Ikhlas], Qul a'udhu bi Rabbil-falaq [Surat al-Falaq] and Qul a'udhu bi Rabbil-nas [Surat al-Nas] (these are the last 3 surahs of the Quran). Then he would wipe as much of his body as he could with his hands, starting with his head and face, and the front of his body. He would do this three times. (Reported by al-Bukhari, 4630)
`Aishah also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent a man in charge of a small military campaign, and when he recited Quran whilst leading his companions in prayer, he would always end with Qul huwa Allahu ahad. When they came back, (his companions) mentioned that to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who told them to ask him why he did that. So they asked him, and he said, Because it is a description of the Most Merciful, and I love to recite it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Tell him that Allah loves him. (Reported by al-Bukhari, 6827)
'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abza reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to recite Sabbih isma Rabbik al-A'la (Surat al-A'la, #87), Qul ya ayyuhal-kafirun (Surat al-Kafirun, #109) and Qul huwa Allahu ahad (Surat al-Ikhlas, #112) in his witr prayer, and when he had finished, he would repeat Subhan al-Malik al-Quddus (Glory be to the King, the Holy) three times, making the last vowel long on the third recitation. (Reported by al-Nasai, 1721)
'Uqbah ibn 'Amir said: I met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said to me, O 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir, shall I not teach you some Surahs the like of which have not been revealed in the Tawrat (Torah) or the Zabur (Psalms) or the Injil (Gospel) or in the Quran? There is no night that comes but you should not recite (i.e., every night you should recite) Qul huwa Allahu ahad [Surat al-Ikhlas], Qul a'udhu bi Rabbil-falaq [Surat al-Falaq] and Qul a'udhu bi Rabbil-nas [Surat al-Nas]. 'Uqbah said: So every night I would recite them. It became my duty to recite them, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had commanded me to do so. (Musnad Ahmad, 16810)
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard a man reciting Qul huwa Allahu ahad, and said, It is his right. They asked, O Messenger of Allah, what is his right? He said, Paradise is his right. (Reported by Imam Ahmad, 7669)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Whoever recites Qul huwa Allahu ahad ten times, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise. (Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir, 6472).
So recite it as many times as you wish, without sticking to a certain number or time or way that is not prescribed by Shari`ah.
Virtues of “La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu min al-zalimin”
With regard to the verse “La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu min al-zalimin”, the following report has been narrated concerning its virtues:
Sa'd said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The call of Dhul-Nun [Yunus/Jonah], which he recited when he was in the belly of the fish, La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu min al-zalimin. There is no Muslim who recites this in any situation, but Allah will respond to him. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3427, and classed as sahih in Sahih al-Jami', 3383).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Shall I not tell you of something which, if some of the misery and distress of this world befalls a man and he recites it, he will be relieved of his stress. It is the du'a of Dhul-Nun: La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu min al-zalimin. (Reported by al-Hakim; Sahih al-Jami', 2605).
We ask Allah to help us, you and all our Muslim brothers to gain beneficial knowledge and to do righteous deeds. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
And Allah knows best.
