Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not teach you a great surah, the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, or the Noble Qur'an?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), do teach me." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Surely, before you leave through this door, I will tell you that surah." Therefore, I stood with him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he began to converse with me while my hand was in his blessed hand. I started walking slowly, fearing that he (peace and blessings be upon him) might leave without telling me that surah. When I reached near the door, I said, "O Messenger of Allah, the surah which you promised to tell me (please tell me)." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you stand for prayer, how do you begin your recitation?" He says: I recited Surah Al-Fatihah to him. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This is the surah, this is the great surah, and this is the Sab‘ al-Mathani about which Allah, the Exalted, has said «‏‏‏‏وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِّنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة الحجر ] 'Indeed, We have given you the seven oft-repeated (verses) and the Grand Qur'an.' This is what has been given to me."

Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty has not revealed any surah like Umm al-Kitab (Surah al-Fatihah) in the Torah, the Gospel, or the Noble Qur'an, and this is the Seven Oft-Repeated (Sab‘ al-Mathani)."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs a prayer in which he does not recite Umm al-Qur’an, then that prayer is incomplete, it is incomplete, it is incomplete. It is not complete." (Abu Sa’ib says) So I asked, "O Abu Hurairah, sometimes I am behind the Imam (so how should I recite al-Fatihah)?" He pressed my arm and said, "O Persian, recite it in your heart. For I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says: I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves. So half of it is for Me and half is for My servant.' The servant says: «‏‏‏‏الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ» ‏‏‏‏ 'All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.' Allah says: 'My servant has praised Me.' The servant recites: «‏‏‏‏الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ» ‏‏‏‏ 'The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.' Allah says: 'My servant has extolled Me.' The servant recites: «‏‏‏‏مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ» ‏‏‏‏ 'Master of the Day of Judgment.' Allah says: 'My servant has glorified Me.' And this verse is divided between Me and My servant. The servant says: «‏‏‏‏إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ» ‏‏‏‏ '(O Allah) You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help.' So this verse is divided between Me and My servant, and for My servant is what he asks for. The servant says: «‏‏‏‏صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ» ‏‏‏‏ 'O Allah, guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.'"