According to a traditional report transmitted on the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
If someone performs four cycles of ritual prayer [salla arba'a raka'at] on a Sunday--reciting the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] in each cycle, and [the passage that begins with] "Amana 'r-Rasulu... [The Messenger believes...]" one time --Allah (Exalted is He) will record in his favor a number of good deeds, a number corresponding to the total figure arrived at by counting every Christian man and Christian woman [Nasrani wa Nasraniyya]. He will grant him the spiritual reward of a Prophet [Nabi]. He will record a Pilgrimage [Hijja] and a Visitation ['Umra] in his credit column.
For each cycle [rak'a], He will credit him with a thousand ritual prayers [alf salat]. Then, for every letter [in the words of his Qur'anic recitation], Allah (Exalted is He) will grant him, in the Garden of Paradise, a city constructed from the most fragrantly aromatic musk.
According to another traditional report, this one transmitted on the authority of [the Caliph] 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
Affirm the Oneness of Allah (Exalted is He) by performing the ritual prayer [salat] frequently on Sunday, for He is Single [Wahid], without any partner [la sharika la-h]. If someone performs four [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [salla arba'a raka'at] on a Sunday, after the noon prayer [salat az-zuhr] that is strictly obligatory [farida] and that which is customary [sunna]-reciting, in the first cycle, the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] and the Sura of Prostration [as-Sajda], which begins with "Alif-Lam-Mim...," and, in the second cycle, the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] and the Sura of Sovereignty [al-Mulk], which begins with "Tabaraka... [Blessed is He...];" then pronouncing the testimony and the salutation [yatashahhad wa yusallim]; then standing up and proceeding to perform the last two cycles, reciting in both of them the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] and the Sura of the Congregation [Surat al-Jumu'a]; and asking [in his supplication] for his need to be satisfied-it will be an obligation [haqq] incumbent upon Allah (Exalted is He) to satisfy his need, and to declare him innocent of the errors committed by the Christians [Nasara].
