The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Learn Surah al-Baqarah and Aal Imran, for learning them is a blessing and abandoning them is a regret, and the sorcerers cannot master them. Surah al-Baqarah and Aal Imran will come on the Day of Resurrection like two pieces of cloud, or two cloaks, or two flocks of birds spreading their wings, defending their companion; and the Lord of Might will converse with those two surahs. They will say: 'O Lord of lords! This servant of Yours recited us, and we made him thirsty during his days and kept him awake through his nights and wearied his body.' Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: 'O Qur'an! How was his compliance with what I commanded him {revealed to him} in you regarding the superiority of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), the brother of Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)?' They say: 'O Lord of lords and Allah of gods! He loved him, and loved his friend {his friends}, and was hostile to his enemies; whenever he had power he was open about it, and whenever he was unable he practised taqiyya and concealed it.' Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: 'So he has indeed acted upon you as I commanded him, and has magnified the matter of you both as I have made it great. O Ali (peace be upon him)! Do you not hear the Qur'an's testimony for this friend of yours?' Ali (peace be upon him) says: 'Yes, O my Lord! I hear.' Allah the Exalted says: 'Then propose for him something that will add to this reciter's hopes.' Ali (peace be upon him) proposes many times over what the reciter of the Qur'an hopes for; then it is said: 'O Ali (peace be upon him)! What you have proposed, I have granted him.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'And upon the head of the parents of the reciter of the Qur'an a crown of honour is placed, whose light illuminates their path for ten thousand years, and a robe is put upon them such that if all the good things in this world were multiplied a hundred thousand times, they would still not equal the first thread of this robe. Then kingship is given into the right hand of this reciter of the Qur'an, and eternity into his left hand.'