I have received via e-mail a hadeeth attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and I have seen it in more than one discussion board.
The one who wrote it says that he received it via e-mail.
This is the text of the hadeeth:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“O ‘Ali, do not sleep until you have done five things, which are: reading the entire Quran, giving four thousand dirhams in charity, preserving your place in Paradise and placating your opponent.”
‘Ali said: “And how could I do that, O Messenger of Allah?”
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Do you not know, O ‘Ali, that if you recite Qul huwa Allahu Ahad (i.e., Surah al-Ikhlas) three times, it is as if you have recited the entire Quran? And that if you recite Surah al-Fatihah four times it is as if you have given four thousand dirhams in charity? And that if you say La ilaha ill-Allah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd yuhyi wa yameet wa huwa ‘ala kulli shayin qadeer (There is no god but Allah alone with no partner or associate. His is the Dominion and to Him be praise, He gives life and death and He is able to do all things) ten times, you will preserve your place in Paradise? And if you say Astaghfir-Allah alladhi la ilaha illa huwa al-hayy al-qayyoom wa atoobu ilayh (I seek the forgiveness of Allah beside Whom there is no other god, the Ever-Living, the Eternal, and I repent to Him) ten times, you will have placated your opponent.”
Then they concluded by saying:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) indeed has spoken the truth.
Is this hadeeth (narration) saheeh (authentic)?
Praise be to Allah.
This
hadeeth is false and fabricated (mawdoo’).
The
scholars of the Standing Committee said concerning this hadeeth:
This
hadeeth has no basis, rather it is one of the fabricated reports and lies
made up by some of the Shi’ah, as has been pointed out by the imams (leading
scholars) of hadeeth.
Fatawa
al-Lajnah al-Daimah, 4/462, 463.
Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked
about this and he said:
This
hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) gave this advice to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)
is a lie that was fabricated against the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him). It is not correct to attribute it to the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), because “whoever narrates a
hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which he
thinks is false is himself one of the liars,” and “whoever tells lies about
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) deliberately, let him
take his place in Hell.” But if it is mentioned in order to explain that it
is fabricated and to warn people against it, this is something which will be
rewarded. The point is that this hadeeth is a lie against the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) and against ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may
Allah be pleased with him).
Fatawa
Islamiyyah, 4/111
And Allah
knows best.