1) There are saheeh ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the virtues of reciting Soorat al- Kahaf. These include: "Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahaf on the night of Jumu'ah, will have a light that will stretch between him and the Ancient House (the Ka'bah)." Also: "Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahaf on the day of Jumu'ah, will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next." [Both are classed as Saheeh by Al-Albaani]. Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar said: "In some reports it says "the day of Jumu'ah" and in some reports it says "the night of Jumu'ah" . They may be reconciled by saying that what is meant is the day which includes the night and vice versa." Thus the recommended time extends from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Friday.
2) Undoubtedly the Prophets differ in status and are at varying levels. The best are the five Messengers of strong will (Uloo'l-'Azm), and the best of those is the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him). With regard to the Saheeh ahaadeeth, "Do not prefer me over Yoonus ibn Mattaa" and "By the One Who chose Mosa over all of creation" , these all indicate the immense humility of the Prophet (peace be upon him) when speaking of his brothers the Messengers. But he is undoubtedly the best of them all, for he led them in prayer in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) on the night of the Israa'. He will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, and he is the only one among all the Messengers who will be granted the power of intercession on that Day.
3) It was narrated that 'A'ishah (RA) said: A group of Jews entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and they said: Al-saam'alaykum (death be upon you). 'A'ishah said: I understood it and said: Rather may death be upon you, and curses. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "O 'A'ishah, Allah has enjoined kindness in all things." She said: Did you not hear what they said? He said: "I said: And also upon you." (Al-Bukhari, Muslim). Al Nawawi said: This reflects the greatness of his character and his forbearance. It encourages us to be kind, patient and forbearing, to be gentle with people, so long as there is no need for harshness. Al-Shawkani said: This hadeeth shows that it is mustahab (enjoined) for the people of virtue to ignore the folly of the wrongdoers, so long as that will not lead to spread of corruption.
