And when Moses said unto his people : O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf ( for worship ) so turn in penitence to your Creator , and kill ( the guilty ) yourselves . That will be best for you with your Creator and He will relent toward you . Lo! He is the Relenting , the Merciful . {Surah Baqara, Verse 54}
The Prophet (Sal-allahu-aleihi-wasallam) said, "Reciting the Qur'an during prayer is more excellent than reciting it at other times, and reciting the Qur'an at a time other than during prayer is more excellent than extolling Allah and declaring His greatness. Extolling Allah is more excellent than sadaqah, sadaqah is more excellent than fasting, and fasting is a protection from Hell."