Regarding Bani Israil, al-Kahf, and Maryam, "They are among the earliest noble surahs, and they are among my old treasured possessions."
في بني إسرائيل والكهف ومريم: إنهن من العتاق الأول، وهن من تلادي.
Bukhari related it in the tafsir (4708) from Adam, who said, Shubah narrated to us from Abu Ishaq, who said, I heard Abdul-Rahman bin Yazid say, I heard Ibn Masud say... and then he mentioned it.As for his saying "the ataq," it is the plural of ateeq, meaning "the old," or it means everything that has reached the utmost degree of excellence. By this he means to indicate the superiority of these surahs, on account of what they contain of stories, and accounts of the prophets, and accounts of past nations.As for his saying "my tilad," tilad refers to wealth that has been long held. He means that these were among the first surahs revealed at the beginning of Islam, since they are Makkan, and that they were among the first things he recited and memorized from the Quran. And Allah knows best.