by Shaykh Abu Bakr Jabir al-Jaza'iri
A Muslim believes in the sacredness of the Speech of Allah, as well as
its honour and virtue that surpasses the speech of all others.
He also believes that the Noble Qur'an is the Word of Allah, which no
falsehood can approach, before it or behind it. Whoever speaks in
accord with the Qur'an, has spoken the truth. Whoever judges according
to it, has judged justly. Its devoted people are the people of Allah
and His special people. Those who stick to it shall be successful and
victorious. Those who turn away from it are the destroyed, the losers.
A Muslim's faith in the grandeur and greatness of the Book of Allah is
increased by what has been stated about it by the one who received its
revelation, the best of creation, our leader Muhammad bin 'Abdullah,
Messenger of Allah (SAW), who said:
"Read the Qur'an, for it shall come as an intercessor for its
companion on the Day of Resurrection."(Muslim)
Allah's Messenger (SAW)| also said:
"The best of you is he who learns the Qur'an and teaches Others." (Al-Bukhari)
Allah's Messenger (SAW) also said:
"The people of the Qur'an are Allah's people and His special
servants." (An-Nisa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim with a Hasan chain)
And:
"The hearts get rusty like iron gets rusty "
The people said, "O Messenger of Allah! What will cleanse it?" He said,
"Reciting the Qur'an and remembering death." (Al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab
Al-Iman with a weak chain)
One of the Prophet's worst opponents came to him and said, "O
Muhammad, read the Qur'an to me." Allah's Messenger (SAW)| read to
him:
"Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl and Al-Ihsan, and giving (help) to kith
and kin, and forbids Al-Fahsha', and Al-Munkar, and Al-Baghy (i.e. all
kinds of oppression).) (16:90)
The Prophet (SAW) hardly finished reciting the verse when his opponent
[an unbeliever] asked him to repeat it, astonished at its lofty
wording, sacred meaning and clarity. He was possessed by its great
ability to influence man. He did not wait long but immediately raised
his voice to state his confession concerning it and declare his
testimony concerning the holiness and greatness of Allah's Word. He
said,
"By Allah, it has a sweetness. It is full of elegance. Its lowest
portion is for foliage and its highest portion is for fruits. No human
can say such." (Ibn Jarir At-Tabari. The opponent was Al-Walid bin
Al-Mughirah according to a narration with a good chain recorded by
Al-Bayhaqi )
A Muslim and believer, then, must even more so allow what it allows
and forbid what it forbids. He must abide by its manners and behavior
according to how it teaches one to behave.
Etiquette with reciting the Qur'an
When the person recites the Qur'an, he should adhere to the following manners:
1. He should recite it under the best circumstances, including being
in a state of purity, facing the Qiblah and sitting in a respectable,
honorable manner.
2. He should recite the Qur'an slowly and not be hasty in his
recitation. He should not recite it in less than three nights. The
Prophet (SAW) has said:
"Whoever recites the Qur'an in less than three nights did not
understand it" (The Four Sunan, and At-Tirmithi said it is Sahih)
Allah's Messenger (SAW) ordered 'Abdullah bin 'Umar, may Allah be
pleased with him, to recite the entire Qur'an once every seven days.
(Al-Bukhari)
'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, 'Uthman bin 'Affan and Zayd bin Thabit, may
Allah be pleased with them, used to complete the entire Qur'an once a
week.
3. He must have fear of Allah and humility while reciting the Qur'an.
He should demonstrate sorrow and should cry, or he should try to cry
if he is not able to cry. The Prophet (SAW) said:
"Recite the Qur'an and cry. If you cannot cry, then try to make
yourself cry." (Ibn Majah with a good chain)
4. One should also beautify his voice while reading the Qur'an. The
Prophet (SAW) said:
"Beautify the Qur'an by your voices."(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, An-Nasa'i and
Al-Hakim who said it is Sahih)
Allah's Messenger (SAW) also said:
"He is not one of us who does not make his voice beautiful with the
Qur'an." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Allah's Messenger (SAW) also said:
"Allah has not permitted anything like He has permitted a Prophet to
recite the Qur'an in a good voice. "(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
5. He should recite in private if he fears that he would be reciting
for show or reputation only or if he were to disturb those people who
were praying. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said:
"The one who recites the Qur'an aloud is like one who publicly gives charity."
It is known that it is preferred to give charity secretly unless there
is some benefit to doing it publicly, such as encouraging others to
follow one's precedent. The same is true for reciting the Qur'an.
6. A person should recite the Qur'an while thinking about and
pondering over its meaning, with due respect and presence of mind, in
order to understand its meaning and purport.
7. A person should not be one who recites the Qur'an while he is
heedless and going against what it says. In that case, he could be the
cause for his own cursing by himself. For example, if he reads the
verse:
"No doubt! The curse of Allah is on the oppressors. "(11:18)
And:
"Curse of Allah upon those who lie." (3:61)
And he is a liar or a wrongdoer, then he is simply cursing himself.
The following narration will demonstrate how wrong those people are
who turn away from the Book of Allah, who are heedless of it and spend
their time in other pursuits. It is narrated that in the Tawrah it
states that Allah has said:
"Are you not ashamed of yourselves in front of Me? If a letter comes
to you from some of your brethren while you are walking on the road,
you will stop and sit by the side of the road, read the letter, and
understand it word by word, in order not to miss anything. This is the
Book that I have revealed to you. Look how I have clearly explained
everything in it. How many times have you passed by it to ponder over
its lengths and widths and then you turn away from it? It is something
lighter in your eyes than your brethren. O My servant! If one of your
brethren sits next to you, you turn to him with all of your attention
and listen to his every word with your entire heart. If someone then
talks to you or disturbs you, you will motion to him to stop. Here I
am coming to you and speaking to you but you turn your heart away from
Me. In your sight, I am less important than one of your brethren!"
8. A person should strive to have the characteristics that are
descriptive of those people who are Allah's people and His special
people. Abdullah bin Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, once said,
"The reciter of the Qur'an must be known by his night while the
people are sleeping, by his day while the people are not fasting, by
his crying while the people are laughing, by his devotion and fear of
Allah while the people are mingling, by his silence while the people
are talking, by his humility while the people are boasting and by his
grieving while the people are rejoicing."
Muhammad bin Kafa said,
"We would recognize the reciter of the Qur'an by the yellowness of
his skin that indicated spending the night in prayer and reciting the
Qur'an."
Wuhaib bin Al-Ward narrated that someone said to a man, "Do you not
sleep?" He answered, "The marvelous nature of the Qur'an chased away
my sleep."And Dhun-Noon has said in lines of poetry,
"The Qur'an has stopped, by its promises and threats, the eyes from
sleeping at night, They understand from the Great Lord His Speech, an
understanding that makes the necks submit and surrender."
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