The Excellence of Reciting the Qur’an

The Excellence of Reciting the Qur’an

991. Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, “Read the Qur’an, for it will come as an intercessor for its reciters on the Day of Resurrection.” [Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith tells the excellence of reciting the Qur’an and acting upon its injunctions. Intercession (in this Hadith) means that the Qur’an will be endowed with the power of speech by Allah and it will request Allah to forgive the sins of its reciters who acted upon its teachings. Allah will accept the request of the Qur’an, as signified in other Ahadith.

992. An-Nawwas bin Sam`an (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, “The Qur’an and its people who applied it, will be brought on the Day of Resurrection preceded with Surat Al-Baqarah and Surat Al-`Imran arguing on behalf of those who applied them.” [Muslim].

Commentary:  This Hadith means that on the Day of Requital, the Qur’an, with Surat Al-Baqarah and Al-`Imran in the forefront will intercede before Allah for those who used to recite and act upon them in the life of the world.

993. `Uthman bin `Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.” [Al-Bukhari].

994. `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur’an will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur’an and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have a double reward.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:  Proficient here means one who reads the Qur’an in accordance with the rules of “Ilm At-Tajwid” (the science of the recitation of the Qur’an) as is evidenced from the words of Imam Bukhari’s narration and the title given to the chapter.

This Hadith also highlights the merit of the reader of the Qur’an who does not know `Ilm At-Tajwid, and for that reason cannot read it fluently. But in spite of this, he reads it with great effort. He will be given double reward, one for the difficulty encountered in reciting it, and another for reading it. Safratun translated in the Hadith as scribes (angels) mean the angels that convey the Wahyu (Revelation) to the Messenger of Allah. Imam Bukhari has taken it to mean “one who makes reconciliation”. The angels who bring Wahyu and chastisement from Allah.

995. Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “The believer who recites the Qur’an is like a citron whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is delicious. A believer who does not recite the Qur’an is like a date-fruit which has no fragrance but has a sweet taste. The hypocrite who recites the Qur’an is like a colocynth whose fragrance is so sweet, but its taste is bitter. The hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an is like basil which has no fragrance and its taste is bitter.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith tells us that a believer who recites the Qur’an and acts upon it, Allah will grant him a high rank. He is loved by Allah and also enjoys public esteem. The believer who does not recite it but acts upon its teachings is also loved by Allah and people. The hypocrite who recites the Qur’an to have a good show has an evil and dark mind. Last of all comes that hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an and has a dark mind and appearance.

996. `Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Verily, Allah elevates some people with this Qur’an and abases others.” [Muslim].

Commentary: Only such people will be elevated who act upon the teachings of the Qur’an and abstain from what is forbidden by Allah. The Muslims of the early centuries of Islam were blessed with great honour by Allah because they loved and applied the Qur’an. Because of this meaningful attachment with the Qur’an, they made great achievements in religious and worldly spheres. Those who neglected the teachings of Islam will be disgraced and humiliated. May Allah guide and enable us to re-establish our contact with the Qur’an so that we can regain our past glory. Exaltation and humiliation mentioned in the Hadith is bound to happen in both this life and the Hereafter.

997. Ibn `Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Envy is justified in regard to two types of persons only: a man whom Allah has given knowledge of the Qur’an, and so he recites it during the night and during the day; and a man whom Allah has given wealth and so he spends from it during the night and during the day.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:  This Hadith has been quoted before at two places (see Hadith No. 572). It has been repeated here to bring into prominence the merit of reciting the Qur’an. Refer to the Commentary on Hadith No. 544.

998. Al-Bara’ bin `Azib (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: A man was reciting Surat Al-Kahf, and a horse was tied with two ropes beside him. As he was reciting, a cloud overshadowed him, and as it began to come nearer and nearer, the horse began to trample voilently. The man came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in the morning and mentioned the incident to him. He (PBUH) said, “That was tranquility which descended as a result of the recitation of the Qur’an.”

Commentary:  This Hadith brings out two points. Firstly, the excellence of Surah Al-Kahf (The Cave, No. 18). Secondly, the descending of tranquility from Allah on the pious persons. The appearance of a cloud for the tranquility of heart on the recitation of the Qur’an is a supernatural event (miracle) to which a pious man does not make any contribution. It entirely depends on the Will of Allah.

999. Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.” [At-Tirmidzi].

Commentary: This Hadith urges us to recite the Qur’an and also mentions the great reward for reciting it.

1000. Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “He who does not memorize any part from the Qur’an he is like the ruined house.” [At-Tirmidzi].

Commentary:  This Hadith means that the heart of that Muslim is devoid of grace of spiritualism and Grace of Allah who does not remember by heart any portion of the Qur’an, in the same way as a deserted house is deprived of inhabitants and Blessings of Allah. What we learn from this is that every Muslim must remember some portion of the Qur’an so that he is safe from the admonition mentioned in this Hadith.

1001. `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, “The one who was devoted to the Qur’an will be told on the Day of Resurrection: `Recite and ascend (in ranks) as you used to recite when you were in the world. Your rank will be at the last Ayah you recite.”’ [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidzi].

Commentary:  This Hadith mentions the merit of those who commit the Qur’an (whole or part thereof) to memory (Huffaz). The word `ascend’ here means to rise in ranks in the Jannah. The more one remembers the Qur’an, the more clear and distinct is his recitation of it, the higher would be the status that he will go on attaining through its blessings. Thus, this Hadith provides inducement for the remembrance of the Qur’an and tells us that its frequent recitation is a means to attain higher ranks in Jannah.

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Excerpted from Riyad-us-Saliheen, The Excellence of Reciting the Qur’an, By Al-Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya bin Sharaf An-Nawawi Ad-Dimashqi.

 © Wponline.Org

The Essance of Surah Al-Fatihah

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

The Essence of Surah Al-Fatihah

 The Name

This Surah is named Al-Fatihah [The Opening] because of its subject matter. Fatihah is that which opens a subject, a book, or any other thing. In other words, Al-Fatihah is a sort of preface. The Surah is also called Ummul Qur’an.

The Period of Revelation

Al-Fatihah was revealed in Makkah as Ibn ‘Abbas, Qatadah and Abu Al-‘Aliyah stated.

Allah said:

“And indeed, We have bestowed upon you the seven Mathani” (seven repeatedly recited verses i.e. Surat Al-Fatihah) [Al-Hijir, 15:87].

It is one of the very earliest Revelations to the Holy Prophet. It was the first complete Surah which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessing peace be upon him). Before this, only a few miscellaneous verses were revealed which form parts of ‘Alaq, Muz-Zammil, Muddathir, Etc.

The Theme

•  The Surah is in fact a prayer which Allah has taught to all those who want to make a study of His book. It has been placed at the very beginning of the book to teach this lesson to the reader vis-à-vis the Muslims: if you sincerely want to benefit from the Qur’an, you should offer this prayer to the Lord of the Universe.

 • This preface is meant to create a strong desire in the heart of the Muslims to seek guidance from the Lord of the Universe, Who alone can grant it. Thus Al-Fatihah directly teaches that the best thing for a man is to pray for guidance to the straight path, to study the Qur’an with the mental attitude of a seeker- after-truth and to recognize the fact that the Lord of the Universe is the source of all knowledge. He should, therefore, begin the study of the Qur’an with a prayer to him for guidance.

 • The relation between Al-Fatihah and the Qur’an is not that of an introduction to a book but that of a prayer and its answer. Al-Fatihah is the prayer from the mankind, the servant and the Qur’an is the answer from the Master to his prayer. The servant prays to Allah to show him guidance and the Master places the whole of the Qur’an before him in answer to his prayer, as if to say, “This is the Guidance you request from Me.”

 The Meaning of Surah

1. In the Name of Allâh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

2. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord [1] of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists). [2]

3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

4. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)

5. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).

6. Guide us to the Straight Way. [3]

7. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace [4], not (the way) of those who incur Your wrath [5] (i.e. those who knew the Truth, but did not follow it) nor of those who went astray (i.e. those who did not follow the Truth out of ignorance and error). [6], [7]

Al-Fatihah and the Solah

Muslim recorded that Abu Hurairah r.a said that the Prophet SAW said,” Whoever performs any prayer in which he did not read Ummul Qur’an, then his prayer is incomplete.” He said it thrice.

Abu Hurayrah was asked, “[When] we stand behind the Imam” He said, “Read it to yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allah SAW said:

“Allah, the Exalted, said, “I have divided the prayer (Al-Fatihah) into two halves between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.”

If he says, “All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of existence.” Allah says, “My servant has praised Me.”

When the servant says, “The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” Allah says, “My servant has glorified Me.”

When he says, “The Owner of the Day of Recompense.” Allah says, “My servant has glorified Me,” or “My servant has related all matters to Me.”

When he says, “You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help.” Allah says, “This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall acquire what he sought.”

When he says, “Guide us to the straight path. The way of those on whom You have granted Your grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray”, Allah says, ‘This is for My servant, and My servant shall acquire what he asked for.’ ’’

These are the words of An-Nasa’i, while both Muslim and An-Nasa’i collected the following wording, “A half of it is for Me and a half for My servant, and My servant shall acquire what he asked for.”

The Basic Principles in Al-Fatihah

As an introduction to the Quran, Al-Fatihah contains all the basic principles that are given in detail in the Quran.

•  It tells us that we are surrounded by God’s grace and favours; He is the Source of all love and mercy, and for that, we should be thankful to Him.

•   It also teaches the following lessons: Life on earth is not permanent. Everyone will die one day and God will judge us. He alone is the Master of that Day and we must worship Him and Him alone.

•   It reminds us that God is the only One Who can really guide; We must seek His help and He has all the power to give us whatever we need.

•   It calls for righteous actions in this life. It speaks about life after death and the consequences of human action and behaviour. It tells us that the true guidance comes through God’s prophets and messengers. They were the people who were truly guided, and they received God’s grace and mercy. Those who turned away from that path were those who went astray and they incurred the wrath of God and His punishment.

After this introduction comes the rest of the Quran. Muslims consider Al-Fatihah as the prayer and the Quran as the answer to that prayer.

Footnotes:

[1] Lord: The actual word used in the Qur’an is Rabb There is no proper equivalent for Rabb in English language. It means the One and the Only Lord for the entire universe, its Creator, Owner, Organizer, Provider, Master, Planner, Sustainer, Cherisher, and Giver of security. Rabb is also one of the Names of Allah. We have used the word “Lord” as the nearest to Rabb. All occurrences of “Lord” in the interpretation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’an actually mean Rabb and should be understood as such.

[2] Abu Sa‘id bin Al-Mu‘alla narrated: While I was praying in the mosque, Allah’s Messenger SAW called me but I did not respond to him. Later I said, “O Allah’s Messenger, I was praying.” He said, “Didn’t Allah say – Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and His Messenger when he SAW calls you.” (V.8:24). He then said to me, “I will teach you a Surah which is the greatest Surah in the Qur’an, before you leave the mosque.” Then he got hold of my hand, and when he intended to leave (the mosque), I said to him, “Didn’t you say to me, “I will teach you a Surah which is the greatest Surah in the Qur’an?” He said, ” Al-Hamdu lillahi Rabbil-‘alamin [i.e. all the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)], Surat Al-Fatihah which is As-Sab‘ Al-Mathani (i.e. the seven repeatedly recited Verses) and the Grand Qur’an which has been given to me.” (Sahih Al-Bukhâri, Vol.6, Hadîth No. 1).

[3] Guidance is of two kinds:

a) Guidance of Tawfiq i.e., totally from Allah, i.e. Allâh opens one’s heart to receive the truth (from disbelief to Belief in Islamic Monotheism).

b) Guidance of Irshad i.e. through preaching by Allâh’s Messengers and the pious preachers who preach the truth i.e. Islâmic Monotheism.

[4] i.e. the way of the Prophets, the Siddiqun (i.e. those followers of the Prophet, who were first and foremost to believe in him, like Abu Bakar As-Siddîq), the martyrs and the righteous, [as Allah SWT said: “And whoso obeys Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad SAW, then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun, the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!” (Al-Haqqah,4:69)].

[5]  ‘Adi bin Hatim r.a narrated: I asked Allah’s Messenger SAW , about the Statement of Allah: 1. ” Ghairil-maghdhubi ‘alaihim (not the way of those who earned Your Anger),” he SAW “They are the Yehuds”. And 2. Wa la d-dhallin (nor of those who went astray),” he SAW replied: “The Christians, and they are the ones who went astray”[This Hadith is quoted by At-Tirmidzi and Abu Dawud].

[6] ‘Ubadah bin As-Samit r.a narrated that Allah’s Messenger SAW said, “Whoever does not recite Surah Al-Fatihah in his prayer, his prayer is invalid. [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.1, Hadîth No. 723].

[7] Abu Hurayrah r.a narrated: Allah’s Messenger SAW said, “When the Imâm says: Ghairi l-maghdhubi ‘alaihim Wa la d-dhallin [i.e. not the way of those who earned Your Anger, nor the way of those who went astray (1:7)], then you must say, Amin, for if one’s utterance of Amin coincides with that of the angels, then his past sins will be forgiven.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.6, Hadith No. 2].

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