It is an established fact that for Muslims the Qur’an is the
foundation of the Islamic faith. It is the medium of communication that
Allah (swt) has chosen to communicate His (swt) message to mankind. It
is this very Book that has been revealed to our master Muhammad (saw) as
a source of guidance, and a criteria for right and wrong, which was
required to be conveyed to the rest of mankind to bring them out of the
darkness and into the light of Islam.
It is for this reason Muslims throughout the centuries have held the
Book of Allah in the highest regard, utmost respect and a source of
guidance for this life and the Akhira.
It is well known that the Qur’an was revealed over a period of 23
years in a very interactive manner which enabled the sahabahs to
practise the Qur’anic injunctions in their lives and to convey it to the
Makkan society. Each year in the month of Ramadhan the Prophet (saw)
would recite all of the Qur’an that was revealed to date in the presence
of Jibreel (as). This was the ultimate means of checking the accuracy
of his own recitation and in turn allowed the accuracy of the other
memorisers to be verified.
In the last year of the Prophet’s (saw) life the Qur’an was recited
twice to Jibreel (as) in the month of Ramadhan to ensure there were no
errors. By the time of the Prophet’s (saw) death, the whole Qur’an had
been committed to writing as well being solidly established in the
memories of thousands of Muslims, some of whom memorised the whole of
it, while others memorised portions of it. It is in this manner that the
Qur’an has been meticulously compiled and passed down from generation
to generation in order to preserve the revelations of Allah (swt) in its
purest form without any alterations both in content and its styles of
recitations.
It is narrated on the authority of Uthman (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said ‘The best amongst you is he who learns the Qur’an and teaches it’ (Bukhari).
This hadith of the Prophet (saw) amongst many others were the very
source of inspiration and motivation for Muslims of the past and present
to engage in learning to read and understand the Qur’an and then teach
it to others.
The Qur’an is unique among religious texts in that it is not only
read, but it is recited as a means of worship to the Creator. There are
countless Ahaadiths on the virtues and rewards of reciting the Qur’an as
has been narrated by the Prophet (saw).
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said ‘Whoever
reads one letter of the Book of Allah is credited with one hasanah
(blessing) and one hasanah is equal to tenfold the like thereof in its
reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Meem is one letter, but Alif is one
letter, Lam is one letter and Meem is one letter.’ (Tirmidhi)
The Qur’an will be an intercessor for the believers on the Day of Judgment as the Prophet (saw) said ‘The
Qur’an is an intercessor (which by Allah’s permission) intercedes, and
an opponent (which is) truthful. He who appoints it as his leader, (then
it) will lead him to Paradise. And he who puts it behind him, (then it)
will lead him to the Fire.’ (Bayhaqi)
It is in this context of trying to attain the pleasure of Allah (swt)
and living for the Akhirah that the Islamic ummah witnessed some great
people in its history. These were people who made the Qur’an the centre
of their lives and excelled in acquiring knowledge such that they
mastered the Arabic language and all the relevant Islamic sciences in
order to access the Book of Allah (swt) and understand its true message.
These were people who truly lived up to their religion, treading in the
path of knowledge and shaping their personalities in accordance with
the Shariah.
Allah (swt) says in the Quran,
كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُوْلُوا الْأَلْبَابِ
‘This is a Book full of Blessings
that we have revealed unto you so people ponder upon its verses and men
of intellect may reflect’. (Surah Sad 29)
Unfortunately, now we live in a time where the Qur’an reciters are many but only few are engaging in studying and seeking the guidance of the Qur’an and acting upon its rulings. We need to remind ourselves of the importance of contemplation, reflection and pondering over the meanings and rulings of the Qur’an, and making sure that it is read in a way that penetrates the heart and leaves a lasting and permanent impact on the believers. The result of this kind of reading is the development of a dynamic Islamic personality where Muslims embrace the Islamic Aqeedah, make the Shariah the code of conduct for their lives and engage in the da’wah to revive the Islamic way of life at a state level.
It is in relation to this subject of contemplation and reflection of
the Qur’an when reading that the Prophet (saw) said in a hadiths ‘Groups of people will emerge from my Ummah who will drink the Qur’an as they drink milk’ (Tabarani).
In commenting on this hadiths Al-Munawi says in his Fayd al-Qadir: “…
that is, they will raise their voices with their tongues without
contemplating and reflecting on its meanings and pondering over its
rulings; instead it (i.e. the Qur’an) passes over their tongues as milk
which they drink passes over them which is quickly”
While it is true that we receive reward for the recitation of the
Qur’an even when we do not understand its meanings, this should not
however make us complacent such that it prevents us from studying the
Qur’an and pondering over its meanings. Otherwise, this Qur’an will only
be understood and practised by a select few whilst the masses will
continue engaging in this act of ibadah (i.e. recitation of the Qur’an)
with limited understanding and application in their daily lives.
Allah (saw) says:
Allah (saw) says:
أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَى قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا
This was the situation of hypocrites who used to read the Quran but never attempted to sincerely understand it as the speech of Allah. And therefore, despite their recitation in their own language they were neither able to gain knowledge nor able to act according to it what was prescribed in it.
Thus, the reading of the Qur’an must be followed by one’s desire to
understand it in depth and using it as a guide in one’s practical life.
If understood and followed correctly, the Qur’an becomes a living guide
for those who act upon it.
‘This Book which We have revealed is a blessed one. Follow its
guidance and have piety so that you perhaps may receive mercy and will
not say that the Book was revealed only to two groups of people before
you, or that you were ignorant of its knowledge, or say: Had the Book
been revealed to us, we would have followed its guidance better than
they (Jews and Christians), so indeed there has come clear proof from
your Lord, and guidance and mercy.’ (Al-An’am 155 – 157). (HTB)
