Learning the Qur'an

The Magnificence of the Qur'an

The Bearers of the Qur'an

The Recitation of the Qur'an

The Reciters of the Qur'an

How to Read the Qur'an

The Memorisation of the Qur'an

Listening to the Qur'an

Abandoning the Qur'an

The Qur'an and the People of the Prophet's Household

The Intercession of the Qur'an

The Qur'an as a Cure

 

Learning the Qur'an

The Messenger of Allah said: ‘There are three groups of people who will not be concerned with the reckoning (on the day of judgement), nor will they fear the shriek (on that day) nor the great consternation: firstly, one who learns the Qur'an and knows it off by heart and acts according to its (teachings) for he will come to Allah as an honoured nobleman, secondly the muezzin (he who calls the faithful to prayer) who has practised for seven years and never sought any payment for it, and thirdly the servant who has obeyed Allah and obeyed his master.' [2]

The Messenger of Allah also said: ‘Allah rewards the man who kisses his son kindly with a blessing, and he who makes his son happy, Allah makes him happy on the day of resurrection, and he who teaches his son the Qur'an, the parents will be summoned on the day of resurrection and will be clothed in garments whose light illuminates the people of Paradise.' [3]

The Messenger of Allah also said: ‘This Qur'an is the etiquette of Allah so learn his etiquette as much as you can.' [4]

He also said: ‘There is not a single believer, man or woman, freeman or bondman who is exempt from the right that Allah has over him to learn the Qur'an and to study its meanings. Then he read the following verse: {Be ye worshippers for you have taught the book . . . } [5] [6]

He also said: ‘The best of you is he who learns the Qur'an and teaches it.' [7]

He also said: ‘Everything will seek forgiveness for the teacher and the learner of the Qur'an, even the fish in the sea.' [8]

He also said: ‘Learn ye the Qur'an, for the similitude of one who carries the Qur'an (in his heart) is he who carries a bag full of musk which when he opens it fills the air with the sent, and if keeps it shut, it keeps the scent of the musk. [9]

The Messenger of Allah also said: ‘One who teaches his child the Qur'an is like one who has made ten thousand Hajj pilgrimages, and ten thousand ‘Umrah pilgrimages, and has freed ten thousand slaves of the sons of Ishmael, and fed and clothed ten thousand poor, hungry and unclothed Muslims. For every letter he will receive ten blessings and ten evil deeds of his will be wiped out, and the Qur'an will be with him in his grave until the day he is resurrected. His balance scales will tip in his favour and he will be taken across the Sirat as quick as lightning and the Qur'an will not leave him until he has reached a station the loftiness of which is more than can be imagined. [10]

He said also: ‘Allah will crown the parents of the one who teaches his child the Qur'an with a kingly crown and clothe them in robes the like of which has never been seen before.' [11]

Related from Amir al-Mu'minin ‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib (a.s) that the Prophet (s.a.a.s) said: ‘The best of you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it .' [12]

In one of his speeches contained in the book Nahj al-Balagha, ‘Ali says: ‘Learn Ye the Qur'an for it is the best of speech and study it for it is the springtime of the heart. Seek cure by its light for it heals the breast, and make your reading of it beautiful for it is the most beneficial of narratives. The learned man who acts without using his knowledge is as the ignorant, confused man who will never awake from his ignorance, in fact the case against him is greater and loss is more incumbent upon him, and in the sight of Allah he is the most blameworthy. [13]

Also related from ‘Ali is that he said: ‘If the teacher says to his pupil: Say: ‘In the Name of Allah The Beneficent The Merciful.' And the pupil says: ‘In The Name of Allah The Beneficent The Merciful.' Then Allah will give absolution to them both and to the pupil's parents.' [14]

Related from Ja'far al-Sadiq is that he said: ‘The believer should not die before learning the Qur'an or be in the process of learning it.' [15]

The Magnificence of the Qur'an

The Emissary of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: 'The Qur'an is a guidance from error, an elucidation from blindness, a release from stumbling, a light in the darkness, an illumination from events, a protection from destruction, a guidance against temptations, clarity from trials, and a conveyor from this world unto the next. In it is your complete religion, no-one strays from the Qur'an but into the fire.' [16]

And he (s.a.a.s) said: 'Whoever is given the Qur'an by Allah and thinks that any man has been given anything better than he has been given, then he has diminished a great thing and aggrandised a minor thing.' [17]

And he (s.a.a.s) said: 'The virtue of the Qur'an over the rest of speech is as the virtue of Allah over His creation.' [18]

And he (s.a.a.s) said: 'Allah does not punish the heart which is a vessel for the Qur'an.' [19]

And he (s.a.a.s) said: 'Whoever makes his speech the Qur'an, and the mosque his house, Allah builds for him a house in paradise.' [20]

It is related that Abu Dharr came to the Prophet (s.a.a.s) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I fear lest I should learn the Qur'an and not act according to it. ' So the Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: 'Allah will not punish the heart in which He has made the Qur'an dwell.' [21]

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) mentioned commotion one day, so we said: O Messenger of Allah how do we save ourselves from it? He (s.a.a.s) said: 'By the book of Allah. In it is news of those who came before you, and news of those to come after you, and a way to judge between yourselves. It is the criterion and it is not in jest. No tyrant will neglect it but his back will be broken by Allah. He who seeks guidance in other than the Qur'an will fall into error. It is the sturdy rope and the wise reminder and the straight path. Tongues cannot obscure it, it does not pall despite much reading, nor do scholars ever tire of it. Its wonders never cease . . .' [22]

And he (s.a.a.s) said: 'The Angel Gabriel descended upon me and said: 'O Muhammad, everything has a master . . ., the master of speech is the Arabic language, and the master of the Arabic language is the Qur'an.' [23]

Related from Mu'adh b. Jabal who said: 'We were travelling with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) and I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, tell us about what it is that will benefit us.' He (s.a.a.s) said: 'If you desire the life of the felicitous, and the death of the martyrs, and deliverance on the day of the gathering, and the shade on the day of heat, and guidance on the day of error, then study the Qur'an for it is the speech of the Most Merciful, and a refuge from Satan, and tips the balance scales in your favour.' [24]

And he (s.a.a.s) also said: 'The Qur'an is better than anything else other than Allah. He who reveres the Qur'an has revered Allah and he who does not revere the Qur'an has made light of the sanctity of Allah. The sanctity of the Qur'an to Allah is as the sanctity of the father to his son.' [25]

And he (s.a.a.s) said: 'It is not proper for one who carries the Qur'an to think that anyone has been given something better than he has been given, for even if he owned the entire world, the Qur'an would be better than what he owned.' [26]

And he (s.a.a.s) said during the days of his passing from this world, among that which he advised his companions: 'The book of Allah and the people of my household. The book of Allah is the Qur'an. In it is the proof, the light and the evidence. It is the speech of Allah, it is live and always valid, and applicable to current issues. Whenever it is read thoughtfully it is always fresh, and it is the witness (upon those concerned).  It is just judge, and it is a reference which can always be referred to. . . . Tomorrow (on the day of judgement) it will confute against groups of people, and their feet would slip off the Sirat (the straight path) [27] .

In a hadith from Abu Dharr who said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) saying: 'Looking upon 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a.s) is an act of worship, as is looking upon one's parents with kindness and mercy. Looking upon a page from the Qur'an is an act of worship, and looking upon the Ka'bah is an act of worship.' [28]

Commander of the Faithful, Imam 'Ali (a.s) says in description of the Qur'an: Then, Allah sent to him the Book as a light whose flames cannot be extinguished, a lamp whose gleam does not die, a sea whose depth cannot be sounded, a way whose direction does not mislead, a ray whose light does not darken, a separator (of good from evil) whose arguments do not weaken, a clarifier whose foundations cannot be dismantled, a cure which leaves no apprehension for disease, an honour whose supporters are not defeated, and a truth whose helpers are not abandoned. Therefore, it is the mine of belief and its centre, the source of knowledge and its oceans, the plantation of justice and its pools, the foundation stone of Islam and its construction, the valleys of truth and its plains. An ocean which those who draw water cannot empty, springs which those who draw water cannot dry up, a watering place which those who come to take water cannot exhaust, a staging place in moving towards which travellers do not get lost, signs which no wayfarer fails to see and a highland which those who approach it cannot surpass it.

Allah has made it a quencher of the thirst of the learned, a bloom for the hearts of religious jurists, a highway for the ways of the righteous, a cure after which there is no ailment, an effulgence with which there is no darkness, a rope whose grip is strong, a stronghold whose top is invulnerable, an honour for him who loves it, a peace for him who enters  it, a guidance for him who follows it, an excuse for him who adopts it, an argument for him who argues with it, a witness for him who quarrels with it, a success for him who argues with it, a carrier of burden for him who seeks the way, a shield for him who arms himself (against misguidance), a knowledge for him who listens carefully, a worthy story for him who relates it and a final verdict for him who passes judgements.' [29]

He (a.s) also said: 'The outer manifestation of the Qur'an is elegant, and the inner meanings of it are deep, its marvels never cease nor do its wonders come to an end, darkness cannot be dispelled except by it.' [30]

He (a.s) also said: 'Allah has not admonished anyone before with the like of the Qur'an. It is Allah's sturdy rope, and His trustworthy means, in it is the springtime of the hearts, and the founts of knowledge, hearts do not have illumination without it.' [31]

And he (a.s) said: 'This Qur'an is the counsellor that does not give false counsel, the guide that does not lead astray, and the speaker that does not lie. No one will sit with this Qur'an but that he stands up from it with an increase and a decrease; an increase in guidance, and a decrease in blindness. Know ye that after knowing the Qur'an, no one can again experience poverty, neither can anyone before knowing the Qur'an experience riches. Seek ye in it the cure to your ailments, and succour in your hardships. In it is the cure from the greatest of ills which are unbelief, hypocrisy, blindness, and errancy. Beseech Allah through it, and seek a direction to Him through the love of it, and do not ask of his creation through it. (there is) nothing like it which leads the people to monotheism.  Know ye that it is an intercessor whose intercession is accepted, and a speaker which confirms the truth, and that whoever the Qur'an asks intercession for on the day of resurrection will be granted such, and whoever the Qur'an speaks against on the day of resurrection it will speak the truth against him. On the day of resurrection a herald will proclaim: Verily every ploughman is afflicted in what he sows and the outcome of his works except in the tilth of the Qur'an. So be of its tilth and its followers and seek evidence in it about your Lord, and counsel about yourselves, and question with it your opinions, and seek to expose with it your vain desires.' [32]

From 'Ali b. al-Hussein (a.s): 'The verses of the Qur'an are treasure houses. Therefore every time you open a treasure house you must look to see what is in it.' [33]

And he (a.s) said: 'If all the peoples of the east and the west were to die, I would not feel alone as long as the Qur'an was with me.' [34]

From Imam al-Baaqir (a.s) who said: The Commander of the Faithful (a.s) said: 'Shall I inform you about the true religious scholar? He is one who does not invoke in the people a despair of the mercy of Allah, nor does he invoke in them a sense of security from the punishment of Allah. He does not give licence to disobeying Allah and does not neglect the Qur'an seeking other than it. Indeed there is no good in a knowledge in which there is not a deep understanding, nor is there any good in a recital of the Qur'an in which there is no pondering, nor is there any good in an act of worship in which there is no heartfelt comprehension.' [35]

And he (a.s) said: 'The Qur'an will arrive on the day of resurrection in the most beautiful aspect and form. It will pass by the Muslims and they will say: this man is one of us. Then it will pass beyond them to the prophets and they will say: he is one of us. It will then pass beyond them to the Archangels and they will say: he is one of us. Until it ends up before The Lord of Power, Almighty and Exalted is He, and it will say: Lord, I made such and such a person thirsty during his middays, and kept him awake during his nights on Earth. But I did not make such and such a person thirsty during his mid-days, and did not keep him awake during his nights. So Allah Almighty will say: Let them enter the garden according to their stations.  So (the Qur'an) will arise and they will follow it and it will say to each believer: Recite and advance. So they recite and advance until each person has reached his allotted station and has settled therein.' [36]

Also from Imam al-Baaqir (a.s) that he said: 'Learn the Qur'an, for it will come on the day of resurrection in the most beautiful of forms ever seen by Allah's creation. There the people will be arrayed in one-hundred and twenty thousand rows; eighty thousand rows are the nation of Muhammad (s.a.a.s), and forty thousand rows for the remainder of the nations. The Qur'an will come to the ranks of the Muslims in the form of a man. He will greet them and they will look towards him and say: There is no god but Allah the Patient the Generous. This man is one of the Muslims we recognise him by his aspect and character except that he was of a greater understanding than us in the Qur'an. Hence he has been given of magnificence, beauty and light that which we have not been given. Then he passes on until he comes upon the ranks of the martyrs who say: There is no god but Allah the Most Merciful Lord. This man is one of the martyrs, we recognise him by his features and character except that he is one of the martyrs of the sea, for it is from there that he has been given of beauty and virtue that which we have not been given. Then he passes on until he comes upon the ranks of the martyrs of the sea in the form of a martyr. The martyrs of the sea look upon him and their wonderment is great and they say: This man is of the martyrs of the sea, we recognise him by his features and character except that the island in which he met his end was more fearful than the island in which we met our ends. Hence he has been given of magnificence, beauty and light that which we have not been given. Then he passes on until he comes upon the ranks of the prophets and messengers in the form of a prophet and messenger. The prophets and messengers look upon him and great is their wonderment of him and they say: There is no god but Allah the Magnificent the Esteemed. This is a prophet and messenger, we recognise him by his character and features except that he has been given a great bounty. They then gather together and approach the Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) and ask him: O Muhammad!  Who is this man? He says: Do you not recognise him? They say: We do not recognise him, he is one that has not the wrath of Allah upon him. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) says: This is the proof of Allah upon his creation. So he gives a greeting of peace, and passes on until he reaches the ranks of the Angels in the form of an Archangel . The Angels look upon him and great becomes their wonderment until it becomes too much for them for what they see of his virtue. They say: Exalted is our Lord and Most Holy, this servant is one of the Angels, we recognise him by his features and character except that he is the most near of the Angels in station to Allah The Most Powerful and Majestic. Hence he has been attired in light and beauty.' [37]

Imam al-Saadiq (a.s) said: 'Among that which the Commander of the Faithful (a.s) enjoined upon his companions was that he said: 'Know Ye that the Qur'an is the guidance during the night and the day, and the light during the dark night over exertion and poverty.' [38]

And he (a.s) said: 'In this Qur'an there is the beacon of guidance and the lanterns of darkness . . . Therefore he who wants to polish his eyes (to see the truth) he should open his sight to the light (of the Qur'an) . . . since reflecting and thinking is the life of the heart of the wise, just as the one with torch of light walks in darkness. [39]

A man questioned Imam al-Saadiq (a.s) and said: 'What is it with the Qur'an that despite  the propagation and studying of it, it only increases in freshness? So he said (a.s): 'It is that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, has not made the Qur'an for one specific era rather than another, or for one group of people rather than another. Therefore, in every time it is new and amongst every people is fresh until the day of resurrection.' [40]

He (a.s) also said: 'That Allah Blessed and Exalted is He, revealed in the Qur'an an exposition of every thing, so that He has not neglected anything needed by his servants, and so that no servant is able to say: if only such and such a subject was in the Qur'an, but that Allah has sent down revelation about that subject in it. [41]

And he (a.s) said: 'Then the Qur'an ends up standing to the right of the throne and The Omnipotent will say: By My Greatness and My Majesty, and the Exaltedness of My Station, I will indeed honour today those who have honoured you and I will humiliate those who have belittled you.' [42]

And he (a.s) said: 'The Qur'an is a prohibitor and an orderer; it orders to paradise and prohibits from the fire.' [43]

He (a.s) said: 'The Qur'an is riches, there are no riches without knowledge of it and no poverty after knowledge of it.' [44]

From Imam al-Saadiq (a.s) from his forebears (a.s): 'The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: 'When trials and temptations descend upon you like the darkness of the night, then look to the Qur'an for it is an intercessor whose intercession will be accepted, and a schemer who confirms the truth. He who keeps it in front of him will be lead by it into paradise, he who puts it behind him will be driven into the fire. It is the guide to the best path, and a book in which is explanation, exposition, and learning. It is decisive and not in jest. It has an outside and an inside, its exterior is judgement, and its interior is knowledge, its outer manifestation is elegant and its inner meanings are deep. (when it is studied) Truth and wisdom stems from it.  And every truth leads to even more wisdom.  Its marvels are without number, and its wonders never cease. The lanterns of guidance, and the lighthouse of wisdom, and the guide to knowledge.  Therefore he who wants to polish his eyes (to see the truth), and attain serenity in his vision, and he who wants to release himself from impaired vision and entanglement of the mind, let him use the Qur'an.  For thought and reflection gives life to the heart of the wise, just as the one who walks in darkness with a torch.  Therefore it is upon you make sure to rescue yourselves in the best possible way and in the shortest possible time.  [45]

And from Imam al-Saadiq (a.s) from his father who said: 'Indeed it is a source of wonderment to me that there is in a house a copy of the Qur'an with which Allah Almighty is He expels the Satans.' [46]

From Imam al-Ridha (a.s) that he mentioned the Qur'an and said: 'It is the sturdy rope of Allah and His firm grip, and His perfect road which leads to paradise, and delivers from the fire. It does not pall despite the passing of aeons, and does not dissipate despite being oft repeated, because it was not created for one time rather than another but as the argument and proof for all humanity. Falsehood does not approach it from before it or behind it, a revelation from The All Wise, The All Praised.' [47]

The Bearers of the Qur'an

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: 'The people of the Qur'an are the people of Allah and His elect.' [48]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: 'The nobles of my nation are those who bear the Qur'an (in their hearts), and the people of the night (who worship Allah during the hours of darkness). [49]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: 'The people of the Qur'an have reached the highest degree of all the children of Adam, apart from the prophets and messengers. Therefore do not deny them their rights for they have from Allah The Almighty a lofty station.' [50]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: 'The person with the most right to humility both secret and public is the bearer of the Qur'an, as is he the person with the most right to prayer and fasting both secret and public.' Then he called at the top of his voice: 'O bearer of the Qur'an, practise humility, with the Qur'an Allah raises you up, and do not make it a source of pride so that Allah humiliates you. O bearer of the Qur'an, beautify yourselves with it for Allah, He will beautify you, but do not beautify yourselves with it for the people that Allah may disgrace you with it. The person who completes a reading of the Qur'an is as one who has reached the station of prophethood except that he will not receive revelation, and he who upholds the Qur'an, and encourages others to do so, he would not respond in the same way when he is insulted, angered, or wrathed, but he would forgive, pardon and forbear (the offending person) in line with the teaching and the honour of the Qur'an.  He who is given the Qur'an and thinks that anyone else has been given something better than he has been given has aggrandised that which Allah has belittled and belittled that which Allah has aggrandised.' [51]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: The most honourable of servants in the sight of Allah after the prophets are the scholars, then the bearers of the Qur'an, they will exit from this world as the prophets exit and will be gathered from their tombs with the prophets, and pass over the path along with the prophets and will receive the reward of the prophets. So act kindly with students and bearers of the Qur'an because of the honour and nobility they enjoy in the sight of Allah.' [52]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: The bearers of the Qur'an are favoured with the mercy of Allah, they are clothed in the light of Allah, taught the speech of Allah, and drawn near to Allah.' [53]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: 'The bearers of the Qur'an are surrounded by the mercy of Allah, clothed in the light of Allah, taught the speech of Allah. Whoever takes them as an enemy has taken Allah as an enemy, and whoever takes them as a friend has taken Allah as a friend.' [54]

From the Commander of the Faithful (a.s) in a noble hadith in description of his followers: '. . . During the night they are busy performing the prayers, reading the Qur'an and reciting it, admonishing themselves with its parables, and seeking a cure for their ills with its remedy.' [55]

Also from him (a.s) that he said: 'The bearers of the Qur'an in this world are the wise men of the people of paradise on the day of resurrection.' [56]

The Recitation of the Qur'an

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: 'Illuminate your houses with the recitation of the Qur'an.' [57]

He also said: 'There are three kinds of people who will be on a dune of musk who will not be saddened by the great terror nor distressed by the reckoning: A man who reads the Qur'an seeking a reward in the hereafter, then leads a people seeking the reward of the hereafter . . .' [58]

He also said: 'This Qur'an is the rope of Allah and is the elucidating light, and the beneficial cure . . . So recite it and Allah will reward you for every letter you recite with ten blessings, and I do not say that reciting 'A.L.M' is ten but for 'A' ten, for 'L' ten, and for ‘M' ten.' [59]

And he said (s.a.a.s): 'O Salman, you must recite the Qur'an, for the recitation of it is an effacement of sins, and a shield from the fire, and a sanctuary from the torment. For every verse one recites, the reward of that of one-hundred martyrs is written for him, and for every chapter he is given the reward of that of a prophet, and the mercy of Allah will descend upon him.' [60]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘You must recite the Qur'an, and remember Allah frequently, for it is a remembrance for you in the sky and a light for you on the Earth. [61]

And he (s.a.a.s) said: ‘The parents of the reciter of the Qur'an will be crowned with the crown of nobility whose light illuminates for ten thousand years (of walking) distance, and will be clothed in a garment the smallest thread of which will be worth more than one-hundred thousand times those of the earthly world and whatever riches and opulence in it. Then the reciter will be given dominion in his right hand and everlasting life in his left hand in a book which he will read from his right hand: You have been made one of the most esteemed kings of the gardens of heaven and one of the companions of Muhammad (s.a.a.s) Master of the prophets, and ‘Ali (a.s) the best of vice-regents and after them the Imams, the pinnacles of piety. He will then read from the book in his left hand: You are safe from separation from this dominion and you have been rescued from death and sickness. You are spared from disease and illness and have avoided the envy of the envious and the schemes of the schemers. Then it will be said to him: Recite and rise to your allotted station at the last verse of the Qur'an you are able to recite. When his parents see their garments and their crowns they will say: Lord, how is it that we have this honour when our acts did not deserve it. They will be told: Almighty Allah has bestowed this upon you for teaching your son the Qur'an.' [62]

And he said (s.a.a.s): ‘The hearts of men can become rusty just as iron rusts. He was asked: O Messenger of Allah what is their polish? He (s.a.a.s) said: The recitation of the Qur'an and remembrance of death.' [63]

And he said (s.a.a.s): ‘Whoever reads the Qur'an seeking Allah and a knowledge of the religion will have a reward the same as will be given to the Angels and the Prophets and Messengers.' [64]

Amir al-Mu'minin ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said in his will to his son Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya: ‘Know that for the Muslim there are two magnanimities. The one while at home and the ideal during travel. The ideal when at home is the recitation of the Qur'an . . .' [65]

Al-Hasan b. ‘Ali said: ‘He who recites the Qur'an will have his wish granted sooner or later.' [66]

‘Ali ibn al-Hussein (a.s) said: ‘You must heed the Qur'an, for Allah has created the garden of Paradise out of bricks of gold and silver held together with a plaster of musk, where the earth is of saffron and the pebbles are of pearl. The stations of the garden are equal to the number of verses of the Qur'an and whoever recites the Qur'an will be told ‘Recite and ascend.' Of whoever enters Paradise no-one shall be in a higher station than the reciter of the Qur'an except the Prophets and the Righteous. [67]

Related from Abu Ja'far (a.s) who said: ‘Everything has a springtime, and the springtime of the Qur'an is the holy month of Ramadan.' [68]

Related from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s) who said: ‘If one reads the Qur'an in his youth as a true believer, the Qur'an mingles with and becomes a part of his flesh and blood, and Allah places him alongside the pious and noble scribes, and on the day of resurrection the Qur'an will be a witness in his favour saying: ‘O Lord, every doer of deeds has received the reward for his deeds except for him whose work was with me, so let him have the noblest of your gifts. Then Allah Almighty will clothe him in two of the robes of Paradise and the crown of honour will be placed upon his head. Then the Qur'an will be asked: ‘Is this to your satisfaction?' And the Qur'an will answer: ‘O Lord I desire for him something better than this.' So he will be given sanctity in his right hand and everlasting life in his left then he will be ushered into Paradise and will be told: ‘Recite a verse and for every verse ascend a station.' Then the Qur'an will be asked: ‘Have We treated him to your satisfaction?' The Qur'an will answer ‘Yes.' (The narrator said):'Whoever recites a great amount of the Qur'an and underwent hardship due to the difficulty of memorisation will be given by Allah this twice over.' [69]

Also related from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s): ‘The best worship is the recitation of the Qur'an.' [70]

And: ‘Whoever reads the Qur'an in order to learn it by heart, Allah will allow him to enter the garden and his intercession will be accepted for ten of his family who had deserved the fire.' [71]

Also from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s): ‘Whoever recites the Qur'an to extract money from the people will arrive on the day of resurrection and his face will be a skull with no flesh on it.' [72]

Related from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s) from the will of the Prophet (s.a.a.s) to ‘Ali (a.s): ‘You must recite the Qur'an in all circumstances.' [73]

Also related from him (a.s): ‘The house in which there is a Muslim who reads the Qur'an will glitter for the people of the heavens as the star glitters for the people of the earth.' [74]

And he said (a.s): ‘Amir al-Mu'minin (a.s) said: ‘The house in which the Qur'an is recited and the name of Allah is oft remembered will receive great blessings and will be visited by the Angels and avoided by the demons. It will illuminate for the people of the heavens as the evening star does for the people of the earth. But the house in which the Qur'an is not read nor the name of Allah mentioned will receive few blessings and the Angels will flee from it and the demons will visit it.' [75]

And he said (a.s): ‘Whoever reads the Qur'an from the Holy text will find gratification for the eye, and the torment will be lessened for his parents even if they were disbelievers.' [76]

And he (a.s) said: ‘One who reads the Qur'an has riches beyond which there is no poverty and if he does not read then there is no way to riches.' [77]

And related from him (a.s): ‘The houses in which prayer is held at night with the recitation of the Qur'an will illuminate for the people of the heavens as the stars illuminate for the people of the earth.' [78]

He also said (a.s): ‘The reciter of the Qur'an who does not subjugate to Allah and whose heart does not soften and who does not cover himself with sadness and dread in secret has belittled the greatness of Allah Almighty is He and is in manifest loss. The reciter of the Qur'an requires three things: A fearful heart, (being) away from any distraction and a place free of others.' [79]

He also said (a.s): ‘By Allah, there is not a single of our followers who recite the Qur'an in their prayers standing but that they will be given for every letter one-hundred blessings, or in their prayers sitting but that they will be given for every letter fifty blessings, and at times other than in prayer but that they will be given for every letter ten blessings.' [80]

He (a.s) also said: ‘There are three types of Qur'anic reciters. There is the reciter who seeks to impress patrons and attain power over the people and he is destined for the fire. Then there is the reciter who reads the Qur'an and memorises its letters but neglects to act within its laws and he is destined for the fire. Then there is the reciter who reads and hides himself with the Qur'an under his cloak and he acts according to the clear verses and has faith in the ambiguous verses, he establishes its injunctions, makes lawful what it makes lawful and prohibits what it makes unlawful. This is one whom Allah has rescued from the trials which lead astray and he is of the people of Paradise and his intercession will be accepted for whomsoever he wishes.' [81]

He (a.s) also said: ‘What is there to prevent the traders amongst you when you come back home from work to read a chapter of the Qur'an before sleep? For each verse you read you will be accredited with ten good deeds and ten foul deeds will be erased.' [82]

He (a.s) also said: ‘The faithful son of Adam will be summoned for the reckoning and the Qur'an will go before him in the most beautiful of aspects and say: ‘O Lord, I am the Qur'an and this is your  faithful servant who used to tire himself by reciting me and to spend long nights reading me and his eyes would stream when he spent the nights in prayer, so please him as he has pleased me.' Allah Almighty will say: ‘Open your right hand, then he will fill it with the pleasure of Allah Almighty and he will fill his left hand with the mercy of Allah then he will be told: ‘This garden of Paradise is open to you so recite and ascend.  For every verse he recites he will ascend a station.' [83]

He (a.s) also said: ‘The Qur'an is the covenant of Allah to his creation therefore it is imperative that the Muslim should look into this covenant and read from it each day fifty verses.' [84]

In the book ‘The Reliance of the Summoner to Faith', ‘Ali al-Rida (a.s) quotes the Prophet (s.a.a.s) who said: ‘Give your houses some benefit from the Qur'an, for the house in which the Qur'an is recited brings ease, and plenty for those who dwell in it and if the Qur'an is not recited in it then it will become difficult for the household and they will be in need.' [85]

He (a.s) also said: ‘It is incumbent for the man when he awakes in the morning after his prayer to read fifty verses of the Qur'an.' [86]

Related from al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-‘Askari (a.s) who said: ‘The opening surah of the book is the most noble of the jewels of the exalted throne of Allah . . . and whoever reads it while offering allegiance to Muhammad and his family, Allah will give him for every letter a reward each one of which is better than all the wealth of the world and its fineries. The same will be given to the one who listens to the recitation. So make sure you do this often.' [87]

The Reciters of the Qur'an

Related from Abu Ja'far (a.s) who said: ‘Reciters of the Qur'an are of three types: A man who recites the Qur'an and takes it as if a thing for sale and seeks to impress patrons and gain power over the people. Then there is the man who recites the Qur'an and learns its words by heart but forgets to act within the bounds of its laws . . . and may Allah not make these types of bearers of the Qur'an proliferate. Then there is the man who recites the Qur'an and cures his ailing heart with the Qur'an's antidote. He remains awake at night with it and goes thirsty during his days to be with it and stands up with it in his place of prayer and leaves his bed to be with it. It is because of them that Almighty Allah will restrain the calamity and grant victory over the enemy, and grant blessed rain from the heavens. I swear by Allah that these among the reciters of the Qur'an are rarer than red sulphur.' [88]

Related from al-Sadiq (a.s) from his forefathers who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: ‘There are two sections of the Islamic ummah who if they are righteous then the ummah will be righteous and if corrupt then the ummah will be corrupt – the commanders and the Qur'anic reciters.' [89]

How to Read the Qur'an

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: ‘The beautiful voice is the adornment of the Qur'an.' [90]

And he said (s.a.a.s): ‘The Archangel Gabriel ordered me to read the Qur'an while standing.' [91]

And he said (s.a.a.s): ‘The Qur'an descended with sadness. Therefore, if you read it then weep and if you cannot weep then feign weeping. [92]

And he said (s.a.a.s): ‘Beautify the Qur'an with your voices for the beautiful voice increases the beauty of the Qur'an.' [93]

In al-Khisal with a chain of transmitters from ‘Ali (a.s) who said: ‘The servant of Allah should not recite the Qur'an if he is not in a state of ritual purity until he purifies himself.' [94]

Related from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s) who said: ‘The Qur'an descended with sadness so recite it with sadness.' [95]

And related from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s) who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: ‘Recite ye the Qur'an with the voice and tone of the Arabs and avoid the tone of those who practise foul deeds and great sins. There will come a people after me who will sing the Qur'an in the style of popular song or the style of the monks or as a lamentation . . .their hearts will be tried as will those who are enamoured by what they do.' [96]

Also related from him (a.s): ‘The Prophet (s.a.a.s) said: ‘Everything has an adornment and the adornment of the Qur'an is the beautiful voice.' [97]

Also related from him (a.s) is that he said: ‘Learn ye the Arabic language for it is the speech of Allah with which he addressed his creation and spoke with it to the ancients.' [98]

It is related that Musa ibn Ja'far (a.s) had a beautiful voice and that he excelled in the recital of the Qur'an.  It is related that Imam Zayn el-Abidin (a.s) was reading the Qur'an and a passer by heard him he would be astounded at the beauty of his voice.' [99]

Related from Imam al-Rida (a.s) who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Beautify the Qur'an with your voices for the beautiful voice can only enhance the beauty of the Qur'an.' [100]

The Memorisation of the Qur'an

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: ‘The number of stations in the garden of Paradise correspond to the number of verses of the Qur'an. When someone who knows the Qur'an enters the garden he will be told: ‘Recite and for every verse ascend a station.' There will be no station higher than he who has memorised the entire Qur'an.' [101]

Related from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s) who said: ‘The person who has memorised the Qur'an and acts in accordance with it will be counted among the noble and pious.' [102]

He (a.s) also said: ‘How important is the Qur'an! Each verse and each chapter of the Qur'an will arrive on the day of resurrection and will rise one thousand stations illuminating the garden and will say: If only you had memorised me I would have brought you here. [103]

Also related from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s): ‘The person who takes pains to memorise the Qur'an through his own labours although his memory be weak will gain twice the reward.' [104]

Also related from him (a.s): ‘Whoever forgets a chapter of the Qur'an will see that chapter in the most beautiful of aspects and the most lofty of stations in the garden. When he sees it he will say: What are you? How beautiful you are. I wish you were for me. The chapter will say: Do you not recognise me? I am such and such a chapter of the Qur'an. If you had not forgotten me I would have raised you to this station.' [105]

Related from Musa ibn Ja'far (a.s): ‘The stations of the garden of Paradise are the same number as the verses of the Qur'an and it will be said: Recite and ascend. So he will read and ascend.' [106]

Listening to the Qur'an

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: ‘The evils of this world will be repelled from one who listens to the Qur'an and the calamity of the next world will be repelled from the reciter of the Qur'an. Listening to a single verse of the book of Allah is better than a great amount of gold, and reciting a verse from the book of Allah is better than what is below the heavenly throne to the nether regions of the Earth.' [107]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘The reciter of the Qur'an and the one who listens are equal in their reward.' [108]

Related from ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein (a.s) who said: ‘Whoever listens to a letter from the book of Allah without reading it will revive the reward of a good deed and an evil deed of his will be erased and he will rise a degree in station. Whoever reads the book of Allah while looking at it in other than during the ritual prayers, Allah will write for him for every letter a good deed and erase an evil deed, and raise him a degree in station. Whoever learns a letter from the book of Allah, Allah will write in his record ten good deeds, and erase ten evil deeds and raise him ten degrees. I do not say: For every verse but for every letter. Whoever reads a letter while sitting in prayer, Allah will write in his record fifty good deeds and erase fifty evil deeds and will raise him fifty degrees. Whoever reads a letter while standing in prayer, Allah will write in his record one-hundred good deeds and erase one-hundred of his evil deeds and raise him one-hundred degrees in station. Whoever completes a recitation of the book of Allah his wish will be granted sooner or later.' [109]

Imam Saadiq was asked: ‘Is it incumbent upon one who hears someone reciting the Qur'an to listen and pay heed to him?' He said: ‘Yes, If the Qur'an is recited near you, you should listen to it.' [110]

Abandoning the Qur'an

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: ‘There will come a time for my nation when nothing will remain of the Qur'an but its script.' [111]

He (s.a.a.s) also said in his will: ‘O ‘Ali, In Jahannam (Hell) there is a millstone of iron with which the heads of the criminal reciters and scholars will be pulverised.' [112]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘Many a reciter of the Qur'an and the Qur'an will curse him.' [113]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘Whoever learns the Qur'an then forgets it on purpose will meet Allah Almighty on the day of resurrection in chains and for every (forgotten) verse there will be a serpent assigned to oversee him. Whoever learns the Qur'an and does not act accordingly preferring to it the love of this world and its vain ornament will deserve the contempt of Allah and will be in the lowest level (of hell) …..' He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘Whoever reads the Qur'an desiring reputation and showing off for the people will meet Allah on the day of resurrection with his face in darkness with no flesh on his face. Whoever reads the Qur'an and does not act accordingly will be brought before Allah on the day of resurrection blind. He will say: ‘O Lord, why have I been brought before you blind when I used to see?' He will be told: ‘This is the way you approached our verses so that you forgot them, so likewise you are today forgotten.' Then he will be ordered into the fire. Whoever reads the Qur'an desiring reputation, or as a way to argue with the foolish people or to impress the scholars, or seeking through it the things of this world will have his bones scattered by the Almighty on the day of resurrection and no-one in the fire shall have a worse punishment than him and he will be spared from no kind of torment because of the intensity of the anger and contempt that Allah has for him.' [114]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘The marks of a tyrant are four in number: Disobedience of the Most Merciful, causing hurt to neighbours, hatred of the Qur'an, and nearness to wrongdoing.' [115]

Related from Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s) who said: ‘There are three things which complain to Allah the Almighty: A dilapidated mosque which is not prayed in by its people, a learned person in the midst of the ignorant, and a copy of the Qur'an left unread on a shelf gathering dust.' [116]

The Qur'an and the People of the Prophet's Household

The Most noble Prophet said: ‘Who loveth Allah then let him love me, and who loveth me let him love my family. I leave behind with you the two momentous things; the book of Allah and my family and who loveth my family then let him love the Qur'an.' [117]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘ . . .they (the people of the prophet's household) are with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with them. They will not deviate from it until they reach me at the sacred well (in Paradise ).' [118]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘ ‘Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with him. They will never diverge until they reach me at the sacred well.' [119]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘Allah Almighty has favoured the Qur'an and the knowledge of its interpretation and His mercy and divine favour for the allies of Muhammad and his pure family and those who oppose their enemies.' [120]

Related from Umm Salmah who said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) saying during the illness which ended in his death and when the room was full of his companions: ‘O people, shortly I will die and I will be taken away and I have discharged my duty that I leave with you the two momentous things: the book of my Lord and my family my household. Then he took the hand of ‘Ali (a.s) and said: ‘ ‘Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with ‘Ali – two successors of insight they will never depart from one another until they reach me at the sacred well' [121]

Imam ‘Ali (a.s) said: ‘Allah Almighty purified us and restrained us from sin and made us witnesses over his creation and his proof on the earth. He made us be with the Qur'an and the Qur'an with us. We will never depart from it and it will never depart from us.' [122]

He (a.s) also said: ‘We the people of the household cannot be compared to anyone. The Qur'an was revealed amongst us and the mine of the prophetic mission is amongst us.' [123]

‘Ali ibn al-Hussein (a.s) said: ‘Our similitude in the book of Allah is as a niche in which there is a lamp. In the lamp there is a glass and the glass is Muhammad (s.a.a.s) as if he was a pearly star lit from a blessed tree. He said: ‘Ali is its oil neither of the East nor of the West. Its oil almost illuminates although no flame has touched it. The Qur'an is light upon light. Allah guides to His light who He wishes, He guides to our allegiance whoever He loves.' [124]

Related from Abu Ja'far (a.s) regarding Allah's words: { then ask the people of al-Dhikr if you do not know.} [125] He said: ‘al-Dhikr is the Qur'an  and we are its people.' [126]

Also related from Abu Ja'far (a.s): ‘The Qur'an was sent down in four quarters; a quarter about us, a quarter about our enemies, a quarter about injunctions and laws, and a quarter traditions and parables. We have the noble parts of the Qur'an.' [127]

He also said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: ‘I am the first to go before The Almighty on the day of resurrection along with His book and the people of my household. Then will come my nation, then I will ask them what they did with the book of Allah and the people of my household.' [128]

He (a.s) also said regarding the words of Allah: { We will settle your affairs O ye two momentous things.} [129] ‘The two momentous things are the Qur'an and Us.' [130]

He (a.s) also said: ‘Allah has made our regency the axis of the Qur'an.' [131]

He also said (to one of his followers): ‘O Mufaddal, if our followers were to contemplate the Qur'an, they would not doubt our virtue.' [132]

He (a.s) also said: ‘Allah has made our regency the axis of the Qur'an and that of all books. The clear verses of the Qur'an revolve around it and through it faith is made plain. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) ordered that the Qur'an and the family of Muhammad (s.a.a.s) be followed saying in his final sermon: ‘I leave amongst you the two momentous things – the greater and the lesser. The greater thing is the book of my Lord and the lesser is the people of my household so remember me through them for you will not stray as long as you adhere to these two.' [133]

The Intercession of the Qur'an

The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Intercessors are five in number: the Qur'an, the bond of kinship, trustworthiness, your Prophet, and the people of the household of your Prophet.' [134]

Al-Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: ‘The Qur'an warns those who seek to reach their Lord through their desire for what He has with Him. The Qur'an is an intercessor whose intercession will be accepted.' [135]

The Qur'an as a Cure

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.a.s) said: ‘He who seeks a cure in other than the Qur'an will never find a cure.' [136]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘Honey is a cure for every illness and the Qur'an is a cure for what is in the heart so take the two cures – honey and the Qur'an.' [137]

He (s.a.a.s) also said: ‘The Qur'an is the cure.' [138]

Amir al-Mu'minin ‘Ali (a.s) said: ‘In the Qur'an there is a verse which contains the complete medicine: {Eat and drink but not to excess.} [139] [140]

Al-Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: ‘The cure is in the knowledge of the Qur'an.' [141]

He (a.s) also said: ‘Treat your diseases through charity and seek a cure with the Qur'an for whoever the Qur'an cannot cure there is no cure for him.' [142]

Imam al-Kaadhem (a.s) said: ‘In the Qur'an is the cure for every illness.' [143]

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