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Tafsir al-Qurtubi

The General Virtues of the Qur'an and encouragement to study it

This topic is vast and scholars have written many books on it. We will mention somepoints which point out the excellence of the Qur'an and what Allah has prepared for itspeople when they are sincere for His sake and act by it. The first aspect of the excellenceof the Qur'an that the believer should be aware of is that it is from the Lord of the worldsand is uncreated. t consists of unparalleled words and has a !uality which has noe!uivalent or like. t comes from the li"ht of Allah's #ssence. $ecitation is the voices ofthe reciters and their tunes. t is their ac!uisition% and they are commanded to do it as anobli"ation in certain acts of worship and it is recommended at many times. They areforbidden to recite it when they are in a state of ma&or impurity% and are rewarded fordoin" it and punished for abandonin" it. This is part of what the uslims% the people of

the Truth% a"ree on. Traditions state that and well(known reports prove it.

$eward and punishment are only connected to what is part of what people earn% as will beexplained. Were it not that Allah had placed in the hearts of His slaves the stren"th tobear it so that they can reflect on it% study it and remember what it contains of Hisobedience% worship and performin" his duties and obli"ations% they would be too weakand would collapse under its wei"ht or perish. How could they bear it when Allah says%"Had We sent down this Qur'an onto a mountain, you would have seen it humbled,crushed to pieces out of fear of Allah" )*+,-/0 What is the stren"th of hearts comparedto that of the mountains0 1ut Allah provided His slaves with the stren"th to bear what Hewishes as a favour and mercy from Him.

As for traditions about this topic% the first is what at(Tirmidhi transmitted from Abu 2a'idthat the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3The blessedand exalted Lord said% 'f anyone is distracted from askin" e by the Qur'an andrememberin" e% will "ive him better than what "ive the askers.3 He also said% 3Theexcellence of the words of Allah over all other words is like the excellence of Allah overHis creation.3 )hasan gharib hadith/ As(2amar!andi reported in his Musnad that'Abdullah said% 3The seven lon"surasare like the Torah. The suras with a hundred ayatsare like the 4ospel. and the athani is like the 5abur. The rest of the Qur'an is excellent.3

n at(Tirmidhi% 'Ali reported% 3 heard the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and

"rant him peace% say% 'There will be trials like patches of dark ni"ht.' asked% 'essen"erof Allah% how can one escape them0' He replied% 'The 1ook of Allah% 1lessed and exalted%contains your history% information about what came before you% news about what willcome after you and correct &ud"ement between you. t is decisive% not a &est. Allah willcrush any tyrant who abandons it and Allah will mis"uide whoever seeks "uidance fromother than it. t is the 6irm $ope of Allah% His 7lear Li"ht and the Wise $eminder. t isthe 2trai"ht 8ath. 8assions are not mis"uided by it% the ton"ues do not become sated withit% and the "odfearin" do not become bored by it. t does not wear out when it is recited a

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lot and its wonders do not cease. t is that which the &inn did not leave once they hadheard it. They said% 3We heard a wonderful Qur'an which guides to right guidance. 3)9-,(-/ Whoever knows it has knowled"e which takes precedence. Whoever utters itspeaks the truth. Whoever &ud"es by it is &ust. Whoever acts by it is rewarded. Whoevercalls to it is "uided to a strai"ht path. Take it% one(eyed.3

:. $eferrin" to brahim an(;akha'i% who had one eye.ou@ 6ear Allah@ do not know of anyone better than you if you act by what you know.3Ad(arimi reported that Wahb ad(himari said% 3f Allah "ives someone the Qur'an andhe stands recitin" it at the ends of the ni"ht and the ends of the day and acts by what is init and dies in obedience% on the ay of $isin" Allah will raise him up with the an"els and8rophets.3

uslim related that 'A'isha reported that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless himand "rant him peace% said% 32omeone who recites the Qur'an and is fluent in it is with thenoble pious an"els. 2omeone who recites the Qur'an and stammers in it has two rewardsas it is difficult for him.3 He will have one reward for the recitation and one reward for

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the difficulty. The levels of the fluent reciter are all above that because the Qur'an wasdifficult for him and then he rose beyond that to be like the an"els. Allah knows best.

At(Tirmidhi reports from 'Abdullah ibn as'ud that the essen"er of Allah% may Allahbless him and "rant him peace% said% 3Whoever recites a letter of the 1ook of Allah earns

a "ood deed% and each "ood deed is worth ten like it. do not say that 'Alif$lam$mim' isone letter% but that alif is a letter% lam is a letter% and mimis a letter.3 )hasan sahih gharib/

uslim reported that '=!ba ibn 'Amir said% 3The essen"er of Allah% may Allah blesshim and "rant him peace% came out to us while we were in the 2uffa and asked% 'Which ofyou would like to "o every day to 1uthan or to al('A!i! and brin" two lar"e(humped she(camels from it without wron"doin"0' We said% 'essen"er of Allah% all of us would likethat@' He said% 'oes not one of you "o to the mos!ue and teach or recite two ayats fromthe 1ook of Allah0 That is better for him than two camels% and three verses are better forhim than three camels% four verses are better than four camels% and so on re"ardin" thenumber of camels.3

Abu Hurayra reported that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant himpeace% said% 3Allah will relieve anyone who relieves a believer of one of the afflictions ofthis world of one of the afflictions of the ay of $isin". Allah will "ive ease in this worldand the ;ext to anyone who eases the hardship of another. Allah will veil anyone whoveils another uslim in this world and the ;ext. Allah will help His slave as lon" as Hisslave is helpin" his brother. Whoever travels a path on which he seeks knowled"e% Allahwill make the path to the 4arden easy for him. 8eople do not meet in one of the houses ofAllah to recite the 1ook of Allah and study it to"ether without tran!uillity descendin" onthem% mercy coverin" them% an"els encirclin" them and Allah mentionin" them to thosewho are with Him.3

Abu awud% an(;asa'i% ad(arimB% and at(Tirmidhi reported that '=!ba ibn 'Amir heardthe 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% say% 3The one who recites theQur'an publicly is like the person who "ives his sada)apublicly. The one who recites theQur'an secretly is like the person who conceals his sada)a.3 )hasan gharib/ At(Tirmidhireported from Abu Hurayra that the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace%said% 3The Qur'an will come on the ay of $isin" and say% 'C Lord% robe him@' and he willput on him the crown of nobility.' t will say% 'C Lord% more@' and he will put on him therobe of honour. Then it will say% 'C Lord% be pleased with him@' and He will be pleasedwith him. t will be said% '$ecite and ascend%' and he will be increased with a "ood deedfor every ayat.3 )sahih/

Abu awud reported from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr that the essen"er of Allah% may Allahbless him and "rant him peace% said% 3Those who know the Qur'an will be told% '$eciteand ascend. $ecite slowly as you did in the world below. >our station will be at the lastverse you recite.'3 bn a&ah transmits it from Abu 2a'id al(Dhudri who reported that theessen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3The one whoknows the Qur'an will be told% '$ecite and ascend.' He will recite and rise a de"ree byevery ayatuntil he reaches the last thin" he has.3

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Al(Anbari transmitted from =mm =mama al(Himsi that the essen"er of Allah% mayAllah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3Whoever is "iven a third of the Qur'an hasbeen "iven a third of 8rophethood. Whoever is "iven two(thirds of the Qur'an has been"iven two(thirds of 8rophethood. Whoever recites all of the Qur'an has been "iven all of8rophethood althou"h he has not received any revelation. Cn the ay of $isin" he will be

told% '$ecite and ascend.' He will recite an ayatand rise a de"ree until he finishes what heknows of the Qur'an. Then he will be told% 'Take%' and he will take. Then he will be asked%'o you know what is in your hands0 #ternity is in your ri"ht hand and bliss in yourleft.'3

Al(arwaEi reported from 'Ali that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and"rant him peace% said% 3f someone reads the Qur'an% recites it and memorises it% Allahwill admit him to the 4arden and let him intercede for all the people of his family forwhom the 6ire is mandatory.3 =mm ad(arda' said% 3 visited 'A'isha and asked her%'What is the excellence of the one who recites the Qur'an over the one who does not reciteit amon" those who enter the 4arden0' 'A'isha replied% 'The number of the ayats of the

Qur'an is accordin" to the number of de"rees of the 4arden. ;o one will enter the 4ardenbetter than the one who recites the Qur'an.3 Abu uhammad akki mentioned it. bn'Abbas said% 3f anyone recites the Qur'an and follows what is in it% Allah has "uided himfrom mis"uidance and will protect him on the ay of $isin" from an evil reckonin". Thatis because Allah says, 'All those who follow My guidance will not go astray and will notbe miserable.')-F,-/3 bn 'Abbas said% 3Allah has "uaranteed that the one who followsthe Qur'an will not "o astray in this world nor be wretched in the ;ext.3 akki alsomentioned that. Al(Layth said% 3t was said that mercy does not come !uicker to anyonethan to the one who listens to the Qur'an accordin" to the words of the Almi"hty% 'Whenthe Qur'an is recited, listen to it and be silent so that hopefully you will gain mercy.')9,-FG/3 The word 3hopefully3 makes it mandatory for Allah.

n theMusnadof Abu awud at(Tayalisi% it is reported from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr that theessen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3Anyone who stands:in prayer< for ten ayats will not be written amon" the heedless. Anyone who stands for ahundred ayats will be written amon" the obedient. Anyone who stands for a thousandayatswill be written amon" those with heaps :!intars< of reward.3 There are manytraditions about this% and what we have mentioned is ade!uate. Allah is the Cne who"rants success.

How to recite the Book of Allah and what is disliked and forbidden in it

Al(1ukhari transmitted that Qatada said% 3 asked Anas about the recitation of theessen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% and he said% 'He wouldlen"then syllables when he recited% 'n the ;ame of Allah% the All(erciful% osterciful.' He would extend the name 'Allah'% extend 'ar$!ahman' )the All(erciful/ andextend 'ar$!ahim')the ost erciful/.

At(Tirmidhi reported that =mm 2alama said% 3The essen"er of Allah% may Allah blesshim and "rant him peace% used to put stops in his recitation. He would say% '8raise be to

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Allah% the Lord of the worlds%' and stop% 'the All(erciful% ost erciful%' and stop. Thenhe would recite% 'aster of the ay of $epayment.'3 )gharib% Abu awud transmitted asimilar hadith./

t is related that the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3The person

with the best voice is the one that see fears Allah Almi"hty when he recites.3 t isrelated that 5iyad an(;umayri came with the reciters to Anas ibn alik and was told torecite. He raised his voice and intoned. He had a loud voice and Anas uncovered his face%as he had a black cloth over it% and said% 3>ou@ what is this you are doin"03 When he sawsomethin" he ob&ected to% he would remove the cloth from his face.

t is related that Qays ibn '=bbad said% 3The 7ompanions of the essen"er of Allah usedto dislike raisin" the voice in dhi+r.3 Those who disliked raisin" the voice in recitation ofthe Qur'an included 2a'id ibn al(usayyab% 2a'id ibn ubayr% al(Qasim ibn uhammad%al(Hasan% bn 2irin% an(;akha'i and others. alik ibn Anas and Ahmad ibn Hanbal alsodisliked it. All of them disliked raisin" the voice with the Qur'an and intonin" it. t is

related that 2a'id ibn al(usayyab heard '=mar ibn 'Abdu'l('AEiE leadin" the people andhe intoned in his recitation. 2a'id sent a messa"e to him sayin"% 3ay Allah put you ri"ht@mams should not recite like that.3 2o '=mar stopped sin"in". Al(Qasim ibn uhammadsaid% 3A man recited in the mos!ue of the 8rophet and intoned and al(Qasim ob&ected tothat. He said% Allah Almi"hty says% 'ruly it is a Mighty (oo+. alsehood cannot reach itfrom before it or behind it.' )G,GF(G/3 alik related that he was asked about nabr)raisin" the voice/ when recitin" the Qur'an in the prayer and he disliked that stron"ly andob&ected to the raisin" of the voice in recitation. bn al(Qasim related from him that hewas asked about melody in the prayer and he said% 3 do not like it.3 He said% 3t is a kindof sin"in" which they do and for which they are paid money.3

Cne "roup permit raisin" the voice in the Qur'an and intonin" it. That is because% whensomeone beautifies his voice in it% it settles more deeply in the selves and the hearts listenmore to it. They find evidence in the words of the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "ranthim peace% 3Adorn the Qur'an with your voices.3 Al(1ara' ibn 'AEib transmitted it as didAbu awud and an(;asa'i. The 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said%3He who does not sin" the Qur'an is not one of us.3 )uslim/. There is also what Abuusa told the 8rophet, 3f had known that you listened to my recitation% would havebeautified it for you.3 'Abdullah ibn u"haffal said% 3n a &ourney in the year of the7on!uest% the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% recitedurat al$ath on his mount and he used a !uaverin" tone in his recitation.3 2ome of thosewho believed this were Abu Hanifa and his people% ash(2hafi'i% bn al(ubarak and an(;adr ibn 2humayl. t is the choice of at(Tabari% Abu'l(Hasan ibn 1attal% Qadi Abu 1akribn al('Arabi and others.

The first position is sounder because of what we already mentioned and will mention. Asfor usin" the first hadithas evidence% it is not apparent. t is an example of the reversal ofthe normal order and in fact means% 3Adorn your voices with the Qur'an.3 Al(Dhattabisaid% 3That is how more than one of the mams of hadithhave explained it% sayin" it isreversal.3

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Al(Dhattabi related from al(1ara' that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and"rant him peace% said% 3Adorn the Qur'an with your voices.3 He said% 3t means bemelodious in the recitation and employ your voices to do it and take it as a si"n andadornment. t is said that it means to encoura"e people to recite the Qur'an and persist init. t is related from Abu Hurayra that he heard the essen"er of Allah say% 3Adorn your

voices with the Qur'an.3 t is related that '=mar said% 3ake your voices "ood with theQur'an.3

t is to this sense that the words of the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace%refer when he said% 3The one who does not sin" the Qur'an is not one of us%3 meanin"3the one who does not make his voice "ood with the Qur'an is not one of us.3 That is how'Abdullah ibn Abi ulayka interpreted it. 'Abdu'l(abbar ibn al(Wird said that he heardbn Abi ulayka say that 'Abdullah ibn Abi >aEid said% 3AbI Lubaba passed us and wefollowed him until he went into his house. He was a man of shabby appearance. heardhim say% ' heard the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% say%3He who does not sin" the Qur'an is not one of us.3' 'Abdu'l(abbar said% 3 asked bn Abi

ulayka% 'Abu uhammad% what do you think of the one who does not have a "oodvoice0' He replied% 'He makes it as "ood as he can.'3 )Abu awud/

This is also the meanin" of Abu usa's words to the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and"rant him peace, 3f had known that you were listenin" to my recitation% would havemade my voice "ood in the Qur'an% adorned it and used tartil)slow recitation/.3 Thisindicates that he was !uick in his recitation with a "ood natural voice. f he had knownthat the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% was listenin"% he would haveextended his recitation and used tartilas he usually did when he recited to the essen"erof Allah. He used to do that in order to increase the beauty of his voice when recitin".

We seek refu"e with Allah from interpretin" what the essen"er of Allah% may Allahbless him and "rant him peace% said as meanin" that the Qur'an is adorned by voices oranythin" else@ Whoever interprets it in this way has committed somethin" terrible insayin" that the Qur'an is in need of someone to adorn it. t is Li"ht% llumination% and theHi"hest Adornment for the one who wears its splendour and is illuminated by its li"ht. tis said that the command to adorn means to learn the readin"s and to adorn them with ourvoices. That implies, 3adorn the recitation with your voices%3 since ")ur'an" meansrecitation as Allah says% "he recitation -)ur'an of dawn." )9,9J/ Accordin" to thisinterpretation% it is valid that it simply means 3to recite3 as we made clear.

t is said that the word understood as 3sin"in"3 )yataghanna/ comes from istighna% 3nothavin" any need3% not from ghina' )sin"in"/. This was the interpretation adopted by2ufyan ibn '=yayna and Waki' ibn al(arrah. 2ufyan related that from 2a'd ibn AbiWa!!as. Another point is also related from 2ufyan which sha! ibn $ahawayhmentioned% which is that it means 3to be enriched and without need of other words3. Thisis the interpretation preferred by al(1ukhari when he dealt with the verse% "/s it notenough for them that We have sent down to you the (oo+ which is recited to them0")-+,*/ What is meant by bein" enriched by the Qur'an is not bein" in need of the historyof nations. nterpreters have said that.

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t is said that 3yataghanna3 means to display sorrow. n other words sorrow shouldappear in the reciter when he reads and recites% and it does not come from 3ghunya3)bein" able to dispense with/ because a different form of the verb would have been usedfor that. A "roup of scholars believed that% includin" mam bn Hibban al(1usti. Theirevidence was what utarrif ibn 'Abdullah ibn ash(2hikhkhir related from his father, 3

came to the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% while he wasprayin" and his chest was heavin" like a cauldron from weepin".3 They said% 3This reportmakes it clear that what is meant is displayin" sorrow. This is also supported by what themams related from 'Abdullah, 3The 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace%said% '$ecite to me.' 2o recited urat an$1isa'to him until reached the ayat, 'How willit be when We bring a witness from every nation and bring you as a witness againstthem0' )G,G/ saw his eyes overflowin" with tears.3

These are four interpretations and none of them indicate that recitation is done with tunesor !uaverin" voices. Abu 2a'id al(A'rabi said about 3He who does not sin" the Qur'an isnot one of us3, 3The Arabs were keen on sin"in" and usin" verse in most of what they

said. When the Qur'an was revealed% they wanted to use the Qur'an as their chant insteadof sin"in"% and the 8rophet said this.3

The fifth interpretation is what some claim as evidence for !uaverin" and sin"in". '=maribn 2hayba said% 3 told Abu 'Asim about bn '=yayna's interpretation re"ardin" 'sin"in"'meanin" 'beyond need' and he said% 'bn '=yayna did not do well.'3 Ash(2hafi'i was askedabout the interpretation of bn '=yayna and said% 3 know better than this. f the 8rophet%may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% had meant not havin" need% he would havesaid it. He said% 'sin"in"' and so we know that he meant sin"in".3 At(Tabari said% 3Whatis known in our view is that ta"hannin is sin"in" in the lan"ua"e of the Arabs% which isusin" a "ood voice with !uaverin".3 As for those who claim that it means 'bein" without

need'% that is not part of the lan"ua"e and poems of the Arabs. We do not know any of thepeople of knowled"e who said that.

n respect of what at(Tabari claimed about taghannanot meanin" istighnain Arabic% al(awhari stated what we mentioned as did al(Harawi. There is nothin" to prevent itmeanin" istighna% as it is indeed more appropriate to accept that which is it related from a"reat 7ompanion as 2ufyan reported. bn Wahb said about 2ufyan% 3 have not seenanyone with better knowled"e of the interpretation of ahadiththan 2ufyan ibn '=yayna.3

A sixth interpretation is what has come in the form of an addition in ahihuslim whichis that Abu Hurayra heard the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant himpeace% say% 3Allah does not listen to anythin" so "ladly as He listens to a 8rophet with a"ood voice chantin" the Qur'an aloud.3 At(Tabari said% 3f it had been as bn '=yaynasaid% there would be no point in mentionin" a "ood voice and aloud.3 The word 3aloud3%can be part of the words of the 8rophet% Abu Hurayra or someone else. f it is the first%which is unlikely% it is evidence of lack of warblin" ) tatrib/ and !uaverin" because he didnot say that. He said% 3aloud3% meanin" so that he and those around him can hear him asthe 8rophet said to someone he heard raisin" his voice in the shahada% 3C mankind@ 1ekind to yourselves. >ou are not callin" out to someone dead or absent.3 2o there is no

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evidence for what they claim. 2ome of our scholars preferred this interpretation% sayin"that it is the most likely because the Arabs use the term translated as 3sin"in" out3 for theone who raises his voice and directs it to someone absent even if it had no tune. He said%3This is the explanation of the 7ompanion% and he knows their manner of speakin" farbetter.3

Abu'l(Hasan ibn 1attal ar"ues for the school of ash(2hafi'i and says% 3The removal of thedifficulty in this !uestion is found in what bn Abi 2hayba reported K from '=!ba ibn'Amir who said that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace%said% 3Learn the Qur'an% sin" it and write it. 1y the Cne who has my soul in His hand% it ismore likely to escape than a camel from the hobble.3 Cur scholars said% 3#ven if thishadith has a sound isnad% what is known absolutely and definitively refutes it, therecitation of the Qur'an has reached us mutawatirfrom many shaykhs% "eneration after"eneration back to the noble era and to the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and"rant him peace% and there was no makin" of tunes or intonin" ) tatrib/ related by themwhile they "o into depth re"ardin" the pronunciation of the letters% madda, idgham, i2har

and other types of recitation.6urthermore% in !uaverin" and intonin"% there is puttin" a ham2aon what does not have aham2aand a len"thenin" of what should not be len"thened. 2o the sin"le alifwill bemade into two alifsand one wawinto two. That leads to an increase in the Qur'an whichis forbidden. f that occurs in a place where there is ham2a% they make several ham2as. tmay be said that 'Abdullah ibn u"haffal said that essen"er of Allah% may Allah blesshim and "rant him peace% recited on his camel in the >ear of the 7on!uest of akka)JMNF/ and !uavered% which al(1ukhari mentioned. He said% describin" it, "a' a' a'"threetimes. That may mean ishba'which is len"thenin" the vowel of the maddain its properplace.

t is also possible that the story of his voice has to do with the rockin" of his camel% as ithappens to someone in a loud voice when he is ridin" and his voice ti"htens and is cutbecause of the rockin" of the camel. 2ince this is possible% then there is no evidence in it.'Abdu'l(4hani ibn 2a'id transmitted from the hadithof Qatada from 'Abdu'r($ahman ibnAbi 1akr who reported that his father said% 3The recitation of the essen"er of Allah%may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% was extended )madd/ but there was no!uaverin" )tar3i'/.3 bn uray& reported that bn 'Abbas said% 3The essen"er of Allah hada mu'adhdhinwho intoned. The essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant himpeace% said% 3The adhanshould be easy and smooth )i.e. without trillin"/. f your adhanisnot easy and smooth% then do not "ive the adhan.3 )ad(ara!utni/ f the 8rophet% mayAllah bless him and "rant him peace% forbade it in the adhan% it is more likely that hewould not permit in the Qur'an which the All(erciful preserves as Allah says% "/t is Wewho have sent down the !eminder and We will preserve it.")*,+/

This disa"reement re"ardin" recitation is a result of the meanin" of the Qur'an not bein"understood due to the repetition of voices and the "reat amount of !uaverin". f thematter "oes further so that the meanin" cannot be understood% then that is a"reed to beforbidden. This is done by reciters in the towns of #"ypt who recite before kin"s and at

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funerals and receive wa"es and stipends for doin" so. Their effort is mis"uided and theirwork is ruined. 1y so doin" they allow the alteration of the 1ook of Allah and it makes iteasy for them to be bold a"ainst Allah by addin" to His revelation what was not in it outof i"norance in their deen% deviation from the unnaof their 8rophet% re&ectin" the courseof the ri"hteous 2alaf in respect of that matter% and lon"in" for what shaytan has made

seem attractive in what they do. They 3suppose that they are doin" "ood3 while theyrepeat their error and play with the 1ook of Allah. We are returnin" to Allah% but theTruthful Cne% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% reported that that would happenand so it is as he% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% reported it would be.

mam $aEin and at(Tirmidhi al(Hakim in 1awadir al$#sul reported the hadithtransmitted by Hudhayfa in which the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and"rant him peace% said% 3$ecite the Qur'an with the tunes and voices of the Arabs andbeware of the tunes of the people of passionate love and the tunes of the 8eople of thetwo 1ooks :meanin" the Torah and 4ospelou until was martyred.' Allah will say% '>ou lie. $ather you fou"ht so itwould be said% 3A bold man@3 And so it was said.' Then the command will be "iven andhe will be dra""ed on his face until he is thrown into the 6ire.

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3There will also be a man who studied knowled"e and tau"ht it and recited the Qur'an. Hewill be brou"ht and informed of his blessin"s which he will acknowled"e. Allah will say%'What did you do with them0' He will reply% ' studied knowled"e and tau"ht it and recited the Qur'an for >ou.' Allah will say% '>ou lie. $ather you studied so that it wouldbe said% 3A scholar@3 and you recited so that it would be said% 3He is a reciter@3 And so it

was said.' Then the command will be "iven and he will be dra""ed on his face until he isthrown into the 6ire.

3There will also be a man to whom Allah "ave a lot of wealth and all sorts of property.He will be brou"ht and informed of his blessin"s which he will acknowled"e. Allah willask% 'What did you do with them0' He will answer% 'There was no path in which >ou likespendin" to be done but that spent in it for >ou.' Allah will say% '>ou lie. $ather you didit so that it would be said% 3He is "enerous.3 and so it was said.' Then the command willbe "iven and he will be dra""ed on his face until he is thrown into the 6ire.3

n the!a)a'i)% bn al(ubarak transmitted from al('Abbas ibn 'Abdu'l(uttalib that the

essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3This deenwill bevictorious until it passes the sea and until you plun"e into the sea with horses in the Wayof Allah Almi"hty. Then there will come a people who recite the Qur'an. When theyrecite it% they will say% 'Who reads more than us0 Who knows more than us0'3 Then heturned to his 7ompanions and said% 3o you think that there will be any "ood in those033;o%3 they replied. He said% 3Those are from you and those are from this 7ommunity andthose are the fuel of the 6ire.3 Abu awud and at(Tirmidhi transmitted that theessen"er of Allah said% 3Anyone who learns knowled"e which should be learned for thesake of Allah% the i"hty and a&estic% only to obtain by it "oods of this world% will notexperience the scent of the 4arden on the ay of $isin".3 At(Tirmidhi said it is a hasanhadith.

t is reported that Abu Hurayra reported that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah blesshim and "rant him peace% said% 32eek refu"e with Allah from the 8it of 2orrow.3 Theyasked% 3essen"er of Allah% what is the 8it of 2orrow03 He replied% 3t is a valley in Hellfrom which Hell seeks refu"e a hundred times a day.3 He was asked% 3essen"er ofAllah% who will enter it03 He replied% 3Those who recite to show off their actions.3)gharib/ n the book of Asad ibn usa it is reported that the 8rophet% may Allah blesshim and "rant him peace% said% 3There is a valley in Hell% and Hell seeks refu"e from theevil of that valley seven times a day. n that valley is a pit% and Hell and that valley seekrefu"e from the evil of that pit. n that pit is a serpent and Hell% the valley and the pit seekrefu"e with Allah from the evil of that serpent seven times. Allah has prepared it for thewretched amon" those who know the Qur'an and disobey Allah.3

2o the one who knows the Qur'an and seeks knowled"e should fear Allah re"ardin"himself and act sincerely for Allah. f he does anythin" which is disliked% he shouldhasten to repent and be"in to show sincerity in his "oal and his actions. The one whoknows the Qur'an must "uard himself more carefully than others% as he has a wa"e whichothers do not have. At(Tirmidhi transmitted that Abu'd(arda' reported that theessen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3Allah revealed in

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one of the 1ooks to one of the 8rophets% 'Warn those who seek understandin" for otherthan the deenand learn for other than action and seek this world by the deeds of the ;extworld. They will wear sheep(skins in front of people to "ive the impression of meeknesswhile their hearts are like the hearts of wolves. Their ton"ues are sweeter than honeywhile their hearts are more bitter than aloes. They will try to deceive e and will make

li"ht of e. will send them trials which will leave even the forbearin" bewildered.'3

At(Tabari transmitted in Adab an$1ufusthat one of the 7ompanions of the 8rophet saidthat the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3o not tryto deceive Allah. f anyone tries to deceive Allah% Allah will deceive him. t is his ownself which is deceived if he were only aware.3 They asked% 3essen"er of Allah% how cansomeone try to deceive Allah03 He replied% 31y doin" what Allah has commanded youwhile you seek other than Him by it. 6ear showin"(off. t is shir+. The one who shows offwill be summoned before witnesses on the ay of $isin" by four names which he iscalled, 'C unbeliever@ C loser@ C perfidious@ C deviant@ >our actions are lost and yourreward is nullified. >ou have no share today. 2eek your reward from those you acted for%

C impostor@3t is reported from 'Al!ama that 'Abdullah ibn as'ud said% 3How will you feel when youare enveloped by a trial in which children "row old and the old become senile and peoplewill act accordin" to an innovatedsunna0 When any of it is chan"ed% it will be said% 'Thesunnahas been chan"ed.'3 He was asked% 3When will that be% Abu 'Abdu'r($ahman03 Hereplied% 3When your reciters are many and yourfu)aha' are few% and your leaders aremany and your trusted ones are few% and this world is sou"ht by the actions of the ;extWorld and people learnfi)hfor other than the deen.3 2ufyan ibn '=yayna said% 3 heardthat bn 'Abbas said% 3f those who know the Qur'an had taken it as it should be taken andin the way that is proper% Allah would love them. 1ut they seek this world by it and so

Allah hates them and they are indul"ent with people.3 t is related from uhammad ibn'Ali about the words of the Almi"hty, "hey will be bundled headfirst into it, they and themisled" )-M,+G/% 3This refers to people who describe the truth and &ustice with theirton"ues and then oppose it by espousin" somethin" other than that.3

!hat the one who knows the Qur'an must do and not neglect to do

The first thin" is to be sincere in seekin" it for Allah as we mentioned. >ou should makeyourself recite the Qur'an ni"ht and day% in the prayer or outside the prayer% so that youdo not for"et it. uslim transmitted from bn '=mar that the essen"er of Allah% mayAllah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3The example of the one who knows the

Qur'an is like the one who has hobbled camels. f he takes care of them% he will keepthem. f he releases them% they will "o off. When the one who knows the Qur'an standsand recites it ni"ht and day% he remembers it. f he does not do that% he for"ets it.3 2osomeone who knows Qur'an must praise Allah% be thankful for His blessin"% rememberHim% rely on Him% seek His help% desire Him and clin" to Him. He must remember deathand prepare for it. He should fear his wron" actions and hope for his Lord's pardon. Hisfear when his health is "ood should be stron"er since he does not know what his seal willbe. When he is close to dyin"% his hope should be stron"er in himself because of his "ood

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opinion of Allah. The essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace%said% 3;one of you should die except with a "ood opinion of Allah.3 This means youshould think that He will have mercy on you and for"ive you.

He should know the people of his time% preserve himself from the ruler% and strive to save

himself and save his life% havin" to hand what he can of the "oods of this world% strivin"for himself in that as much as he can. His "reatest concern should be scrupulousness inhis deen% fearfulness of Allah and watchful awareness of Him in what He commands andforbids. bn as'ud said% 3The one who recites the Qur'an should be known by his ni"htswhen people are asleep and his days when people are awake% his weepin" when peoplelau"h% his silence when people delve into improper matters% his humility when they arearro"ant and his sorrow when they are happy.3 'Abdullah ibn '=mar said% 3The one whoknows the Qur'an should not delve with those who delve% nor be i"norant with thei"norant% but he should pardon and overlook by the ri"ht of the Qur'an because inside ofhim are the words of Allah Almi"hty. He must protect himself from doubtful paths andlau"h little and speak little in the "atherin"s of Qur'an and elsewhere concernin" anythin"

in which there is no benefit. He must be forbearin" and "rave.He should be humble to the poor and avoid arro"ance and vanity. He should withdrawfrom this world and its people if he fears temptation for himself% and should abandonar"umentation and dispute. He should make an effort to be kind and show proper adab.He should be with those from whose evil he is safe% whose "ood he hopes for and fromwhose in&ury he is safe. He should not listen to those who slander in his presence andshould keep the company of those who lead him to what is "ood and direct him totruthfulness and noble character% those who adorn him and do not sully him.

He must learn the rulin"s of the Qur'an and understand what Allah means and what He

obli"es. Then he will benefit from what he reads and act by what he recites. How vile isthe one who knows the Qur'an and recites its obli"ations and rulin"s by heart but does notunderstand what he recites. How can the one who does not understand what it means act0How u"ly it is that he is asked about the fi)hof what he recites but does not know it. Theexample of someone with a state like this is only like "a don+ey who carries volumes")M-,*/.

He should know the akkan from the adinan surasso that by that he can distin"uishbetween what Allah told His slaves at the be"innin" of slam and what was recommendedfor them at the end% what He obli"ed on them at the be"innin" of slam and thoseobli"ations He added to it at the end. The adinan abro"ates the akkan in most of theQur'an. t is not possible for the akkan to abro"ate the adinan because the abro"atedwas revealed before the abro"atin". 8art of his perfection is to know the i'rab)inflection"rammar/ and the unusual. That is part of what will make it easy for him toknow what he reads and will remove doubt from him in what he recites.

At(Tabari said% 3 heard al(armi say% 36or thirty years% have been "ivin" people fatwasinfi)htaken from the book of 2ibuwayh :i.e. based on "rammaraEidsaid% 3That was because Abu '=mar al(armi knew ahadith. When he learned the book of

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2ibuwayh% he learnedfi)hin hadithsince it is from the book of 2ibuwayh that he learnedinvesti"ation and tafsir. Then he looked into the sunnas which are firmly transmittedfrom the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace. t is by means ofthem that the seeker reaches what Allah means in His 1ook and that opens up for him the&ud"ements of the Qur'an. Ad(ahhak said about the words of the Almi"hty%'(e people

of the %ord because of your +nowledge of the (oo+.' )N,9+/% 't is a duty for whoeverlearns the Qur'an to be a fa!ih.'3

bn Abi'l(Hawari mentioned% 3A "roup of us went to 6uBayl ibn 'yad in J* AH andstopped at his door% but he did not "ive us permission to enter. Cne of the people said% 'fhe comes out for anythin"% he will come out to recitation of the Qur'an.' 2o we ordered areciter to recite and he appeared to us from a window. We said% '8eace be upon you andthe mercy of Allah.' He said% 'And peace upon you.' We asked% 'How are you% Abu 'Ali0'He replied% ' am in well(bein" from Allah and harm from you. What you are doin" issomethin" new in slam. We belon" to Allah and are returnin" to Him@ This is not howwe seek knowled"e@ We used to "o to the shaykhs and would not see ourselves worthy of

sittin" with them. We sat below them and eavesdropped. When a hadithwas "iven% wewould ask them to repeat it and we would retain it. >ou seek knowled"e with i"norance.>ou waste the 1ook of Allah. f you had sou"ht the 1ook of Allah% you would havefound in it healin" for what you want.' We said% 'We have studied the Qur'an.' He said%'>our study of the Qur'an is work enou"h for your lives and the lives of your children@'We asked% 'How% Abu 'Ali0' He replied% '>ou will not learn the Qur'an until you know itsi'rab% its muh+amfrom its mutashabih% and its abro"atin" from its abro"ated. When youknow that% then you will have no need of the words of 6udayl and bn '=yayna.' Then hesaid% ' seek refu"e with Allah% the All(Hearin"% All(Dnowin" from the Accursed2haytan. n the ;ame of Allah% the All(erciful% the ost erciful. " man+ind4 Anadmonition has come to you from your %ord and also healing for what is in the breasts

and guidance and mercy for the believers. ay5 '/t is the favour of Allah and His mercythat should be the cause of their re3oicing. hat is better than anything theyaccumulate.'"' )F,*9(*J/3

When the reader of the Qur'an obtains these ranks% he will be fluent in the Qur'an andknow the iscrimination. He will be close to the one who brin"s him close to it. He willnot benefit from any of what we have mentioned until he has a sincere intention for Allahwhen he seeks it% or continues to have a sincere intention after learnin" it% as was alreadystated. A seeker of knowled"e may be"in by desirin" reputation and honour in the deen.Then his understandin" of knowled"e continues until it is clear to him that he has erred inhis belief% and so he repents of that and makes his intention sincere for Allah. He benefitsfrom that and improves his state. Al(Hasan said% 3We used to seek knowled"e for thisworld and it dra""ed us to the ;ext World.3 2ufyan ath(Thawri said that. Habib ibn AbiThabit said% 3We sou"ht this matter and we had no intention in it. The intention cameafterwards.3

The synta" of the Qur'an# learning it and studying it and the reward for

the one who recites the Qur'an with roer inflections

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Al(Anbari said% 3The 8rophet% his 7ompanions and their 6ollowers all mention theexcellence of proper understandin" of the syntax of the Qur'an and the encoura"ement tolearn it and censure and dislike poor "rammatical understandin". This obli"es the recitersof the Qur'an to strive to learn it.

3Cne aspect of that is in what is related from Abu Hurayra who reported that the 8rophet%peace be upon him% said% 3=se the proper syntax in the Arabic of the Qur'an and searchout its unusual words.3 t is reported from bn '=mar that the essen"er of Allah% mayAllah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3f someone recites the Qur'an without itscorrect "rammar% an an"el is entrusted to him to write for him% as is revealed% ten "ooddeeds for every letter. When he uses correct "rammar for some of it and fails to do so forsome of it% two an"els are entrusted who write down every letter with twenty "ood deeds.f he inflects it correctly% four an"els are entrusted to him to write down seventy "ooddeeds for every letter.3 Ad(ahhak reported that 'Abdullah ibn as'ud said% 3$ecite theQur'an well and adorn it with your voices and employ its correct syntax. t is Arabic andAllah loves the correct syntax to be employed.3 u&ahid reported that bn '=mar said%

3=se correct syntax in the Qur'an.3Abu 1akr and '=mar said% 3We prefer some syntax of the Qur'an to simply memorisin"its letters.3 Ash(2ha'bi reported that '=mar said% 3Anyone who recites the Qur'an with itssyntax has the reward of a martyr with Allah.3 akhul said% 3We were told that anyonewho recites with correct syntax has double the reward of someone who recites without it.'bn 'Abbas reported that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant himpeace% said% 3Love the Arabs for three reasons, because am an Arab% the Qur'an is inArabic and the lan"ua"e of the people of the 4arden will be Arabic.3 Abu BamEa said%3Al(Hasan was asked about people studyin" Arabic and he said% 'They do well. Theylearn the lan"ua"e of their 8rophet.'3 Al(Basan was told% 3We have an imam who uses

un"rammatical Arabic.3 He said% 3ismiss him.3bn Abi ulayka said% 3A bedouin arrived in adina in the time of '=mar ibn al(Dhattaband asked% 'Who will recite some of what was revealed to uhammad% may Allah blesshim and "rant him peace0' A man recited urat at$awba to him. He said% 'Allah is free ofthe idolaters and His essen"er' usin" the "enitive for essen"er ) rasulihi/.' Thebedouin said% 'Allah is free of His essen"er0 f Allah is free of His essen"er% we aremore free of him.' '=mar heard what the bedouin had said so he summoned him and said%'1edouin% are you free of the essen"er of Allah0' He replied% 'Amir al(u'minin% cameto adina with no knowled"e of the Qur'an. asked someone to recite it to me and herecited this ura at$awbaand said% 3Allah is free of the idolaters and His essen"er.32o said% 3Allah is free of His essen"er0 f Allah is free of His essen"er% we are morefree of him.3' '=mar said% 'That is not how it is% bedouin.' He said% 'How is it then% Amiral(u'minun0' He said% 'Allah is free of the idolaters% as is His essen"er ) rasuluhu/.'The bedouin said% 'We% by Allah% are more free of what Allah and His essen"er are freeof@' 2o '=mar ibn al(Dhattab commanded that only those who knew proper "rammarshould recite to people and he commanded Abu'l(Aswad to set out the "rammar.3

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'Ali ibn al(a'd reported that he heard 2hu'ba say% 3The metaphor of someone who knowsthe hadithbut does not know Arabic is that of a donkey which has a noseba" with nofodder in it.3 Hammad ibn 2alama said% 3The one who seeks hadithand does not learn"rammar ? or Arabic ? is like a donkey who has a noseba" in which there is no barley.3bn 'Atiyya said% 3The syntax of the Qur'an is a basic principle in the 2hari'a because it is

that by which its meanin"s% which are the 2hari'a% are established.3

bn al(Anbari said% 3The 7ompanions of the 8rophet and their 6ollowers provideevidence for usin" lan"ua"e and poetry to explain unusual and problematic words in theQur'an and that demonstrates the soundness of the school of the "rammarians respectin"that and the falsity of those who deny that. t is reported from 'krima that bn 'Abbassaid% 3When you ask me about the unusual words of Allah% look for them in poetry.8oetry is the lexicon of the Arabs.3 2a'id ibn ubayr and >usuf ibn ihran were heard tomention that they heard bn 'Abbas bein" asked about somethin" in the Qur'an and hereplied. 3t means such and such. Have you not heard the poet say such(and(such03

!hat is reorted about the e"cellence of tafsirof the Qur'an and those whodo it

Cur scholars say that part of what is transmitted from the 7ompanions and 6ollowersabout the excellence of tafsir is that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib mentioned abir ibn 'Abdullah anddescribed him as havin" knowled"e. A man said to him% 3ay be your ransom@ >oudescribe abir as havin" knowled"e when you are who are you are@3 He said% 3He knewthe tafsirof the words of Allah%'He who has imposed the Qur'an upon you will mostcertainly bring you bac+ home again.' )-J,J*/3 u&ahid said% 3The dearest of creatures toAllah Almi"hty is the one who has the most knowled"e of what is revealed.3 Al(Hasansaid% 3Allah has not revealed an ayat but that He wants people to know about what it was

revealed for and what it means.3 Ash(2ha'bi said% 3asru! travelled to 1asra for thetafsirof an ayatand was told that the one who could explain it had travelled to 2yria. 2ohe made preparations and travelled to 2yria to learn its tafsir.3

'krima said about the words of the Almi"hty% "/f anyone leaves his home, ma+ing hi3ra toAllah and His Messenger" )G,++/% 3 sou"ht for the name of this man 'who left his home%emi"ratin" for Allah and His essen"er' for fourteen years until found him.3 bn'Abdu'l(1arr said that it was amra ibn Habib. bn 'Abbas said% 3 remained for two yearswantin" to ask '=mar about the two women who helped each other a"ainst the essen"erof Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% and only awe of him prevented mefrom askin". 6inally asked him and he replied that it was Hafsa and 'A'isha.3 yas ibn

u'awiya said% 3The metaphor of those who recite the Qur'an without knowin" its tafsiris that of some people to whom a letter comes from their kin" at ni"ht when they have nolamp. They are alarmed% not knowin" what the letter contains. The metaphor of the onewho knows the tafsiris that of a man who brin"s them a lamp so that they can read whatthe letter says.3

!hat is reorted about the one who is a bearer of the Qur'an# who he is

and those who are hostile to him

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Abu '=mar said% 3t is related by various paths that the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and"rant him peace% said% '8art of esteem for Allah is honourin" three, a &ust ruler% a uslimwith white hair and a bearer of the Qur'an who is neither excessive in it nor turns awayfrom it.3 Abu '=mar said that the bearers of the Qur'an are those who know its rulin"s% itslawful and unlawful and act by what it contains. Anas reported that the essen"er of

Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3The Qur'an is better thaneverythin". Whoever respects the Qur'an has respected Allah. Whoever makes li"ht of theQur'an has made li"ht of the ri"ht of Allah Almi"hty. The bearers of the Qur'an are thosewho are encircled by the mercy of Allah% exaltin" the Word of Allah% touched by the li"htof Allah. Allah befriends whoever befriends them and Allah is hostile to whoever ishostile to them. 2uch people have made li"ht of the ri"ht of Allah.3

The resect and esteem for the Qur'an which is mandatory for someone

who recites and bears the Qur'an

n1awadir al$#sul% at(Tirmidhi al(Hakim said% 38art of respect for the Qur'an is to only

touch it when pure. 8art of respect for it is to recite it in a state of purity. 8art of respectfor it is to use the tooth(stick )siwa+/% clean between the teeth and make the mouth cleanas the mouth is its pathway. >aEid ibn Abi alik said% '>our mouths are the pathways ofthe Qur'an% so purify and clean them as much as you can.'

38art of respect for it is to dress as you would dress to visit the amir because you arespeakin" privately. 8art of respect for it is to face )iblato recite it. When Abu'l('Aliyyarecited he would put on a turban% dress% wear a mantle and face )ibla. 8art of respect forit is to rinse your mouth when you spit. 2hu'ba reported from Abu HamEa from bn'Abbas that he had a spittoon in front of him and when he spat% he would rinse his mouthand then be"in recitation. Whenever he spat% he rinsed. 8art of respect for it is that when

you yawn% you should stop recitin"% because when one recites% one is addressin" andconversin" with the Lord. >awnin" is from 2haytan. u&ahid said% 'When you yawnwhile recitin" the Qur'an% stop recitin" out of respect until you stop yawnin".' 'krimasaid% '1y that he meant to respect the Qur'an.'

38art of respect for it is to seek refu"e with Allah from the accursed 2haytan whenstartin" to recite it. >ou should say 'n the ;ame of Allah% the All( erciful% the osterciful' when be"innin" to recite it from the first sura or from wherever you start. 8artof respect for it is that% when you be"in to recite it% you should not stop for a time tospeak to people without need. 8art of respect for it is that you should not stop recitin" itwhen someone interrupts you by speakin" to you and mix recitation with your reply. That

is because when you do that% you remove the effectiveness of the formula of seekin"refu"e which you uttered at the be"innin". 8art of respect for it is to recite it deliberately%slowly and carefully.

38art of respect for it is to deploy your mind and intelli"ence in understandin" what isaddressed to you. 8art of respect for it is to stop at an ayatof promise and have hope inAllah and ask Him for His bounty% and to stop at an ayatof warnin" and seek refu"e withAllah from the threat. 8art of respect for it is to stop at its metaphors and visualise them.

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8art of respect for it is to investi"ate its unusual words. 8art of respect for it is to "iveevery letter its due so that the words are fully articulated and then you will receive ten"ood deeds for every letter.

38art of respect for it is to end its recitation by proclaimin" the truthfulness of its Lord

and testifyin" to its delivery by His essen"er and testifyin" that that is true. >ou say%'Cur Lord has spoken the Truth and His essen"ers conveyed it and we testify to that. CAllah% make us amon" the witnesses to the Truth% establishin" &ustice.' Then you makesupplication.

38art of respect for it is that when you recite% you do not take ayatspiecemeal from eachsuraand recite them. t is related to us that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless himand "rant him peace% passed by 1ilal who was recitin" a little from each suraand hecommanded him to recite the entiresura.

38art of respect for it is that when you put down a copy of the Qur'an% you do not leave it

open and do you not put any other book on top of it. t should always be on top of anyother books% be they books of knowled"e or other books. 8art of respect for it is thatwhen you recite% you put it in your lap or on top of somethin" in front of you and do notput it on the "round. 8art of respect for it is not to erase the board it is written on withspit% but rather use water. 8art of respect for it is that when it is washed with water youavoid impurities from various places and in the places where it is put. That washin" isrespect. 2ome of the 2alaf before us used to use that water to heal themselves. 8art of ofrespect for it is to not take a pa"e when it is worn out and brittle out of fear for thewritin". That is "reat coarseness. t should be erased with water.

38art of respect for it is to not let a day pass without lookin" at least once at the Qur'an.

Abu usa used to say% ' am ashamed not to look once a day at the contract of my Lord.'8art of respect for it to "ive the eyes their share of it. The eye leads to the self. 1etweenthe self and the breast is a veil and the Qur'an is in the breast. When you recite it by heartthe ear listens and conveys it to the self. When you look at its writin"% the eye and the earboth convey it. That is more likely to achieve the conveyance. Then the eye has its share&ust as the ear does. 5ayd ibn Aslam reported from 'Ata' ibn >asar from Abu 2a'id al(Dhudri that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said%''4ive the eyes their portion of worship.' They asked. 'essen"er of Allah% what is theirportion of worship0' He replied% 'To look at the Qur'an and reflect on it and study itswonders.' akhul reported from '=bada ibn as(2amit that the essen"er of Allah% mayAllah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 'The best worship of my community is to readthe Qur'an with the eyes.'

38art of respect for it is not to resort to it when offered worldly "oods. t is reported Kthat brahim :an(;akha'i< used to dislike to resort to any of the Qur'an when he wasoffered worldly "oods. That is like sayin" to a man who comes to you% '6ou have arrivedat the pre$ordained time, Musa,' )-F,GF/ and like sayin"% '7at and drin+ with relish forwhat you did before in days gone by' )M+,-G/ when food is served% and other such thin"s.8art of respect for it is not to say urat an$1ahl, urat al$(a)araand urat an$1isa'% but

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to say% 'Thesurain which such(and(such is mentioned.' )This% however% is contrary to thewords of the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% 3f anyone recites thetwo ayatsfrom the end of urat al$(a)ara at ni"ht% they will be enou"h for him.3/ )al(1ukhari and uslim from 'Abdullah ibn as'ud/

38art of respect for it is to not invert it as some teachers of children do in order to showoff cleverness and fluency. That is opposition to Allah. 8art of respect for it is to notdeepen its recitation as if done by those obstinate innovaters who intensify thepronunciation of the ham2aand pronounce words with affectation. That is an innovationwhich 2haytan su""ested to them which they accepted. 8art of respect for it is not torecite it usin" musical tunes like the tunes of the people of depravity nor with the!uaverin" of the 7hristians nor chantin" of the monks. All of that is deviation.

38art of respect for it is to make its letters bold. Abu Hukayma reported that he used tocopy out Qur'an in Dufa. 'Ali passed by him% inspected his writin" and ordered% 'akeyour pen thicker.' '2o took the pen and cut off part of it and then wrote while 'Ali was

standin" and lookin" at my writin". He said% 'Like that. 4ive li"ht to it as Allah "ave itli"ht.3'

38art of respect for it is not to compete in loudness in recitation so that it becomes spoiledfor him and he hates what he hears and it becomes like a contest. 8art of respect for it isnot to ar"ue or !uarrel about its recitations or say to a person% 't is not like that.' 8erhapsthat recitation is a sound and permitted one and then you would be denyin" the 1ook ofAllah.

38art of respect for it is not to recite it in the market or in places of clamour% worthlesstalk% and the places where fools con"e"rate. o you not see that Allah Almi"hty

mentioned the slaves of the All(erciful and praised them because% when they pass byworthless talk% they pass by it with di"nity0 )cf. -*,9-/ This is about simply passin" bythose en"a"ed in worthless talk. 2o how could they recite the Qur'an in the midst ofworthless talk and a "atherin" of fools0

38art of respect for it is not to use it as pillow or lean on it or throw it to someone whenhe wants it to be passed to him.

38art of respect for it is not to make it small. K t is reported that 'Ali said% 'o not makethe Qur'an small.' t is related that '=mar ibn al(Dhattab saw a small Qur'an in the hand ofa man and asked% 'Who wrote it0' ' did%' he replied% and then '=mar struck him with his

whip and said% '#steem the Qur'an.' t is related that the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and"rant him peace% forbade people to say% 'a little mos!ue or a little Qur'an' )usin" thediminutive/.

38art of respect for it is not to adorn it with "old or write it in "old so that it is mixed withthe adornment of this world. u"hira related that brahim disliked adornin" the Qur'an orwritin" it with "old or puttin" marks at the be"innin" of ayatsor makin" it small. t isrelated from Abu'd(arda' that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant

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him peace% said% 'When you adorn your mos!ue and decorate your Qur'an% then ruin isupon you.' When bn 'Abbas saw a Qur'an adorned with silver he said% '>ou tempt thethief with it. ts adornment is inside it.'

38art of respect for it is that it should not be written on the "round or on a wall as is done

in modern mos!ues.K t is reported that '=mar ibn 'Abdu'l('AEiE said% 'The essen"er ofAllah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% passed by some writin" on the "roundand said to a lad of the tribe of Hudhayl% 'What is this0' He replied% 't is from the 1ook ofAllah. A ew wrote it.' He said% 'ay Allah curse the one who did this. Cnly put the 1ookof Allah in its proper place.' uhammad ibn aE(5ubayr said that '=mar ibn 'Abdu'l('AEiEsaw a son of his writin" the Qur'an on a wall and beat him.

38art of respect for it is that when its writin" is washed for treatin" an illness% it shouldnot be poured on a rubbish heap or in a place of impurity or in a place where people walk%but in a place where people do not walk% or a hole should be du" in a pure place so that itcan be poured into it% or it can be poured into a lar"e river.

38art of respect for it is that% whenever someone completes the recitation of the entireQur'an% he recites some of the be"innin" so that it does not have the form of somethin"abandoned. That is why when the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "ranthim peace% finished recitin"% he would recite about five ayats from the be"innin" so that itwould not be in an abandoned form. bn 'Abbas said that a man came and asked%'essen"er of Allah% which action is best0' He replied% '>ou must have the embarkin"state.' 'What is the embarkin" state0' he asked. He replied% ''The one with the Qur'an whostarts from its be"innin" until he reaches its end and then starts at the be"innin".Whenever he ali"hts% he immediately travels on.'

t is recommended to "ather your family when you finish the Qur'an. Al(Anbari reportedK from Qatada that when Anas ibn alik finished recitin" the Qur'an% he would "atherhis family and make supplication. t is reported that when u&ahid% 'Abda ibn AbiLubaba and various people were about to complete the recitation% they would summonpeople since mercy descends at the conclusion of the Qur'an. t is reported that brahimat(Taymi said% 3When someone finishes the Qur'an at the be"innin" of the day% the an"elsbless him until evenin". When someone finishes the Qur'an at the be"innin" of the ni"ht%the an"els bless him until mornin".3 He said% 3They recommended that it should befinished at the be"innin" of the ni"ht or at the be"innin" of the day.3

38art of respect for it is that you should not write the refu"esurasfrom it and then enterthe lavatory unless they are inside a coverin" of leather or silver or somethin" else. Thenit is as if it were inside his breast.

38art of respect for it is that when you write it out :for medicinal purposes< and then drinkit% you should say the ;ame of Allah for every breath and have a very stron" intention.Allah will "ive to you accordin" to your intention. u&ahid said% 'There is no harm inwritin" out the Qur'an and then havin" a sick person drink it.' Abu a'far said% 'f someonehas hardness in his heart% he should write '6asin' on a "oblet with saffron and drink it.'

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38art of respect for it is not to say% 'What a short sura@' Abu'l('Aliyya disliked sayin"'what a short or lar"esura'. When he heard someone say that% he would retort% '>ou aresmaller than it. All of the Qur'an is immense.'3 Abu awud related the contrary of thisfrom the hadithof 'Amr ibn 2hu'ayb from his "randfather which states that one can usethose terms. 'Amr said% 3;o small or lar"esurais part of theMufassal.3

!hat is reorted regarding threats against engaging in tafsirof the Qur'an

by means of oinion $ra'y% or being bold in that# and the ranks of the

commentators

t is related that 'A'isha said% 3The essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "ranthim peace% did not explain the 1ook of Allah except for some ayatswhich ibril tau"hthim.3 bn 'Atiyya said% 3The meanin" of this hadithis that it is about the unseen thin"s ofthe Qur'an% explainin" what is ambivalent )mu3mal/ and the like to which there is no wayto uncover except with Allah's help. 8art of that are those unseen matters which Allah hasnot made known% like the time of the $isin" and the number of blasts on the Trumpet and

the order of the creation of the heavens and the earth.

At(Tirmidhi reported from bn 'Abbas that the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "ranthim peace% said% 36ear attributin" words to me which you do not know. Anyone whodeliberately tells a lie re"ardin" me will take his seat in the 6ire. Anyone who speaksabout the Qur'an by own opinion% should take his seat in the 6ire.3 t is also reported fromundub that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% said%3Anyone who speaks on the Qur'an by his own opinion and is ri"ht is still wron".3 This isa gharib hadithin Abu awud and one of its transmitters is !uestionable. $aEin added%3Whoever speaks by his opinion and errs has disbelieved.3

Al(Anbari said in the8itab ar$!add% 3There are two interpretations of the hadithof bn'Abbas. Cne is that someone who speaks on problematic thin"s )mush+il/ in the Qur'an bywhat he does not know% differin" from the position of the first 7ompanions and6ollowers% exposes himself to the an"er of Allah. The second% which is the firmer andsounder of the two% is that when someone says somethin" about the Qur'an knowin" thetruth to be different% he should take his seat in the 6ire.3

$e"ardin" the hadithof undub% some of the people of knowled"e say that 3opinion3 heremeans 3whim3. Whoever speaks about the Qur'an accordin" to his own whims and doesnot take from the mams of the 2alaf and happens to be ri"ht is still wron" since he has&ud"ed the Qur'an by somethin" whose basis is not reco"nised and is not based on the

position of those with expertise in traditions and transmission. bn 'Atiyya says% 3Themeanin" of this is that a man is asked about a meanin" of the 1ook of Allah and hurriesto explain it by his own opinion without lookin" at what the scholars have said and whatthe rules of knowled"e like syntax and usul demand.3 ;ot included is the explanation of"rammarians and lin"uists of its "rammar and the fu)aha' of its meanin" where eachspeaks by his i3tihad based on the rules of his own branch of knowled"e andinvesti"ation.3

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This is sound and more than one scholar prefers it. The one who speaks accordin" towhat pops into his ima"ination and occurs to his mind without seekin" evidence for it inthe fundamental principles errs. Anyone who derives its meanin"s by basin" himself onthe fundamental principles which are a"reed upon is praised.

2ome scholars said that tafsir is dependant on oral transmission since Allah says% "/f youhave a dispute about something, refer it bac+ to Allah and His Messenger.")G,*+/ This isfalse because the prohibition a"ainst explainin" the Qur'an is either that what is desired isto confine oneself to transmission and not investi"ate% or it is somethin" else. t is falsethat what is meant is that no one should say anythin" about the Qur'an other than what hehas heard. The 7ompanions recited the Qur'an and differed about its interpretation insome cases. ;ot all of what they said was what they heard from the 8rophet. The 8rophet%may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% made supplication for bn 'Abbas and said% 3CAllah% "ive him understandin" in the deen and teach him interpretation.3 f interpretationis confined to $evelation and 8rophetic reports% what is the point of sin"lin" him out forthat0 This is clear and undoubted.

The prohibition a"ainst tafsirapplies to two instances. The first is when the interpreterhas opinion about somethin" on the basis of his nature and passion and% therefore%interprets the Qur'an accordin" to his opinion and passion in an effort to &ustify hisposition. f it had not been for that opinion and passion% that meanin" about the Qur'anwould not have occurred to him. This can sometimes be conscious% as in the case ofsomeone who uses some ayatsof the Qur'an to prove the validity of an innovation% whenhe knows that that is not what is meant by the ayat% buthis aim is to confuse hisopponent. 2ometimes it is done in i"norance which may happen when an ayat can beapplied in various ways and his understandin" inclines to the meanin" which coincideswith his position. He prefers that interpretation because of his opinion and passion and so

he interprets it accordin" to his own opinion. f it had not been for his opinion% he wouldnot preferred that meanin".

2ometimes someone has a sound purpose and seeks evidence for it in the Qur'an and useswhat he knows of it as evidence for what he wants% like the one who calls people to strivea"ainst a hard heart. Allah says% "*o to 9haraoh. He has overstepped the bounds.")-F,-N/ He points to his heart and su""ests that that is what is meant by '8haraoh' in thisayat. This kind of interpretation is used by some preachers with "ood motives to maketheir words effective and encoura"e their listeners. This is forbidden because it isunacceptable lin"uistic analo"y and is not permissible. The esoterists use the samemethod to false purposes with the "oal of deludin" people and callin" them to their falsebeliefs. They use the Qur'an accordin" to their opinion and position in matters that theyabsolutely know are not meant. This is one of the aspects of tafsir that is forbidden.

The second instance is when an interpreter hastens to explain the Qur'an accordin" to theliteral meanin" of the Arabic without the help of transmission about what the unusualwords of the Qur'an mean and what has been passed down about the ambi"uous andinterchan"eable words% conciseness% elision% concealment and reversal of order itcontains. 2omeone who does not have a firm "rasp of the literal tafsirand then sets out to

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derive meanin"s by simple understandin" of Arabic often errs and &oins the company ofthose who interpret the Qur'an accordin" to their own opinions.

Transmission is necessary first of all in the primary tafsirso that one avoids error% andthen after that one employs understandin" and deduction to expand on it. The unusual

words which are only understood via transmission are numerous% and one cannot hope toreach the inward before havin" a firm "rasp of the outward. o you not see that theAlmi"hty says% "We gave hamud the camel as a visible sign -mubsira and then theymistreated her" )9,*+/0 t means a visible si"n and they wron"ed themselves by killin"it. 2omeone who looks at the literal Arabic mi"ht think that it means that the camel couldsee )mubsira/ and therefore not know what they did wron" and how they wron"ed othersand themselves. This is part of elision and concealment. There are many such examplesin the Qur'an. n cases other than these two% there is no prohibition a"ainst interpretation%and Allah knows best.

bn 'Atiyya said% 3ost of the ri"hteous 2alaf like 2a'id ibn al(usayyab% 'Amir ash(

2ha'bi and others used to be overawed at the prospect of makin" interpretation of theQur'an and would refrain from it out of scrupulousness and cautiousness for themselvesin spite of their perfection and precedence.3 Al(Anbari said% 3The imams of the 2alafwere too scrupulous to explain the problematic parts of the Qur'an. Cne supposed that histafsirmi"ht not coincide with what Allah meant and so refrained from speakin". Anotherfeared that he would become an imam in tafsir and people mi"ht follow his method%when he mi"ht hesitate to explain a sin"le letter accordin" to his own opinion or to errabout it and then his follower mi"ht say% 'y imam in the tafsir of the Qur'an by opinionis so(and(so% the imam of the 2alaf.' bn Abi ulayka said% 'Abu 1akr as(2iddi! wasasked about the tafsirof a letter of the Qur'an and said% 3Which heaven will cover me andwhich earth will bear me0 Where will "o0 What will do if say about a letter of the

1ook of Allah other than what Allah Almi"hty meant03bn 'Atiyya said% 32everal of the 2alaf used to explain the Qur'an and made the uslimscontinue in that. As for the be"innin" of the commentators on whom they relied% therewas 'Ali ibn Abi Talib% and he was followed by 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas% who devotedhimself to the sub&ect and perfected it. He was followed by scholars like u&ahid% 2a'idibn ubayr and others. ore is transmitted from him in that than is retained from 'Ali. bn'Abbas said% 'What took of tafsirof the Qur'an was from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib.' 'Ali used topraise the tafsirof bn 'Abbas and encoura"ed people to take it from him. bn 'Abbas usedto say about himself% 'An excellent translator of the Qur'an is 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas.' 'Alisaid about him% 't is as if bn 'Abbas looks at the unseen throu"h a fine curtain.'3

He was followed by 'Abdullah ibn as'ud% =bayy ibn Da'b% 5ayd ibn Thabit% and'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al('As. All that is taken from the 7ompanions has excellentpreference because they witnessed the revelation and its descent in their lan"ua"e. 'Amiribn Wathila said% 3 saw 'Ali ibn Abi Talib speakin". heard him say in his +hutba% 'Askme. 1y Allah% you will not ask me about anythin" that will happen until the ay of$isin" but that will tell you about it. Ask me about the 1ook of Allah. 1y Allah% there is

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no ayat but that know whether it was revealed at ni"ht or in the day% revealed on flat"round or on a mountain.'3 bn al(Dawwa' rose and asked about urat adh$:hariyat)*/.

'Abdullah ibn as'ud said% 3f knew of anyone with more knowled"e of the 1ook ofAllah than me% who could be reached by mounts% would "o to him.3 A man asked him%

3Have you not met 'Ali ibn Abi Talib03 '>es%3 he replied% 3 have met him.3 asru! said%3 found some of the 7ompanions of uhammad% may Allah bless him and "rant himpeace% like pools which water one person% some like pools which water two% and somesuch that if all people had come to it% it would satisfy them. 'Abdullah ibn as'ud wasone those pools.3

Abu 2a'id al(Dhudri reported that the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "ranthim peace% said% 3The most merciful to my community is Abu 1akr% the stron"est in thedeen of Allah is '=mar% the most truly modest is '=thman% the one with the mostknowled"e of &ud"ement is 'Ali% and the one with most knowled"e of the shares ofinheritance is 5ayd. The one with the most recitation of the 1ook of Allah is =bayy ibn

Da'b. The one with the most knowled"e of the lawful and unlawful is u'adh ibn abal.The trustworthy representative of this community is Abu '=bayda ibn al(arrah. AbuHurayra is a vessel of knowled"e and 2alman is a sea of knowled"e which is notperceived. Oe"etation has not shaded nor has the earth supported anyone with a moretruthful ton"ue than Abu harr.3

bn 'Atiyya said% 3The prominent 6ollowers )Tabi'un/ included al(Hasan al(1asri%u&ahid% 2a'id ibn ubayr and 'Al!ama. u&ahid studied recitation with bn 'Abbascoupled with understandin" the meanin"% stoppin" at every ayat. 'krima and ad(ahhakfollowed them. #ven if ad(ahhak did not meet bn 'Abbas% he studied with bn ubayr.As for as(2uddi% 'Bmir ash(2ha'bi attacked him and Abu 2alih because he thou"ht that

they fell short in investi"ation.3Then the tafsirwas transmitted by &ust men of every "eneration% as the 8rophet% mayAllah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3This knowled"e will be carried by &ust menof every "eneration% discardin" from it the deviation of the excessive% the ascriptions ofthe falsifiers and the interpretation of the i"norant.3 )Abu '=mar and others related it/. Al(Dhatib al(1a"hdadi said% 3This testimony from the essen"er of Allah% may Allah blesshim and "rant him peace% shows that Qur'anic interpreters are scholars of the deen andimams of the uslims because they "uard the 2hari'a a"ainst deviation and the ascriptionof falsehood and refute the interpretation of i"norant fools. Cne must consult them andrely on them in the business of the deen.3

The Book being e"lained by the &unna# and what has been transmitted

about that

Allah says, "And We have sent down the !eminder to you so that you can ma+e clear toman+ind what has been sent down to them" )M,GG/% and "hose who oppose hiscommand should beware of a testing trial coming to them or a painful punishmentstri+ing them" )-G,*+/ and "ruly you are guiding to a traight 9ath.")G-,G+/ t is made

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obli"atory to obey the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% in more thanone ayatof the 1ook and that is connected to obeyin" Allah% Allah says% "Whatever theMessenger gives you you should accept and whatever He forbids you you should forgo.")*+,9/ bn 'Abdu'l(1arr mentioned that 'Abdu'r($ahman ibn >aEid saw a muhrim wearin"his ordinary clothes and he forbade him to do that. The man said to him% 31rin" me an

ayat from the 1ook of Allah which removes my clothes.3 He recited to him% "Whateverthe Messenger gives you you should accept and whatever He forbids you you shouldforgo." )*+,9/ Hisham ibn Hu&ayr said% 3Tawus prayed two ra+'ats after 'Asr and bn'Abbas said% '2top performin" them.'' He said% 't is only forbidden to take them as asunna.' bn 'Abbas said% 'The essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant himpeace% forbade prayin" after 'Asr. do not how whether you will be punished or rewardedfor them because Allah says% "When Allah and His Messenger have decided a thing it isnot for any believing man or believing woman to have a choice about it." )NN,NM/'3

Abu awud related from al(i!dam ibn a'dikarib that the essen"er of Allah% mayAllah bless him and "rant him peace% said% 3 was "iven the 1ook and its like with it. t

will not be lon" before a satiated man on his throne declares% 'This Qur'an is all you need.ake lawful whatever you find lawful in it and make unlawful whatever you findunlawful in it.' 1ut domestic donkeys are not lawful for you nor is eatin" any beast ofprey with fan"s nor is somethin" dropped by someone who has a treaty with you until itsowner declares himself free of it. f someone stops off with some people% they must "ivehim hospitality. f they do not% he can le"ally pursue them for the e!uivalent cost of hisdue hospitality.3

Al(Dhattabi said that the words% 3 was "iven the 1ook and its like with it%3 can beinterpreted in two ways. Cne is that it means he was "iven hidden revelation which is notrecited in the same way that he was "iven the outward recited part. The second is that he

was "iven the 1ook as recited revelation and was "iven clarification like it% meanin"permission to explain what was in the 1ook% makin" it "eneral and specific% addin" to itand le"islatin" what is in it. Therefore it is mandatory to act by that and to accept it likethe outward recited Qur'an. The hadithis a warnin" a"ainst opposin" those establishedsunan which are not in the Qur'an% as was done by the Dhari&ites and $afidites. Theyattached themselves to the literal text of the Qur'an and abandoned the sunnas whichcontain the clarification of the 1ook. This hadith contains evidence that there is no needto compare the hadithwith the 1ook. Whatever is confirmed as bein" from the 8rophet isevidence in itself. As for what some relate% 3When a hadithcomes to you% compare itwith the 1ook. f it a"rees with it% take it. Ctherwise% discard it%3 it is a baseless falsehadith.

The clarification is of two types, a "eneral clarification of the 1ook% like clarifyin" thefive prayers% their times% prostration% ru+u'and all their rulin"s% the amount and time of2a+atand the types of property from which it is taken% and the details the practices ofha&&. When the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% performed the ha&&with the people% he said% 3Take your practices from me%3 and he said% 38ray as you sawme prayin".3 )al(1ukhari/ 'mran ibn Husayn said to a man% 3>ou stupid man@ o youfind:huhrin the 1ook of Allah as four ra+'ats in which recitation is not aloud@3 Then he

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enumerated for him the prayer% 2a+atand the like and then said% 3o you find thisexplained in the 1ook of Allah0 The 1ook of Allah Almi"hty did not define this whilethe unnaexplains it@3

Al(AwEa'i reported that Hassan ibn 'Atiyya said% 3$evelation descended on the

essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% and ibril brou"ht him the2unna which explains that.3 K Al(AwEa'i also reported that akhul said% 3The Qur'an ismore in need of the 2unna than the 2unna is of the Qur'an.3 >ahya ibn Abi Dathir said%3The 2unna &ud"es the 1ook and the 1ook does not &ud"e the 2unna.3 Al(6udayl ibn5iyad said that he heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal bein" asked about this hadithand he said% 'am not so bold as to say it% but say the 2unna explains and clarifies the 1ook.3

How to learn and understand the Book of Allah and the &unna of His

rohet( )t is reorted that it used to be easier to act by it than to

memorise it

n the8itab al$(ayan% ad(ani reports from '=thman% bn as'ud and =bayy that theessen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% used to recite ten ayatstothem% and they did not "o on to another ten until they knew what action was connected tothose ayats. 2o we should learn the Qur'an and how to act by it at the same time. t isreported that as(2ulami said% 3When we learned ten ayatsof the Qur'an% we did not learnthe ten after them until we knew what they contained of the halal and haram% ofprohibitions and commands.3 n the Muwatta'% alik reported that he heard that'Abdullah ibn '=mar spent ei"ht years learnin" urat al$(a)ara. n his book% he 1amesof hose who ransmitted from Mali+, Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn Thabit mentions that ;afi'transmitted that bn '=mar said% 3'=mar learned al(1a!ara over twelve years. When hefinished% he slau"htered a camel.3 Al(Anbari reports that 'Abdullah ibn as'ud said% 3t

was difficult for us to memorise the words of the Qur'an% but easy for us to act by them.After us will be people for whom it is easy to memorise the Qur'an% but hard to act by it.3

t is reported that bn '=mar said% 3The best of the 7ompanions of the essen"er ofAllah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% at the be"innin" of this 7ommunityonly memorised a sura or two of the Qur'an. They were "iven the "ift of actin" by theQur'an. The last of this community will recite the Qur'an ? children and blind ? and willnot be "iven the "ift of actin" by it.3 Dhalaf ibn Hisham al(1aEEar was heard to say% 3only think that the Qur'an our hands has been denuded :of action

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recite the Qur'an to your 7om(munity in one mode.3 He said% 3 ask Allah for His pardonand for"iveness. y 7ommunity will not be able to do that.3 Then he came a second timeand said% 3Allah commands you to recite the Qur'an to your 7ommunity in two modes.3He said% 3 ask Allah for His pardon and for"iveness. y 7ommunity will not be able todo that.3 He came a third time and said% 3Allah commands you to recite the Qur'an to

your 7ommunity in three modes.3 He replied% 3 ask Allah for His pardon andfor"iveness. y 7ommunity will not be able to do that.3 He came a fourth time and said%3Allah commands you to recite the Qur'an to your community in seven modes.Whichever mode they recite% it is correct.3 At(Tirmidhi reported that =bayy said% 3Theessen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace% met ibril and said% 'ibril% was sent to an illiterate community. 2ome of them are old women and old men% boysand "irls% and men who do not read at all.' He said to him% 'uhammad% the Qur'an wasrevealed in seven modes.3 )sahih/ This story is confirmed in the main authorities, al(1ukhari% uslim% theMuwatta'% Abu awud% an(;asa'i and other books in the form ofthe story about Hisham ibn Hakim with '=mar which we will mention later.

2cholars disa"ree about what is meant by the seven modes% and there are thirty(fivethin"s mentioned by al(1usti. We will mention five of them here,

(This is the position of most of the people of knowled"e% such as 2ufyan ibn '=yayna%'Abdullah ibn Wahb% at(Tabari% at(Tahawi and others. What is meant are the sevenmanners of synonyms with different expressions% like a)bala% ta'ala and halluma)all ofwhich mean 3come here3/. At(Tahawi said% 3The clearest elucidation of that is what ismentioned in the hadithof Abu 1akra% 'ibril came to the 8rophet% may Allah bless himand "rant him peace% and said% 3$ecite in one mode.3 ika'il said% 3ncrease it.3 He said%3$ecite it in two modes.3 ika'il said% 3ncrease it%3 until it was seven modes. He said%3$ecite it. #ach is ade!uate unless you confuse an ayat of mercy for an ayat of

punishment or an ayat of punishment with an ayatof mercy.3' That is like halluma% ta'ala%a)bala% adhhaba% asra'a and 'a33ala. t is related from bn 'Abbas that =bayy ibn Da'bused to recite 3wait for us3 )*9,N/ "undhuruna" as 3umhuluna3% "a+h+hiruna"% and"ar)ubuna". With the same isnad% it is reported that =bayy recited in -,+ "marru"instead of"mashaw" and "sa'aw3 )they walk/. n al(1ukhari% aE(5uhri said% 3These modesare about the same matter. They do not differ in respect of the halaland haram.3

At(Tahawi said% 3There was scope for people in the letters since they were unable to takethe Qur'an in other than their dialects because they were illiterate and only a few of themcould write. t was hard for someone with a dialect to chan"e to another. f he wanted todo that% it would have entailed "reat hardship and so they were "iven scope re"ardin"different expressions as lon" as the meanin" was the same. They remained like that untilmany of them could write and the dialects reverted to that of the essen"er of Allah%may Allah bless him and "rant him peace. Then they were able to memorise those wordsand they no lon"er had the allowance to recite differently.3 bn 'Abdu'l(1arr said% 3t isclear that scope for the seven modes was at a particular time out of necessity. When thatnecessity was removed% the rulin" of the seven was removed% and the Qur'an was recitedin one mode.3

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( 2ome people say that the seven dialects in the Qur'an are the seven dialects of all theArabs% both >amani and ;iEar% because the essen"er of Allah% may Allah bless him and"rant him peace% was not i"norant of any of them. He was 3"iven all the words3. t doesnot mean that the one mode has seven aspects% but these seven dialects are in differentparts of the Qur'an. 2ome of it is in the dialect of Quraysh% some in that of Hudhayl% some

in HawaEin% and some in >amani. Al(Dhattabi said% 3That is how the Qur'an is recited inseven ways.3 This is the meanin" of the Qur'an bein" revealed in seven modes. Al(Qasimibn 2allam believed that and bn 'Atiyya preferred it. 2ome tribes used writin" more thanothers. Anas mentioned that when '=thman told them copy out the Qur'an% he said%3When you and 5ayd differ% then write in the dialect of Quraysh. t was revealed in theirdialect.3 )al(1ukhari/

Qadi bn at(Tayyib :al(1a!illani< said% 3The meanin" of '=thman's words that it wasrevealed in the dialect of Quraysh% means most of it. t is not a definitive proof that it isall in the dialect of Quraysh since there are words and letters which differ from the dialectof Quraysh. This indicates that it was revealed in all the lan"ua"e of the Arabs% and no

one can say that it was &ust Quraysh or one part of the Arabs rather than others. bn'Abdu'l(1arr said that this meant that most of it was revealed in the dialect of Qurayshbecause other than the dialect of Quraysh exists in sound readin"s with the use of theham2asand the like. Quraysh did not use the ham2a. bn 'Atiyya said that the meanin" ofthe 3seven modes3 is that the expressions of the seven tribes are in it.

( These seven dialects are all from the tribes of udar. 2ome people said that. They usedas evidence what '=thman said% 3The Qur'an was revealed in the lan"ua"e of udar.3They said% 3t is possible that part of it is that of Quraysh% part Dinana% part Asad% partHudhayl% part Taym% part aba% and part Qays. They said these tribes of udar containthe seven dialects in these ranks. bn as'ud used to like those who copied out the

Qur'ans to be from udar. Cthers ob&ected to the idea that it was all from udar and saidthat there are rare usa"es in udar with which it is not permitted to write the Qur'an.

( What is related from some scholars is exemplified by Qadi bn at(Tayyib who said% 3have reflected on the aspects of the differences in recitation and have found them to beseven. 2ome involve chan"es of vowelin" while the meanin" and form remain% likeatharu and athara in ,9JP some do not chan"e their form but chan"e their meanin"throu"h inflection% as in NM,+% readin" ba'idor ba'idaP some retain their form and chan"etheir meanin" with different lettersP some chan"e the form while the meanin" remains asin F,* where both'ahnandsufmean woolP some chan"e their form and meanin"P someentail a chan"e of orderP and some consist of addition or reduction.

( What is meant by the seven modes are meanin"s in the 1ook of Allah, command andprohibition% promise and threat% stories% ar"uments and parables. bn 'Atiyya says that thisis weak because that is not called ahruf. 6urthermore there is consensus that it does notoccur in makin" the lawful lawful or chan"in" any of the meanin"s. Qadi bn at(Tayyibmentioned a hadithalon" these lines from the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "ranthim peace% and then said% 3This is not part of what it is allowed for them to recite.3Harfin this means 'manner' as Allah says% 'one who worships Allah on an edge.' )--,/. That

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is the meanin" of the hadithabout the seven means of allowin" and forbiddin" and thelike.

t is also said that what is meant by the seven ahrufare the seven readin"s that we havebecause all of that is sound as the 8rophet% may Allah bless him and "rant him peace%

stated. This% however% is not correct% as we will now explain.

&ection on the se+en readings

ost scholars% like ad(awudi% bn Abi 2ufra and others said that these seven readin"swhich are ascribed to the seven readers are not the seven ahruffor which the 7ompanionshad allowance to recite. They refer merely to one harf of those seven% which is what'=thman collected in the copy of the Qur'an which he authorised. bn an(;ahhas andothers mentioned that. These seven famous readin"s ))ira'at/ are the selections of thosemams of recitation. That is because each of them chose what he related and the aspect heknew of the recitations which he considered to be the best and most appropriate. #ach

held to a path% related and recited it% and became famous for it. He is known for it and it isascribed to him% like the mode of ;afi' and the mode of bn Dathir. Cne of them did notforbid choosin" another nor ob&ect to it. He allowed it. #ach of those seven has two ormore choices related from him. All are sound.

uslims at this time have a"reed to rely on what is sound from these imams. That whichthey related of the readin"s and wrote in books. The consensus remains that they arecorrect% and the preservation of the 1ook which Allah promised has been secured. This isthe position of the earlier imams and excellent reliable men like Qadi Abu 1akr ibn at(Tayyib% at(Tabari and others. bn 'Atiyya said% 3These seven readin"s have lasted throu"hdifferent times and places and the prayer is performed usin" them as their soundness is

established by consensus. As for the rare )shadhdh/ readin"s% the prayer is not perform