3. Prophethood
When Almighty Allah created man, He wished him happiness and prosperity in this world, and felicity and paradise for the hereafter. And this cannot be achieved unless mankind has a programme that coincides with his mind and nature, and a course that is in harmony with his body and soul.
And such a comprehensive programme that addresses all the requirements of the mind and nature, and the complete course that attends to the entire needs of the body and soul may not be perfected except by the creator of man who is well aware and knowledgeable of all his needs and requirements.
And since Almighty Allah wished happiness for man when He created him, it is necessary for Him to perfect this comprehensive programme to bring about happiness to him, and to send this programme to the masses by those of his creation and servants who are trustworthy, who are immune to error, negligence and forgetting, purified from deficiencies and sins - who are none other than the prophets and messengers, peace be upon them. Thus, a prophet is the human being whom Almighty Allah reveals to. And so a prophet conveys from Almighty Allah without the intermediary of any human being. The prophets are of two kinds of status:
(1) The Mursal Prophets
The mursal or dispatched prophets were those who were commissioned to guide people out of darkness to light, out of falsehood to the truth, from myths and superstition to reality, and out of ignorance to knowledge.
(2) The non-mursal Prophets
They were those prophets who received divine revelations for themselves only and they had not received orders to preach such revelations to people.
In total there were one hundred and twenty four thousand prophets but the mursal prophets among them were just a few. The first of the prophets was Prophet Adam (A) and the last of them was Prophet Muhammad (S).
The mursal prophets are in two categories,
1. Olul-Azm prophets,
2. non-Olul-Azm prophets.
The Olul-Azm prophets are universal prophets whom Almighty Allah had sent to the east and west of the Earth, and to the whole of mankind. The non-Olul-Azm prophets are those who have been sent to limited areas, or specific territories, particular groups or nations.
The Olul-Azm prophets are five:
i. Noah, (Nuh) peace be upon him,
ii. Abraham, (Ibrahim) peace be upon him,
iii. Moses, (Mosa) peace be upon him,
iv. Jesus, (Esa) peace be upon him,
v. Muhammad, peace be upon him and his pure progeny.
The followers of Moses (A) are the Jews, and the followers of Jesus (A) are the Christians, and the followers of Muhammad (S) are the Muslims. However, Islam has abrogated and superseded all the previous religions, and therefore one may not persist on them, and it is imperative upon all to follow the Teachings of Islam, as Almighty Allah says:
.Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.
Therefore Judaism and Christianity are false and Islam remains the Law of Allah until the Day of Judgment and will never be abrogated or superseded.
The Final Prophet
Therefore, Prophet Muhammad (S) is the last of all prophets, and the religion revealed to him, which is Islam, abrogates other religions and supersede them all, and that his Law - the shari’ah - remains effective and valid until the Day of Judgment, and it alone is the law capable to bring happiness to mankind, and realise his hopes and dreams in this world and in the hereafter.
Similarly he - the prophet Muhammad - is the symbol of leadership for mankind and the perfect example and complete model for the essence of the good and the virtue. Therefore it is imperative upon all the Muslims - rather all the peoples of the world if they wished good for themselves - to follow his model in his way of life, and adopt his morals and ethics, peace be upon him and his pure progeny. In order to know some of his historical background, it is necessary to mention some of his traits
:
He is Muhammad the son of Abdullah, and his mother is Aminah bint Wahab.
He was born in Mecca at the dawn of Friday on the seventeenth day of the month of Rabi’-I in the year of the Elephant
, and that was during the reign of Khosrau I or Chosroes I (also known as Anushirwan the Just in Persian), the Just King of Persia.
The Noble Prophetic Mission
He received divine revelation on the twenty-seventh day of the month of Rajab at the age of forty. Archangel Gabriel, peace be upon him, one of Almighty Allah’s elite angels, descended upon him while he was in cave Hara’ in the Meccan mountains, and revealed to him five verses from the surah of ‘alaq:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful,
Read in the Name of your Lord who created,
Created man from a clot (of congealed blood),
Read, and your Lord is most bountiful,
Who taught by the pen,
Taught man that that he knew not.
.
After that, from mount Safa, from within the Grand Mosque
, and from other public places the Prophet Muhammad began preaching the divine message to the people, guiding them to Almighty Allah, and inviting them to believe in Him, saying to them “O people! Say la ilaha illal-lah - there is no god but Allah - you will prosper”.
The Meccans were polytheists and idolaters, and as their leaders had personal interests in polytheism and idolatry, and in order to protect their interest they opposed him, they began mocking him and ridiculing him, and caused him great sufferings, and as the prophet persisted on his attempts to guide them the polytheists persisted on causing him greater and greater hardship and hurt him to the extent that he said, “No other prophet was hurt as much as I have been hurt.”
Only a few people from Mecca accepted his Divine message and the first among them was Imam Ali (A) and then the Prophet’s wife, Khadijah (A) and then a few others.
The first to believe in him amongst the men was Ali ibn Abu Talib, peace be upon them, and from amongst the women was Khadijah bint Khoweilid peace be upon her.
When the prophet’s persecution at the hands of the polytheists mounted, the prophet migrated to the Medinah, and this migration is marks the starting point of Muslim calendar.
In Medinah the number of Muslims increased, and their strength and valour augmented, and by the grace of the prophet’s outstanding and beautiful teachings and the wise and generous laws of Islam, they became a model of moral and human values, and an example for progress and civilisation such that they exceeded and excelled all other civilisations and religions - the divine ones and the non-divine.
During his abode in Medina, the Prophet (S) faced wars and conflicts all of which were defensive wars in a bid to repel the aggressions of the polytheists, Jews and Christians against the Muslims. In all of those conflicts the Prophet would always adopt the policy of peace, mercy, forgiveness, and moral virtues with his enemies. Therefore in all of the some eighty such conflicts [that took place] the total number of casualties on both sides - the Muslims and their opponents - was not more than fourteen hundred, as recorded by history.
The Sorrowful Demise
From the first day of his divine mission until his death, the divine revelation always supported him. Archangel Gabriel, peace be upon him, the Trustee of the revelations, used to reveal the Qur’an from Almighty Allah bit by bit on various occasions until [the revelation of] this great book was complete [for the people] in twenty-three years. He then ordered for this book to be compiled and collated, and thus it was compiled and ordered during his lifetime, peace be upon him and his pure progeny, just as it is today without any addition or deletion.
Indeed, the Prophet used to formulate and organise the religious and worldly affairs of the Muslims; he used to teach them the Divine Book and wisdom, he used to show them the laws of worship and obedience, business and transaction, social coexistence, politics, economics, and various other issues from amongst the teachings of Islam.
After the perfection of the religion, which was by appointing Ali ibn Abi Talib as the Commander of the Believers (Amir al- Mo’mineen) and the Leader of the Pious (Imam al-Muttaqeen) and the (caliph) Successor to the Prophet, which took place on the Day of Ghadir on the eighteenth day of the month of Dhil-Hijjah of the year of the Farewell Hajj, and the Almighty Allah revealed .Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My grace upon you and approved Islam as a religion for you.
, Allah’s Messenger (S) suddenly fell seriously ill and died as a result of this particular illness on the twenty-eighth day of the month of Safar, year 11 Hijri.
The prophet’s was i (executor of his will and the teachings revealed to him) and caliph (successor) Imam Ali (A) undertook the task of preparing the Prophet’s body for burial, and buried him in his house, in the holy city of Medinah where his holy shrine stands today.
Allah’s Messenger (S), in all his states and in every situation was an exemplary model and an example of the highest merit in trust and sincerity, truthfulness and honesty, high morals and noble disposition, knowledge and forbearance, kindness and forgiving, generosity and bravery, abstinence and piety, modesty and virtue, justice, humbleness and striving.
His body and physique was in the best and most beautiful shape possible with total balance and excellence, and his face was bright, radiant and attractive. Similarly, his heart and high spirit was in the peak of spiritual perfection, his morals and etiquettes were most perfect they could possibly be, and his way of life, conduct, teachings, and practices were luminous and bright like a shining sun in the middle of the day.
In short, he was the collection of all excellence and noble traits, the focal point of honour and dignity, source of knowledge and justice, and piety and virtue. He was the axis of religion and civilization, the world and the hereafter. There has never been a man like him before, and there will never come anyone like him in the future.
This is the Prophet of the Muslims, and this is the religion of Islam . his religion is the best of all religions, and his book is the best of all books, just as the Almighty said, .Falsehood shall not come to it from before it nor from behind it; a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One.
.
Hadith from Allah’s Messenger
‘The example of my Ahl al-Bayt is that of Noah’s ark; whoever boards it is saved and whoever turns away from it drowns.’
‘O people! I have left behind for you that which if you adhere to, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah (i.e. the Qur’an) and members of my Ahl al-Bayt . .’
‘Indeed, He who dies with the love of Al-Muhammad (the descendants of Muhammad) in his heart, he dies a martyr,
Indeed He who dies with the love of Al-Muhammad in his heart, he dies and his sins are forgiven, Indeed, He who dies with the love of Al-Muhammad in his heart, he dies as a repentant,
Indeed, He who dies with the love of Al-Muhammad in his heart, he dies as a faithful whose faith has been perfected,
Indeed, He who dies, with the love of Al-Muhammad in his heart, the angel of death, as well as Munkar and Nakir
give him the good news of Paradise,
Indeed, He who dies, with the love of Al-Muhammad in his heart, he is received in Paradise just as a bride is received in her (new) house.’
‘Cursed is he who burdens others with his responsibilities and lives off them.’
‘On the Day of Judgement, one will not move one step unless he is questioned about four things:
About his life and what he spent it on,
About his youth and what he used it for,
About what he earned, where he earned it from, and how he spent it,
About the love of us, the Ahl-ul-Bayt’.
‘My Lord has recommended nine things to me:
Sincerity in private and in public,
Justice and equity in contentment and in anger,
Moderation in poverty and in wealth,
To forgive he who transgressed against and oppressed me,
To give to he who deprived me,
To keep bond with he who severed ties with me,
To contemplate when I am silent,
To say dhikr, [remember Allah and adhere to His laws, orders and creations] when I talk,
To take heed and learn when I observe.’
‘O Aba Dharr! Value five things before five others:
Value your youth before your old age,
Value your health before your sickness,
Value your wealth before your poverty,
Value your calm (time) before your hectic (time),
Value your life before your death.’
‘O servants of Allah! You are like the patients and the Lord of the worlds is like the physician. The interest of the patient lies in (implementing) what the physician knows and administers, and not in what the patient desires or suggests. Therefore obey the command of Allah so that you would be amongst the victors.’
‘O Muslim people! Avoid adultery at all cost! For it has six features; three of which are applicable to this world and three to the hereafter. As for those of this world, it (adultery) destroys dignity, brings about poverty, and shortens the life span. And as for those of the hereafter, it brings about the wrath and anger of Allah, severity and graveness of judgement, and eternity and perpetuity in the hell fire.’
‘Whoever from you observes something evil (in society) must change it physically; if he is not able, then he must object to it verbally, and if that is not possible, he must object to it by his heart, (he must not remain indifferent) for this is the lowest status of faith.’
‘He who drinks alcohol is similar to he who worships an idol. He who drinks alcohol, Allah would not accept his prayers for forty days, and if he dies within those forty days, he would have died an infidel.’
‘The looking (of a man at a woman and vice versa) is a poisonous arrow from Satan’s arrows. He who avoids it in fear of Almighty Allah, Allah would bestow upon him a faith the wetness of which he can find in his heart.’
The Qur’an, the Prophet’s Eternal Miracle
The holy Qur’an is the Prophet’s living and eternal miracle, since it is the only divine scripture that the divine will wished it to remain immune from addition, deletion, and changes despite the great number of those who attempt to distort it or the scribes who attempt to forge it, so that it remains the eternal book, and the timeless constitution for life until the day of judgement, so long as there is man living on the planet earth. This is because of what it contains between its covers in terms of excellent rulings and outstanding teachings the implementation of which guarantees man’s happiness, progress, development and achievement.
In addition to being the book of knowledge and education, rules and rights, morals and etiquettes, politics and economics, the holy Qur’an is the miracle of the heavens that carries great spiritual and metaphysical influence.
The Qur’an challenged the eloquent writers of the Arabs who had hanged their seven magnificent masterpieces [on the walls of the Ka‘bah] to produce something resembling its verses. They were not able to produce the like of one surah of the holy Qur’an. But instead, having being put to shame, they went on to remove their hanging masterpieces in total defeat before the Qur’an that is compelling in eloquence and style, and if they were able to produce one surah like that of the Qur’an, they would not have resorted to those wars that reflected on their personalities, destroyed their power and establishment, and rendered them living in hunger and fear, destitution and humiliation.
This compelling Qur’an, and this eternal divine book, in which there is that that brings happiness for mankind, and opulence for his life, and disseminates good and blessing, and spreads peace and tranquillity throughout the land, various traditions have been narrated on the virtue of learning it, reciting and memorising it, and implementing its teachings, urging one to pay particular attention to it. Here we will point to some of them by the will and power of Almighty Allah.
The virtue of learning and teaching the Qur’an
In the following we quote some hadith from Wasa’el al-Shi‘ah,
on the topic of the prominence of the holy Qur’an: Sa’ad al-Khaffaf reports Imam Sadiq saying, “O Sa’ad, learn the Qur’an, because on the day of judgment the Qur’an will come in the best form that people may have ever seen.”
(The Imam continued . .) “until the holy Qur’an comes to Allah, the Most high, and Allah, addressing the Qur’an, says, “O my authority on earth and my true spoken words, look up and ask for your wishes shall be granted, and intercede for your intercession shall be accepted. How did you find my servants?” The holy Qur’an replies, “My Lord, some of them kept my teachings and did not lose anything from me, but some of them lost me and disrespected me and did not believe me even though I was your authority to all your creatures.” Allah then replies, “I swear by My Majesty, Greatness and Highness that today I shall give the best reward for your sake, and I shall punish severely because of you.”
The Imam (A) continued, “Then the Qur’an approaches a follower of ours and says to him, “do you know me I am the Qur’an for which you kept awake the whole night and faced sufferings in your life. Come let us go to Almighty Allah.
” The Qur’an then will say, “Lord, this servant of yours was very close to me and very careful about me. He would love others because of me and would hate others just because of me.” Allah, the most High, will then say, “Let my servant enter Paradise and let him be dressed from the garments of the heaven and be crowned.” Then he is presented to the Qur’an.
Then the Qur’an is asked “Are you happy with the rewards given to your friend” The Qur’an will say, “Lord, I see this as a small reward, give him all the good things.” Allah then will say, “I swear by my Majesty, Honour and Highness I shall reward him and others like him with five things with all the good things: I shall give them eternal youth, health, richness, happiness and life.”
Imam Sadiq (A) 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 form and say: ‘O Lord, I am the Qur’an and this is your faithful servant who used to tire himself by reciting me and spend long nights reading me and his eyes would stream when he spent the nights in prayer, so please him just as he has pleased me.’ Almighty Allah will say: ‘My servant open your right hand, then he will fill it with Allah’s Ridwan and he will fill his left hand with the Allah’s mercy then he will be told: ‘This garden of Paradise is free to you so recite and ascend, so for every verse he recites he will ascend a station.’
The Believer and the Qur’an
Imam Sadiq (A) said: ‘it is imperative that the believer does not die before learning the Qur’an or be in the process of learning it.’
Allah’s Messenger (S) said: ‘Allah does not punish the heart which is a vessel for the Qur’an.’
Allah’s Messenger (S) said: ‘The best of you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.’
In one of his speeches cited in Nahj-ul-Balaghah, sermon 110, Imam Ali (A) said: “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 recite it beautifully for it is the most beneficial of narratives. The learned man who acts without using his knowledge is as the confused ignorant man who does not awake and rid himself from his ignorance; in fact the case against him is greater, and regret is more fitting for him, and in the sight of Allah he is the most blameworthy.”
Allah’s Messenger (S) said: “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.”
Allah’s Messenger (S) said: “The people of the Qur’an are the people of Allah and His elect.”
Allah’s Messenger (S) said: “The best worship is the recitation of the Qur’an.”
The Imam (A) said: “The Qur’an is riches; there are no riches without it, and no poverty after it.”
Allah’s Messenger said: “The most noble and honourable of my nation are those who bear the Qur’an, and the people of the night (who worship Allah during the hours of darkness).”
Allah’s Messenger (S) said: “This Qur’an is the etiquette of Allah so learn his etiquette as much as you can.” He also said: “This Qur’an is the Rope of Allah and it is the Elucidating Light, and the Beneficial Cure . it is the stronghold for those who adhere to it and salvation for those who follow it.”
Allah’s Messenger (S) also said: “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 been condemned to the fire.”
The Imam (A) said: “The bearers of the Qur’an in this world are the wise men of the people of paradise on the day of resurrection.”
Imam Ali (A) said: “If the teacher says to a boy: say: ‘In the Name of Allah The Beneficent The Merciful’ and the pupil says: ‘In The Name of Allah The Beneficent The Merciful’ Allah will give absolution to the boy and to his parents, and to the teacher.”
The Qur’an - the Interceder
Ishaq ibn Ghalib narrates from Imam Sadiq, (A), who said, “On the day of judgement when all people are brought back to life at one place, a person will appear in such a beautiful form that no one would have ever seen such beauty before. The faithful will look at the individual, who is in fact the Qur’an, and will say that he is from our people but he has the best form that we have ever seen. This individual goes to the Divine throne and stands to its right. The Almighty Lord will say to the Qur’an, “I swear by My Majesty, Greatness and Highness that I shall honour those who have honoured and respected you and disgrace those who disrespected you.”
Abil-Jarood narrated from Imam Baqir (A) who has narrated from the holy Prophet who has said, “On the day of judgement I will be the first to come to Almighty Allah then the holy Qur’an then my family - the Ahl al-Bayt -and then my nation. Then I will ask them about how they treated my family and the holy Qur’an.”
The holy Prophet (S) said, “One who reads the holy Qur’an and then thinks that someone else has received something better, such person has belittled what Allah has made great, and has considered great what Allah has belittled.”
Talhah ibn Zayd has narrated from Imam Sadiq (A) who said, “In this Qur’an is the torch of guidance and the light for darkness. So let one who wishes to polishes his [heart’s] vision do so [by the light of Qur’an to enable him to gain clear understanding], and open his eyes for the light [of the Qur’an], for thinking is the lifeline of heart of the alert just as one with light torch walks in the darkness with the light.”
Soma’ah has narrated from Imam Sadiq (A) who has said, “while reading the Qur’an, when one comes across a verse of the Qur’an that contains warning or about making a request, one should pray to Allah for salvation, and for protection from punishment and Hell fire and request Allah the best.”
Al-Sakooni has narrated from Imam Sadiq (A) who narrates from his fathers from the holy Prophet who said, “When commotions envelope you like a dark night, seek refuge in the holy Qur’an, for it is an interceder and is interceded, and it is a claimant whose testimony is held true. Whoever puts it ahead of him [as his guide] it will guide him to Paradise, and whoever [ignores it and] puts it behind his back it will drive him to Hell. It is the guide that guides to the best path, and it is a book in which there is detail, explanation, and proof. It is the discerner but not in jest. It has an outward and an inward [dimension]
, its outward dimension is judgement, and its inward is knowledge. Its outward is elegant, and its inward is deep. It has stars and further to those stars there are [further] star.
Its marvels cannot be tallied, and its wonders never cease. In it are the lanterns of guidance, the lighthouses of wisdom, and the guide to understanding for those who seek the description [of the Qur’an]. So let one who wishes to polishes his [heart’s] vision do so [by the light of Qur’an to enable him to gain clear understanding] and let his eyes see the fact. He will thus be saved from destruction, and freed from entanglement. Thinking is the lifeline of the heart
of the alert just as one with light torch walks in the darkness with the light. So make sure that seek your salvation in the best form, and stop approaching and dealing with doubtful [or devious issues].”
The Prophet and the Qur’an
Allah’s Messenger said: “I am astonished at how I do not grow old when I read the Qur’an.”
The People of the Qur’an and their Merit
Imam Sadiq has narrated from Imam Ali, (A), who said in a long statement about the pious people, “At night they array their feet, stand up (for prayers) and recite the holy Qur’an one part (juz’) after another, reciting it beautifully. They make their souls to feel sad and reading the holy Qur’an makes their sadness increase. They weep for their sins and the pains of the cuts in their wounded feelings. Whenever they come across a verse of the holy Qur’an that speaks of warnings they open wide the ears of their hearts to them, their hairs standing on end, their hearts frightened as they imagine the roaring and the pounding of the flames of the Hell fire striking against their ears. And whenever they come across a verse of the holy Qur’an that speaks of good news and encouragements they incline on them with hope and their souls filled with delight of reaching such goals.”
Imam Baqir, (A), said: The Commander of the Faithful, (A), said: “Shall I inform you about the true learned scholar? He is the 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, nor does he invoke hopelessness from the soothing mercy of Allah. He does not give licence to disobey 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.”
Allah’s Messenger 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 belittle their rights for they have been assigned by Almighty Allah a lofty station.”
Allah’s Messenger (S) said: “The noble and honourable people of my nation are those who bear the Qur’an, and the people of the night [who worship Allah during the hours of darkness]”
Allah’s Messenger said: “The bearers of Qur’an are the people with best knowledge of the truth in Paradise.”
Imam Hasan al-Askari (A) has said in his commentary of the holy Qur’an narrating from his grandfathers, from the holy Prophet (S), “The bearers or upholders of the Qur’an are specially favoured with the mercy of Allah, they are clothed from the light of Allah, are taught the words of Allah, and have been drawn near to Allah. Whoever loves them has loved Allah and whoever is hostile to them is hostile to Allah. Allah repels the misfortunes of the world from one who listens to the Qur’an, and repels the misfortunes of the hereafter from the one who recites it. I swear by the One in Whose hands is Muhammad’s soul, that listening, with faith and understanding, to the Qur’an being recited is of greater reward than gold the amount of [mount] Thabir spent for a good cause, and the reward for reciting the Qur’an, with faith and understanding, is greater than whatever there is between the Throne and below the centre of the earth.”
Fodayl ibn Yasar has narrated from Imam Sadiq (A) who has said, “One who memorizes the Qur’an and lives according to its guidance will have equal ranks with the honourable and virtuous divine ambassadors.”
It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (A) who said, “One who memorizes the holy Qur’an with difficulty, because of weaker memory, receives twice as much reward.”
The Youths and Reciting the Qur’an
Related from Imam Sadiq (A) who said: “If one reads the Qur’an in his youth as a true believer, the Qur’an will blend with his flesh and blood, and Allah places him alongside the pious and noble ambassadors, and on the day of resurrection the Qur’an will be his protector 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 Almighty Allah will clothe him in two 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?’ The Qur’an will answer: ‘O Lord I desire for him something better than this.’ So he will be given security 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 Imam went on to say): ‘Whoever recites of the Qur’an a great amount, keeps [reciting] it and undergoes hardship due to the difficulty of memorisation Allah will give him the reward of this twice over.”
Aban ibn Taghlib has narrated from Imam Sadiq (A) who said, “He who has both the Qur’an and the faith his example is like that of the citron with nice taste and aroma, and the example of he who does not have the Qur’an and the faith is like that of handalah (colocynth) which is bitter and has no good aroma.”
Fodayl ibn Yasar has narrated from the Imam Sadiq (A) who has narrated from the holy Prophet who said, “Learn the Qur’an; for on the day of judgement it will come to his companion in the form of a most beautiful young person of pale complexion and will speak to him saying, “I am the Qur’an for which you kept awake so often and endured thirst during the heat of midday, dried up your mouth and let your tears flow I have good news for you. Then the man will receive a crown, and peace and security will be placed on his right hand and eternal life in Paradise in his left, and he will be dressed with two dresses of Paradise and then he will be told, “recite and rise.” For each verse that he recites he will ascend one degree, and his parents, if they are of the believers, each will receive two garments of Paradise and they will be told that this is because of your teaching your child the holy Qur’an. ”
AlAsbagh ibn Nabatah narrates from Amir al-Mo’mineen - Imam Ali - saying: “Allah, seeing people of the earth knowingly committing sins, decides to punish them all, but when He finds the old people going for prayer and the children learning the holy Qur’an, He then treats them with His mercy and postpones the punishment.”
The Qur’an, the Prophet’s Eternal Miracle
Bearers of the Qur’an and its Traits Imam Sadiq (A) said the Prophet, (S), said, “The first people who should be submissive to Allah in private and in public are the bearers and upholders
of the Qur’an, and the first people who should observe prayer and fasting in public and in private are the bearers and upholders of the Qur’an. Then the Prophet said in his loudest voice, “O upholders of the Qur’an, be humble by virtue of the Qur’an, Allah will uplift you and do not boast by it for Allah will bring you low. O upholders of the Qur’an adorn yourself by it for Allah’s sake and Allah will adorn you by it. And adorn not for the people for Allah would disgrace you by it. He who completes reading the whole Qur’an [learning and implementing its teachings] he would subsequently [be such that] insults not those who insult him, angers not those who annoy him, saddens not those who sadden him. Instead he forgives, ignores, pardons and forebears in concordance with the Qur’an and honouring its teachings. If one has some knowledge of the Qur’an but thinks someone else has some thing better than what he has, he certainly has revered what Allah has belittled, and belittled what Allah has revered.”
Imam Baqir (A) has said, “The readers of the holy Qur’an are three: one who considers the reading of the Qur’an as a commodity to go round to the kings and seeks to dominate people. And there is one who learns and memorizes the letters of Qur’an but looses its laws and teachings and treats it like the treatment of water cup
. May Allah let not the number of such carriers of the Qur’an increase. And there is one who reads the Qur’an and holds it to be the medicine for the ills of his heart. He keeps awake reading it at night, and endures thirst in the heat of the midday, and he stands up with it in his mosques, and leaves his bed empty at night for prayer with the holy Qur’an. It is through these people that Allah repels misfortunes, and defeats the enemies, and through these people Allah sends down the rain from the skies. I swear by Allah that amongst the readers of Qur’an they are more precious than red sulphur.”
Allah’s Messenger (S) said, “If two categories of people in my Ommah were virtuous the whole of my Ommah will be righteous, and if these two were corrupt, it will be corrupt; the leaders and readers
.”
The learned of the Qur’an who does not practice it
Allah’s Messenger (S) said, “If one reads the Qur’an and then drinks something unlawful or gets indulged in love of the worldly things, he becomes subject to the wrath of Allah unless he repents, and if he dies without repenting, He would refute and rebut him on the Day of Judgement, and He would not leave him until He has proven as false all his arguments and excuses
.”
Allah’s Messenger (S) said, “One who learns the Qur’an and does not follow its guidance and instead prefers to love the worldly things and its adornment, he becomes subject to the wrath of Allah and he would be of the same rank as the Jews and Christians who threw the Book of Allah behind their backs. One who reads the Qur’an seeking reputation and worldly gains, he will meet Allah on the day of judgement with his face is only bone with no flesh on, and the Qur’an will push him at his back until he is thrown into Hell wherein he will fall with all those who will fall therein. He who reads the Qur’an and does not act upon it, he will be resurrected blind on the day of judgement, and he will say, .My Lord, why have you raised me blind while in the world I was a seeing one? [Allah] will say, “so did you when Our signs came to you but you neglected them and so today you will be neglected.
and he will be ordered to Hell. One who reads the Qur’an in order to please Allah and to understand religion, his reward will be like the rewards of all the angels, the prophets, and the messengers. One who reads the Qur’an seeking boast and fame in order to argue with the unlearned and boast before the scholars and make worldly gains, Allah will scatter his bones on the day of judgement and no one in the fire will have more severe sufferings than him, and there will be no punishment which he will not suffer given the severity of Allah’s wrath against him. And he who learns the Qur’an and is humble in knowledge and teaches the servants of Allah seeking Allah’s rewards, no one in Paradise will be of greater rewards than him, nor of higher ranks then him, and there shall be no position or prominent degree in Paradise except that he will have the greatest share in and most honourable position of.”
Allah’s Messenger (S) said, “In Hell there is a valley that the people of Hell seek protection from seventy thousand times every day.” The Prophet was asked who this punishment is for. The prophet replied, “For the wine drinker and he who gives up his prayers from amongst the people of the Qur’an.”
Husayn ibn Zayd has narrated from Imam Sadiq, (A), who has narrated from the holy Prophet, (S), who said, “Whoever learns the holy Qur’an and then forgets it, he will meet Allah on the day of judgement tied up in chains and for each verse that he has forgotten Allah will send to him a snake that will stay with him in Hell until Allah forgives him.”
What is meant by “forgetting” in the hadith is to ignore and abandon the laws and guidance of the holy Qur’an.
The Qur’an in all circumstances
Mo’awiyah ibn Ammar narrates from Imam Sadiq, (A), who said about the Prophet’s guidance to Imam Ali, (A), “You must read the holy Qur’an in all circumstances.”
Al-Zuhri has said, I asked Imam Zayn al-Abidin (A), “Which deed is more virtuous?” He said, “Opening the Qur’an and reading to the end and whenever coming to the beginning of the Qur’an read it to the end.”
Imam Mossa al-Kadim (A), said, “The degrees of ranks in Paradise are equal to the number of the verses of holy Qur’an. One is told to read a verse and ascend and so one would read and ascend.”
Imam Baqir, (A) said, “Whoever reads the Qur’an in his prayer standing up Allah will write for him for each letter one hundred virtues, and for one who reads from the holy Qur’an in the sitting position Allah will write fifty virtues for each letter read. One who reads the holy Qur’an in a state other then during one’s prayer, Allah will write for him ten virtues for each letter.”
Bashir ibn Ghalib al-Asadi narrates from Imam Husayn (A) who said, “Whoever reads from the holy Qur’an in his prayer in a standing position, Allah will write for him one hundred virtues for each letter, and if one reads from the holy Qur’an in the conditions other than during prayer, Allah will write for him ten virtues for each letter, and if one listens to when the holy Qur’an is read, Allah will reward him for each letter one virtue. If one completes reading the holy Qur’an at night, the angles will pray for him until morning, and if he completes during the day the angles will pray for him until evening and his prayers will be accepted, and this will be better for him than all that is between the heavens and earth.” I said, “This is for the reader of the holy Qur’an, how about one who does not read the holy Qur’an?” He said, “Allah is generous and glorious and kind, whatever one would read from the holy Qur’an from memory Allah will reward him accordingly.”
Listening to the Qur’an
Muhammad ibn Bashir narrates from Imam Zayn ul-Abidin, (A), and this Hadith is also narrated from Imam Sadiq, (A), who said, “One who just listens to the holy Qur’an being recited, for every letter Allah will register for him one good deed, deletes one of his bad deeds and raises him one degree higher.
One who reads the holy Qur’an by looking at it but not in the state of prayer, Allah will write for him one good deed for each letter, deletes one of his bad deeds, and raises him one degree higher. One who learns one visible letter from the holy Qur’an, Allah will write for him the ten good deeds, delete ten of his bad deeds and raise him ten degrees higher.”
The Imam said, “I do not say for each verse, but I say for each letter, like Alif, or Ba’, or Ta’, or suchlike.” The Imam then said, “One who reads from the holy Qur’an in his prayers in the sitting position, Allah will register for him fifty good deeds for each letter, delete fifty of his bad deeds, and raise him fifty degrees higher.
One who reads from the holy Qur’an in his prayer while standing, Allah will register for him one hundred good deeds, delete one hundred of his bad deeds, and raise him one hundred degrees higher. One who reads the holy Qur’an completely, his prayers will be answered sooner or later.” I asked the Imam, “Sir, all of the Qur’an?” He said, “yes, all of the Qur’an.”
Ishaq ibn Ammar has narrated from Imam Sadiq (A) who said, “One who reads one hundred verses of the holy Qur’an in his prayer during the night, Allah will write for him the reward for worshipping for the whole night. One who reads two hundred verses of the holy Qur’an in a condition other than the state of night prayer, Allah will write for him on the protected tablet a Quintal of good deeds, and a Quintal is equal to one thousand two hundred measures each of which is bigger than Mount Ohod.”
Anas narrates from the holy Prophet (S) who said, “One who reads one hundred verses of the Qur’an his name will not be written among the names of the ghafileen (the people who are heedless) and one who reads two hundred verses from the holy Qur’an, his name will be written among the names of qaniteen (the obedient) and one who reads three hundred verses, the holy Qur’an will not argue against him.”
The Opening Surah of the Qur’an and its Merits
Imam Hasan al-Askary (A) narrates from his forefathers who said, “The Opening Surah of the Book is the most honourable of all the treasures of the throne . Whoever reads with faith in the love of the Prophet and his family, Allah will give him for each letter one good deed, each of which is better for him than the whole world and all that it contains of the various kinds of wealth and good things, and one who listens to this Surah being recited he will have the same amount of reward as that of the reader, thus you should read it as much as you can.”
Allah’s messenger said, “The best act of worship is reading the Qur’an”
It is narrated from the holy Prophet, (S), who said, “This Qur’an is the rope of Allah and it is the elucidating light, and the beneficial cure . so read it for Allah will give you the reward of ten good deeds for each letter that you read. I do not say that for ‘ALM’ is ten, but in fact, for ‘A’ is ten and for ‘L’ is ten and for ‘M’ is ten.”
It is narrated from the holy Prophet, (S), who said, “The companion of the holy Qur’an will be told, “read and ascend, and recite the way you use to recite in the world before this; your final destination will be the last verse that you recite.”
The holy Prophet (S) has said, “One who reads the Qur’an is as if prophethood is incorporated within him except that divine revelation does not come to him.”
The prophet said, “Almighty Allah said, ‘He who got carried away with reading the Qur’an and did not perform supplication to me, I shall give him the best reward of the thankful.”
On Forgetting the Holy Qur’an
Abu Basir has narrated from Imam Sadiq, (A), who said, “If one forgets a surah of the holy Qur’an that he had memorized, on the day of judgement that surah will come to him in a beautiful form and with a high rank in Paradise, and when one sees it, asks, “what are you? how beautiful you are! I wish you belonged to me.” The surah will say, “Do you not know me? I am surah so and so of the Qur’an, had you not forgotten me; I could have taken you to this high position.”
Ya’qub al-Ahmar said, “I said to Imam Sadiq, (A), “I have a lot of debt and the consequences from this is affecting me such that I am about to forget some of the holy Qur’an.” The Imam, (A), said, “The Qur’an! The Qur’an! On the day of judgement the verses and the surah of the holy Qur’an will ascend one thousand degrees in Paradise and say, “If you had not forgotten me I would have taken you here.”
Ya’qub al-Ahmar has said, “I said to Imam Sadiq, (A), “Master, I am facing such problems, and difficulties that there remains none of the mustahab [i.e. desirable and recommended] acts save that some of it has escaped me, to the extent that even some of the Qur’an has escaped me.” The Imam was shocked and said, “If a man forgets a surah of the Qur’an on the day of judgement that surah will come to him with a certain rank and greets him and the man asks, “Who are you? The Surah of the holy Qur’an will say, “I am Surah so and so of the holy Qur’an which you forgot, and I wish you had not have forgotten me, so that today I could have taken you to such and such high ranks and it will point to a certain rank.” The Imam then said, “You must be very careful about the holy Qur’an. Some people learn the holy Qur’an so that others would call him a very good reciter of the holy Qur’an. Some people learn the holy Qur’an so that others would praise him for very good tune of reciting the holy Qur’an and there is nothing good in all of this. Some people learn the holy Qur’an and all night reading and contemplating the holy Qur’an, and during the day too, and they do not care whether others know his learning the holy Qur’an or not.”
Saed ibn Abdullah al-A’raj has said, “I asked Imam Sadiq about a person who reads the Qur’an and then forgets it, reads it and then forgets it again, will there be any blame against him?” The Imam said, “No.”
Etiquettes of Reading the Qur’an
Muhammad ibn Fodayl has said that I said to Imam Sadiq, (A), “On occasions when I am reading the Holy Qur’an, I need to use the lavatory. I return once I have washed myself and my hands and continue reading the Holy Qur’an, [is this ok]?” The Imam responded, “not until you have performed the wudu [the ritual wash] for prayers.”
The author of al-Khisal narrates from Imam Ali, (A), who said, “One must not read the holy Qur’an without wudu.”
Ahmad ibn Fahd has said in ‘Oddat-ul-Da’i that Imam Ali, (A), has said, “For every letter that one reads of the holy Qur’an in his prayer in a standing position Allah will give the reward for one hundred good deeds, fifty for each letter if one reads them in his prayers sitting and the reward of twenty good deeds if one reads them with wudu but not in the state of prayer and the reward of ten good deeds if one reads them without wudu. I do not say that ‘ALMR’ as one, but in fact, for each letters (A) (L) (M) (R) there will be ten rewards.”
It is narrated from Imam Hasan al-Askari, (A), who has said in his commentary of the holy Qur’an, “as for His word that Allah has called upon you and commanded you to it when reciting the Qur’an: “I seek refuge in Allah, the Listening and the Omniscient, from the Satan, the condemned”, Amir-ul-Mu’minin has said, His word “I seek refuge in Allah”, means I protect myself through Allah.” Seeking refuge is what Allah has commanded His servants to when they read the Qur’an, in His word.
So when you read the Qur’an, seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.. And when one disciplines himself with Allah’s discipline it will lead him to eternal prosperity. Then he mentioned the long Hadith from the holy Prophet, (S), in which he said, “If you want to be not harmed by the evils of Satan, you should say every morning, “I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan, for Allah will give you protection against their evils.”
The Qur’an is Allah’s Covenant, so Adhere to it
Imam Sadiq (A) said, “The Qur’an is the covenant between Allah and His creatures. A Muslim must look into his covenant and read at least fifty verses from it every day.”
Imam Sajjad (A) said, “Verses of the Qur’an are treasures, and whenever a treasure is opened one should look into it to find what there is in it.”
Imam Rida, (A), said, “it is imperative for one read (at least) fifty verses of the Qur’an after the ta’qeebat [the follow on supplications and acts of worship of the Morning Prayer].”
Imam Sadiq, (A), said, “The house in which a Muslim recites the holy Qur’an in is seen by the people of the heavens just as the people of the Earth see the star in the heavens.
Imam Sadiq quotes Amir-ul-Mu’minin, Ali, (A), who said, “A house in which the holy Qur’an is read and Allah is mentioned often, its blessings increase, the angels come to it, the devils move out of it, and it shines to the people in heavens just as stars shine to the people of the earth. And the house in which the holy Qur’an is not read and Allah is not mentioned, its blessings decrease, the angels move out of it and devils move in.”
Imam Sadiq said, “My father would assemble us together and would order us to say dhikr until sunrise; he would order those of us who could read to read [the Qur’an] and to those who could not read, he would order them to say dhikr. The house in which the Qur’an is read and Allah is mentioned has its blessings increase.”
The Prophet (S) said, “Light up your houses by reciting the Qur’an and do not turn them into graves as the Jews and Christians had done; they would pray in their Synagogue and Churches and abandoned their houses. For the house in which Qur’an is often recited would have its blessings increase, its people prosper and it would shine to the people of the heavens just as stars of the heavens shine to the people of the earth.”
Imam Ali al-Rida (A) has narrated from the holy Prophet (S) who said, “Set for your house a share from the holy Qur’an; for the house in which the Qur’an is recited brings ease and comfort for its people, its blessings increase, and its dwellers will be plenty, and if the Qur’an is not recited in it then it will become difficult for the household, its blessings diminish, and its inhabitants will be in need.”
The Trader and the Qur’an
Imam Sadiq said, “What stops a trader, when he returns home from work, from reading a surah of the Qur’an before he goes to sleep? For he will be accredited with ten good deeds for each verse he reads, and ten bad deeds erased from him.”
Imam Sadiq has narrated from the holy Prophet who said, “One who reads ten verses a night he will not be registered among the ghafileen [heedless], and one who reads fifty verses a night be will be registered with the dhakireen [those who remember Allah], and one who reads one hundred verses every night he will be registered with the qaniteen [the worshiper], and one who reads two hundred verses he will be registered with the khashe‘een [those who are humble and fearful before Allah], and one who reads three hundred verses, he will be registered with the fa’ezeen [the victorious ones], and one who reads five hundred verses he will be registered with the mujtahideen [those striving for the cause of Allah], and one who reads one thousand verses one Quintar will be registered for him and a Quintar is fifteen thousand (in some texts it is stated as being fifty thousand) Mithqal of gold and a Mithqal is twenty four Quirat, the smallest of which is the size of the mount Ohod and the biggest is that of the expanse between heaven and earth.”
Abu Hamza al-Thamali narrates from Imam Baqir, “One who reads the entire Qur’an in Mecca in one week or less than a week or more and completes it on Friday, Allah will write for him the reward of all the good deeds that have taken place since the first Friday in this world to the last Friday that will come. The same would be if reading is completed on other days.”
Jabir al-Ansari narrates from Imam Baqir, “everything has a spring, and the spring of the Qur’an is the month of Ramadan.”
Reciting the Holy Qur’an from the Script
Imam Sadiq, (A), said, “One who recites the Qur’an from a copy of the Qur’an he will enhance his insight and lighten his parents’ burden even if they were non-believers”.
It is narrated from the holy Prophet (S) who said, “There is nothing more difficult for the Satan (to tackle) than someone’s reading the Qur’an from a copy (of the Qur’an)”.
Ishaq ibn Ammar said, I asked Imam Sadiq, (A), “Sir, I have learnt the holy Qur’an by heart. Which would be more rewarding, reciting the Qur’an from memory, or from a mus-haf (copy of the holy book)?” The Imam, (A), said, “indeed read it while looking at the mus-haf for it is more rewarding [than from reciting it from memory]. Don’t you know that looking at the mus-haf is an act of worship?”
It is narrated from Abu Dharr who narrated from the Prophet, who said, “Looking at Ali ibn Abi Talib is an act of worship, looking at one’s parents affectionately and kindly is an act of worship, looking at the pages of the Qur’an is an act of worship, and looking at the Ka‘bah is an act of worship.”
Imam Sadiq, (A), quotes his father who said, “I admire that there be a mus-haf [copy of the holy Qur’an] in the house with which Allah repels the devils.”
Imam Sadiq, (A), said, “Three things complain to Allah, the Most Glorious: a derelict mosque where people of the mosque do not pray in, a scholar among the ignorant people, and mus-haf left on a shelf covered in dust that no one reads from.”
Reciting the Qur’an
Abdullah ibn Sulayman has said, “I asked Imam Sadiq, (A), about the verse .recite the Qur’an distinctly.
The Imam said Amir-ul- Mu’minin Imam Ali, (A) has said, “read it clearly, not in a rapid and hectic form like in reciting poetry, nor scatter it like grains of sand, but strike with it your hardened hearts, and your concern should not be [reaching] the end of the surah”.
Abu Basir has narrated from Imam Sadiq, (A), who said about the verse .recite the Qur’an distinctly., “It means that you should pause, [as and when punctuation rules require] and recite it in a nice voice.”
Imam Sadiq said, “Read the Qur’an with correct diacritics for it is Arabic, [and diacritics preserve its accuracy]”.
Imam Sadiq said, “It is discouraged to read the whole surah of ‘tawheed’ in one breath [without a pause between its verses]”.
It is narrated from Omm Salamah who has said, “The Prophet, (S), used to read the Qur’an pausing between the verses.”
Imam Sadiq, (A), said, “The Qur’an is revealed in sorrow and it should be read in the same way.”
Abdullah ibn Sinan has narrated from Imam Sadiq, (A), who said, “Allah, the Most High, told Moses “Whenever you stand before Me, stand as a humble deprived person and when you read Torah let me hear it in a sorrowing voice.”
It is narrated from Hafs who said, “I never saw anyone more afraid (of Allah) about himself than Mossa al-Kadim, (A), nor anyone more hopeful (for Allah’s mercy) than him. He would recite the Qur’an with sorrow, and when he recited it, it was as if he was addressing someone.”
Reading the Qur’an silently or aloud
Imam Baqir, (A), said, “One who recites the surah “al-Qadr” (#97) with a loud voice, he would be like one who has drawn his sword for Allah’s cause and one who reads it silently, he would be like one who is killed in Allah’s cause, and one who reads it ten times has one thousand of his sins deleted.”
Mo’awiyah ibn Ammar has said, “I told Imam Sadiq, “one does not think that he has read anything from the Qur’an or the prayers unless he says them loudly.” The Imam, (A), said, “It does not matter. Imam Zayn al-Abidin, (A), would recite the holy Qur’an in the most pleasant tune and he would read it loudly such that every one in the house would hear him. Imam Baqir, had the best reciting tune and he would recite the holy Qur’an loudly during the night and whoever would pass by would stop to listen to his recitation.”
It is narrated from Abu Dharr who narrated from the Prophet, who said in his recommendations to him, “O Aba Dharr! Lower your voice when walking in a funeral procession, in combat, and when hearing the recitation of the Qur’an.”
Abdullah ibn Sinan has narrated from Imam Sadiq who has narrated from the Prophet, who said, “Read the holy Qur’an in Arabic cadence and voice, and never recite it in the cadence of the sinful and people committing major sins; for after me will come people who reverberate their tune when reciting the Qur’an as in singing, and as in the hymns of monks, going no further than their throats; their hearts are perverted and so too are the hearts of those who are impressed by their state.”
Ali ibn Muhammad al-Nawfali narrates from Imam Mossa al- Kadim, who said, “When ‘voice’ were mentioned before him, upon this he said, “when one passed by when Ali ibn al-Husayn [Zayn al-Abidin] was reciting the Qur’an, the person would be enchanted by the Imam’s beautiful recitation.”
Abdullah ibn Sinan has narrated from the holy Prophet who said, “For everything there is an ornament and the ornament of the Qur’an is fine reciting.”
Imam Ali Rida, said, “The holy Prophet said, “beautify the Qur’an with your voice, for a nice voice gives beauty to the Qur’an.”
The Etiquettes of reciting and listening to the Qur’an
It is narrated from Jabir who said, “I asked Imam Baqir about a people who on hearing some of the Qur’an or anything about it faint to an extent that even if the hands or legs of one of them were amputated they would not notice.” The Imam, (A), said, “Glory be to Allah. They were not told to behave as such. It is only serenity, soft heartedness, tears, fear and sorrow.”
Imam Sadiq, (A), was asked, “When one reads from the holy Qur’an is it obligatory for others to keep silent and listen to it?” The Imam replied, “Yes, when the Qur’an is recited it is mandatory for you to keep silent and listen to it.”
Ali ibn Mughirah said, “I asked Imam Kadim (A), “My father asked your grandfather about reading the whole Qur’an in one night”, so your grandfather said to him, “[yes] every night.” Then he said, “in the month of Ramadan?” so your grandfather said to him, “[yes] in the month of Ramadan.” My father said, “Yes, according to my ability.” So my father used to read the holy Qur’an forty times in the whole month of Ramadan. Then after my father I would read the holy Qur’an some times more and some time less than him according to my time, work, energy, and laziness. On the day of Eid after the month of Ramadan, I would assign the [reward for] reading the holy Qur’an once for the holy Prophet, one for Imam Ali, one for Lady Fatimah and one for each Imam until yourself and I assigned the reward for reciting the holy Qur’an once for you, and this is from the time I have been doing this. Will there be any thing for me in this?” The Imam said, “because of this, on the Day of Judgment, you will be with them.” I said: Allah is great! This [honour] is for me? The Imam said, “Yes” three times.
Imam Sadiq (A) narrated that Allah’s messenger came to some youth from Ansar and said to them, “I want to recite to you, and whoever weeps, Paradise will be for him, and then he recited .the disbelievers will be driven into Hell in groups.... to the end of the surah. Every one wept except one young man who said, “O messenger of Allah I tried to weep but no tears came out.” The holy Prophet said, “I repeat for you, if any one who would try to weep, Paradise will be for him.” He repeated and people wept and the young man made himself to weep and they all went to Paradise.”
It is narrated from Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq from his forefathers who have narrated from the holy Prophet, peace be up on them, who said, “learn the Qur’an in its Arabic form”.
Imam Sadiq, (A), said, “Learn Arabic for it is the speech in which Allah has spoken to His creatures and talked to the people of the past.”
Narrated from Imam al-Jawad, who said, “There are no two people who are equal in position and religion except that the preferred one in the sight of Allah is the well mannered one amongst them.” I said, “I can see his virtue in the eyes of the people in gatherings and meetings but what is his virtue in the sight of Allah?” The Imam said, “By his reading the Qur’an the way it was descended, and by his supplication without tunes; for supplication with tunes are not ascended to Allah.”
Imam Sadiq, said, “The Prophet said, “A non-Arab of my nation reads the Qur’an in his non-Arabic way but the angels raise his reading in its Arabic form.”
0%
Author: Ayatullah Seyyed Muhammad Sadiq Shirazi
