Indeed to
reflect on Allahs verses is a form of worship that will draw one close to
Allah Most High. This reflection is not a reckless and wandering one, rather
it includes a study of the classical tafseer of the verses being pondered
over, as this would fulfil Ibnul-Qayyims great advice, Such as reflecting
over a book which a person has memorised and he expounds it so that he may
understand what its author intends by it.
Indeed the Book of
Allah is not a book like any other, it is the timeless Speech of Allah, not a
created thing, the study guide for life and death and what comes after.
Therefore it deserves a more careful study than anyone elses speech. It
necessitates that its reader return to the early narrations of those who
witnessed its revelation and heard its explanation by the one deputed by Allah
to rehearse and explain His Words to humanity (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam).
For if one would try to ponder over the meanings of the verses without having
done this study, then surely the filth of the time that he lives in and his
ignorance of the correct application and understanding that the early Muslims
had would cause him to understand some things not intended by Allah Most High,
and therefore he would go astray, thinking to be worshipping Allah. So every
sincere Muslim who hopes to earn Allahs Love breciting and reflecting over
Allahs Book, then let him hold tight to the meanings explained by the Prophet
(sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam), and those taught by the companions and their
immediate followers, and the early scholars of Islam.
So dear brother and
sister Muslim! Know that reciting and pondering over the Book of Allah,
devoting your time regularly to its study and implementation has tremendous
benefits in this life and the Next, so let us now look to just a few of them
to attach ourselves more firmly to Allahs Majestic Words. Each benefit stands
as enough of an encouragement to shun any laziness we have and dedicate
ourselves to the Quran.
1 - Reading and
reflecting over the Quran fulfils an Islamic duty.
Indeed the Prophet
(sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) summarised this Religion with his statement:
The Religion is naseehah (sincerity)! So then Tameem ibn Aws, may Allah be
pleased with him, then said, We asked, To whom? He said: To Allah, HIS
BOOK, His Messenger, the leaders of the people, and their common folk.
[Muslim] The sincerity that is due to the Book of Allah includes its regular
recitation, learning the rules of tajweed and reciting it beautifully,
learning about its tafseer and the reasons for its revelation, affirming that
it is the Truth, the perfect Speech of Allah and not part of the creation,
honoring it and defending it, abiding by the orders and prohibitions found in
it, teaching it and calling to it. [See Jaamiul-Uloom wal-Hikam of Ibn Rajab
Al-Hambalee] So by reading and reflecting over the Quran, one fulfills an
obligation and is rewarded for that. Upon fulfilling this obligation, the
Quran then becomes a proof for him on the Day of Judgment! And that is our
second benefit we will take by embracing this Noble Book...
2 - The Quran will
be a proof for us on the Day of Judgment.
This is due to the
statement of the Messenger: And the Quran is a proof for you or against
you. [Muslim] So one of two things will occur with this proof, the Book of
Allah. It will either be in your favor, a proof for you on the Day when you
will need every single good deed, or it will be something standing against
you, the very Speech of your Creator, a proof against you! Who could be saved
from the terrors of that Day if Allahs own Speech is against him?!?! Think
carefully, dear Muslim brother or sister, about your position with the Quran!
Are you neglecting it, contradicting it, being heedless of its orders and
prohibitions, are you thinking deeply over it?! Will it be on your side on the
Day of Judgment.?! O Allah! We ask you, by Your Glorious Speech and the rest
of your beautiful Names and Attributes, to make the Quran a proof for us! O
Allah! Dont make the Quran a proof against us on that Day, and save us from
the hellfire! For if Allah makes the Quran a proof in our favour on that Day,
then it would also be an intercessor for us, when NO intercession will take
place except by His Permission.
3 - The Quran will
intercede for us on the Day of Judgment.
The proof: Aboo Umaamah
relates that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Read the
Quran, for verily it will come on the Day of Standing as an intercessor for
its companions. [Muslim]
4 - Your status in
this life will be raised.
In Saheeh Muslim, we
find a lovely story, about how a man from the people of Jannah, Umar ibn
Al-Khattaab, understood this principle. Some men came to question him during
his khilaafah about the leadership of Makkah, they asked, Who do you use to
govern Makkah? He said, Ibn Abzaa. They asked, And who is Ibn Abzaa? Umar
replied, A freed slave from those we freed. They remarked, You left a freed
slave in charge of the people of the Valley (the noble tribes of the
Quraysh)!?!? So he answered them, Verily he is a reader of the Book of Allah
and is knowledgeable about the obligations of the Muslims. Havent you heard
the statement of your Messenger: Verily Allah raises some people by this Book
and lowers others by it.
5 - You will be from
the best of the people.
Uthmaan, may Allah be
pleased with him, said that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said:
The best of you are the ones who learn the Quran and teach it to others
[Al-Bukhari]
6 - There are ten
rewards for each letter you recite from the Quran.
As an authentic hadith
in At-Tirmithee proves: Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah, he
will have a reward. And that reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying
that Alif, Laam, Meem is a letter, rather I am saying that Alif is a
letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter. So increase your
recitation of the Quran to gain these merits, and to gain the following merit
as well.
7 - The reciters of
the Quran will be in the company of the noble and obedient
angels.
Aaishah, may Allah be
pleased with her, relates that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam)
said: Verily the one who recites the Quran beautifully, smoothly, and
precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as
for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its
verses, then he will have TWICE that reward. [Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
So dear brother or
sister Muslim, do not let the Shaytaan give you false excuses, such as I am
not an Arab, or Its not my language. This hadith is a firm proof against
these whisperings. Dedicate yourself to the Book of Allah, whether you are an
Arab or not! The excuses have been eliminated and the pathway has been
cleared for you to embrace the Book of Allah without holding back or offering
excuses! And surely you will not hesitate to seek a teacher or a study circle
for the Quran once you hear the last and perhaps greatest benefits of reading
and contemplating over the Quran...
8 - Your position in
Paradise is determined by the amount of Quran you memorize in this
life!
Abdullaah ibn Amr ibn
Al-Aas heard the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) saying: It will be
said to the companion of the Quran: Read and elevate (through the levels of
the Paradise) and beautify your voice as you used to do when you were in the
dunyaa! For verily, your position in the Paradise will be at the last verse
you recite! [Aboo Daawood and At-Tirmithee, saheeh]
9 - The Quran will
lead you to Paradise!
The Prophet said: The
Quran is an intercessor, something given permission to intercede, and it is
rightfully believed in. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to
Paradise; whoever puts it behind him, it will steer him to the Hellfire. [An
authentic hadith found in At-Tabaraanee, on the authority of Abdullaah ibn
Masood]
Know, dear brother or sister,
that these nine benefits from the many benefits available can only be attained
by a sincere commitment to the Book of Allah, not by a persons mere
statement, I love the Quran, its beautiful. Rather the heart must be
sincerely attached to Allahs Book and the limbs and tongue will follow in
this attachment. You must know that we only mentioned a few of the numerous
benefits of reading and reflecting over the Quran. There are many benefits
that await your reading in the Quran and books of hadith, like the chapter of
the Quran that will argue on your behalf in the grave, and that it is a
physical healing, a source of rest and relaxation for your heart, among many
other things. And Allah knows best.
(Taken from Look 4
Islam)
