Part 4

Question: It is a common practice among many Muslims to say

Chapter -1 The Manners Of Reciting The Qur’an,.. 31

“Sadagallahul-‘Adheem (Allah, the All-Mighty, has spoken the truth)” immediately after they recite some of the Quran, Is there any proof to support this practice?

Answer: There is no proof, neither from the Qur’an nor from the Sunnah, which indicates that one should always say ‘’Sadagallahul-'Adheem’ immediately after reciting the Quran. True, this is now the practice of the majority, but the deeds of the many are not proofs that show something to be true. Allah 3€ said:

“And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it eagerly” (Qur’an 12:103) Al-Fudail Ibn ‘Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him) is known for some profound, epigrammatic sayings; in one such saying, he said, “Do not feel lonely on the paths of guidance just because

few people travel them, and do not be deceived by the abundance of destroyed travelers [on the paths of misguidance].”

As to the issue in question, proof is with those who forbid this practice. The Messenger of Allah #% once said to Ibn Mas’ood ,

“Recite [the Quran] to me.’

Ibn ‘Mas’ood answered, “I...recite the Qur’an to you, and to you it was revealed?” The Prophet #¢ said,

“T indeed desire to hear it from other than me.””

Ibn Mas’ood # recited “The Women Chapter’ until he 2 reached,

(OLS MEAS AE ey SED “How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad #8) as a witness against these people?” (Quran 4:41)

Then, the Prophet #% said, wal sf So

support the said practice. However, it is authentically established that the Prophet said,

35 58 Ol ale oS ee ue gn “As for one who performs an action which our matter is not upon, then it is rejected.”

And according to another narration, he # said,

65 36% Pee Us g dat ya

“Whoever introduces something into our matter that is not from it, then it is rejected.”")

') Bukhaaree (5055), and the wording mentioned here is from his narration of the hadith; Muslim related it as well (800). '2] Fatwa (4310). You perhaps noticed that we prolonged our discussion of this

Chapter -1 The Manners Of Reciting The Quran... 33 Ina related issue, Imam An-Nawawee made the following point: when one begins his recitation from the middle of a Chapter (surah), it is recommended for him to start at a verse that is closely linked to other verses, i.e., at the beginning of a theme or topic or story. Similarly, when he stops reciting, he should stop at a verse that ends a series of verses that are linked in meaning. Therefore one need not start and stop according to sections (some sections end whenever 1/30th of the Qur’an is completed, but there are other ways in which the Qur’an is divided as well), the ends of which are usually indicated in copies of the Quran. Many of these sections begin or end in the middle of verses that are linked together in meaning. Imam An-Nawawee then said, “With this meaning in mind, the scholars said, ‘Reciting a surah (Chapter) in its entirety is better than reciting a portion equal in size to that Chapter from one of the long Chapters,’ the reason being that the connection between verses in certain cases is not clear to many or most people.”

12} It Is Recommended To Recite The Quran Clearly And Slowly, And It Is Disliked To Recite It Quickly And Carelessly

Allah 3% commanded us to recite the Qur’an in the best manner possible - slowly and clearly and with a nice tone:

“And recite the Quran (loudly) in a slow, (pleasing tone and) style” (Quran 73:4)

The Arabic word used in this verse is Tarteel; Ibn ‘Abbaas & described it to mean, ‘“Make very clear [and distinguishable each letter and word].” Abu Ishaaq said, “And clarity is not achieved by reciting in a hurried manner.” Rather, clarity is achieved by making clear every letter, by giving it its full due in reciting it. When one recites the Qur’an as he is commanded to do in the above-mentioned verse, he is more likely to understand the

issue; we did so because there are many who’ apply the stated practice, even though the correct path is clear. And we seek'help from Allah 3.

Many of our pious predecessors - from the Companions and those who came after them - have expressed dislike for reciting in a quick but negligent manner. It may be that one desires to read more in a shorter period of time in order to achieve the greatest reward possible; however, in the process of doing that, he loses out on the greater benefit, which is to contemplate the verses he is reciting, to be spiritually moved by them, and to be moved into action. To be sure, one who recites the Qur’an and contemplates its meanings is more complete than one who hurries in his recitation, seeking to finish a chapter quickly.

Nuhaik Ibn Sinaan once went to ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood 4 and asked, “O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmaan, how do you read this letter - as an Alif or a Yaa; [in the verse,] is it Min Maa‘in Ghairi Aasin or... Yaasin?” ‘Abdullah said, ‘‘And the entire Qur’an you have read other than this?’’ Nuhaik said, “Indeed, I read a Mufassil [chapter (Mufassil chapters are those chapters between Qaaf and the end of the Qur’an)] in one Rak’ah (one unit of prayer).’”” ‘Abdullah said, ‘This is like the quick, hurried reading of poetry. Verily, there are people who recite the Qur’an but it does not pass their collarbones; however, if it (the Qur’an) enters the heart and becomes firm therein, it benefits [the reciter]...”")

Abu Hamzah related that he said to Ibn ‘Abbaas #, “I am indeed quick in my recitation; verily, I read the [entire] Qur’an in three [days], to which Ibn ‘Abbaas rejoined, ‘For me to read AlBagarah in one night but to contemplate it and recite it clearly and slowly is more beloved to me than for me to recite the recitation that you described.” In another narration, he said, “If there is no way except for you to do as you said, then read it with a recitation in which your ears hear and your heart comprehends.”"?}

"| Bukhaaree (775) and Muslim (822); the wording mentioned here is from Muslim’s narration of the hadith.

1 Related by Ibn Katheer in Fadaail Al-Qur’an: (pg. 236); some eminent scholars have mentioned that its chain is authentic. Refer to Al-Haashiyah

Chapter -1 The Manners Of Reciting The Quran... 35

Imam Ahmad said, “I like smooth, flowing recitation, and I dislike speed (and hastiness) in recitation.” On another occasion, when he was asked about a fast-paced recitation of the Quran, Imam Ahmad said that he disliked it, except if one’s speech pattern in general is such that he cannot go slower. He was also asked if one sins by reciting with a fast-pace. He said, “As for it being a sin, I dare not go that far (he said this because he was careful and knew the sin of saying that something is Haram - forbidden - when it isn’t).””

Question: Which is better for the reciter - to recite slowly and contemplate what he is reciting or to recite quickly but without reciting negligently, i.e, without doing injustice to the pronunciation of words and letters (the one who does injustice to them is discussed in the previous question)?

Answer: With the condition that quick reading does not involve any negligence in one’s recitation, some scholars have ruled that is better to read quickly, because one can recite more, which means a greater reward. Other scholars maintain that is better to read slowly and deliberately.

Tbn Hajr said, “A scholarly review of the issue points to virtue in both a quick reading and a slow, deliberate reading, as long as the one who reads quickly does not do injustice to the letters, vowels, stops, and compulsory elements [of recitation]. There is nothing to prevent one from deeming either of them to be superior or both to be equal. A person who reads slowly and deliberately is like one who gives a single, valuable jewel in charity. One who reads quickly, on the other hand, is like one who gives many jewels, which are equal in value to the other person’s single jewel, in charity. It may be, though, that the price of the single jewel is more valuable than all of the jewels that the second person gave; or the opposite might hold true”)

13) It ls Recommended To Prolong [Certain Vowels] When Reciting The Quran

This is established from the Messenger of Allah #. When he was

asked about the recitation of the Prophet #, Anas said, “It

was prolonged.” And to demonstrate, he read, “Bismillahir-

Rahmaanir-Raheem’’; he prolonged ‘‘Bismillak’’; he prolonged “‘Ar-

Rahmaan”; and he prolonged ““Ar-Raheem.”")

14) It Is Recommended To Beautify One's Voice During Recitation, But It Is Forbidden To Recite In Song-Like Manner! Al-Baraa 44 said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah 2 recite,

“By the fig, and the olive} (Quran 95),

during Al-‘Isha (prayer), and | have never heard anyone that had a more beautiful voice or recitation than he did.”"!

There are authentic narrations which indicate that it is recommended to beautify one’s voice when reciting the Qur’an. For example, the Prophet # said,

way 2s Sf 4 S31 G ett a oSf oh “Allah has not heard anything similar to His hearing a Prophet chant the Qur‘an.’""1

As they are complete in their form and piety, the Prophets ## are also blessed with beautiful voices. And Allah 3€ hears the voices of all slaves, both the righteous ones and the wicked ones; hence we learn from the hadith that Allah 8 has not heard anything, from the voices of His slaves, that is similar to a Prophet reciting