THE ETIQUETTE OF THE B EARERS OF THE QURAN

5 THE ETIQ UETTE OF THE BEARERS OF THE QURAN Much of this etiquette has been mentioned in the previous chap­ ter. It includes being in the most complete of states and having the most honorable of qualities, avoiding everything the Quran pro­ h ibits out of respect for the Quran. [ It includes] being preserved from low means of income; having dignity; rising above the ty­ rants and vulgar people of this world; being humble with the righ­ teous, the well-doers, and the poor; being fearful [of God]; and having tranquility and respect. It has been related that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (God be pleased with him) said, "O fellowship of reciters! Lift your heads! The path has been laid for you, so advance towards the good, and do not be dependant on people!" 'Abdallah ibn Mas'ud (God be pleased with him) said, "The bearer of the Quran should be known by his night when the peo­ ple are sleeping; by his day when the people are awake; by his sadness when people are joyous; by his weeping when people are laughing; by his silence when people are engrossed [ in conversa­ tion]; and by his fear when people are pompous." Al-I:Iasan al-Baäri (God Most H igh grant him mercy) said, "The people before you considered the Quran to be correspon­ dence from their Lord, so they would ponder it by night and per­ form it by day." Al-Fudyl ibn 'Iyad (God Most H igh grant him mercy) said, "The bearer of the Quran should have no need of any caliph or any lesser person." He also said, "The bearer of the Quran is the bearer of the bailller of Islam. He should not distract himself with

THE ETIQUETTE OF THE BEARERS OF THE QURAN someone who distracts himself, nor talk about nonsense with those who talk nonsense-all out of due veneration of the Qu­ ran." Reciting for Livelihood It is important to take every precaution not to use the Quran for livelihood and to earn income with it. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Shi bl (God be pleased with him) stated that the Messenger of God

ETIQUETIE WITH THE QURAN 'Ata, Malik, al-Shafi'i, and others held the view that it is per­ missible even if he stipulates it. So if [the teacher] is hired it is a valid contract. And rigorously authenticated hadith have been related indicating its permissibility. Those who prohibit [taking wages] justify it with the hadith that reports: 'Ubada ibn al-Samit taught Quran to one of the [in­ digent] men from among the People of the Shelters and so he gave him a bow as a gift. The Prophet

THE ETIQUETIE OF THE BEARERS OF THE QURAN THREE TIMES PER DAY: Those who completed the Quran three times daily include Sulaym ibn 'Itr (God be pleased with him), the judge of Egypt when Mu'awiya (God be pleased with him) was the caliph. Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud related that he would complete [the Quran] three times each night, and Abu Bakr al­ Kindi relates in his book about the judges of Egypt that he would complete [the Quran] four times in a night. EIGHT TIMES IN 24 HOURS: The righteous shaykh Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (God be pleased with him) said, "I heard Shaykh Abu 'Othman al-Maghribl say, 'Ibn al-Katib would com­ plete [the Quran] four times by day and four times by night."' This is the most that reached us for a single day and a night. DURING RAMADAN: The illustrious shaykh Ahmad al-Dawraqi relates, with his chain of narration, from Mansur ibn Zadhan, who was among the devotees of the Successors (God Most High be well pleased with them), that he would complete the Quran in the time between the Noon [Zuhr] and Afternoon ['Asr] Prayers, and complete it again in the time between the Sunset [Maghrib] and Nightfall [ 'Isha'] Prayers, and during Ramadan two complete times and some. And they delayed the Nightfall Prayer during Ramadan until a quarter of the night had passed. Ibn Abi Dawiid related, with his sound chain of narration, that Mujahid would complete the Quran during Ramadan every night between the Sunset and Nightfall Prayers. Mansur said, '"Ali al­ Azdi would complete it during Ramadan every night between the Sunset and Nightfall Prayers." Ibrahim ibn Sa'd said, "My father would sit, shins up, and continue sitting that way until complet­ ing the Quran." IN A SINGLE RAK'A: Those who completed the Quran during one rak 'a [of Prayer] are too numerous to count. The early gener­ ations include 'Othman ibn 'Affan, Tamim al-Dari, and Sa'id ibn Jubayr (God Most High be well pleased with them), who com­ pleted it every rak'a inside the Ka'ba. ONCE A WEEK: There are many who completed it once a week, as it is conveyed from 'Othman ibn 'Affan, 'Abdallah ibn Mas'ud, Zayd ibn Thabit, Ubay ibn Ka'b (God Most High be well pleased

ETIQUETIE WITH THE QURAN with them), and a group among the Successors, such as 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, 'Alqama [ibn Qays ibn 'Abdallah], and Ibrahim [ibn Yazid ibn Qays al-Nakha'i] (God Most High grant h im mercy). THE GENERAL RULE: The preferred opinion is that [the amount one reads] may vary from person to person. If one finds subtleties and experiences [insight] by way of intricate reflection, then he should limit [himself] to the amount [of reading] in which he ob­ tains full understanding of what he reads. This applies to anyone occupied with spreading knowledge or something else important to religion and the general welfare of Muslims: he limits [himself] to that which does not disrupt what he is capable of. Yet if one is not among these, then he should do as much as possible but not to the point of tedium and discontinuing his recitation. LESS THAN THREE DAYS BEING OFFENSIVE: A group of the early generations of scholars disliked the idea of completing [the rec­ itation of the whole Quran] in a single day and night. This is sup­ ported by the rigorously authenticated hadith in which 'Abdallah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aä (God be pleased with them both) stated that the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him peace) had said, "Whoever reads the Quran in less than three days does not understand [what he recited]."7 (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, and others related it; Tirmidhi said that it is a well-rigorously authenticated hadith.)8 And God knows best. RECITING THE WHOLE QURAN WEEKLY: As for the start and fin­ ish times of the person who completes [the recitation] each week, Ibn Abi Dawud related with his chain of narration that 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (God be pleased with him) would start the Quran Fri­ day night and complete it Thursday night.9 Imam Abu I:Iamid al-Ghazali (God Most High grant him mercy) grant him mercy) said in al-Ibya' that it is best to complete [the recitation] once by night and another time by day. As for completing it by day, let it be Tuesday during the two rak'as of the Morning Prayer or afterwards; and as for completing it by night, let it be the night of Friday during the two [sunna] rak'as of the Sunset Prayer or THE ETIQUETIE OF THE BEARERS OF THE QURAN afterwards. This way [one] greets the beginning and the end of the day. 10 Ibn Abi Dawud related that the uccessor [Tabi'i] 'Amr ibn Murra said, "We loved to complete the Quran at Տthe beginning of the night or at the beginning of the day." The illustrious Successor Talha ibn Muäarrif said, "Whoever completes the Quran during the day, the angels will pray for him until dawn. If his completion coincides with the end of the night, the angels pray for him until [the following] night." 1 1 Al-Darimi said that this is well authenti­ cated from Sa'd [ibn Abi Waqqaä]. [It is related that] the successor I:Iabib ibn Abi Thabit would complete [the Quran's recitation] before prostrating. Ibn Abi Dawud stated that Ahmad ibn I:Ianbal (God Most High grant him mercy) said the same. The remainder of such matters as presented in this section will come in the forthcoming chapter (if God Most High wills). Reciting at Night One should take care to recite the Quran mostly at night, and mostly during Prayer at night. God Most High has said, Among the People of the Book is an upright community that recites the verses of God during the night and fall prostrate before Him. They believe in God and the Last Day, enjoin what is right and forbid what is evil, and vie with one another in good works. They are the righteous (Quran, 3:n3-14). It is established in the Sabibayn that the Messenger of God

ETIQUETTE WITH THE QURAN at night-"he would hear a sound from its people like the buzzing of bees." He said, "So what makes these people [today] feel safe from what those [before them] feared?"14 Ibrahim al-Nakha'I would say, "Read at night, even [for the time it takes] milking a sheep." Yazid al-Raqashi said, "If I slept, then woke, and then slept: my eyes did not sleep." I [Imam al-NawawI] say: Praying and reciting at night are pre­ ponderant because [at that time] they are most primed for the collectedness of the heart; removed from preoccupations, enter­ tainment, and attending to needs; and more safe-guarded from ostentation and other things that reduce reward-in addition to what the Sacred Law has deemed about the great good that can be found at night. Indeed, the Messenger's

THE ETIQUETTE OF THE BEARERS OF THE QURAN 'Amr ibn al-'Aä (God be pleased with them both) that the Mes­ senger of God

ETIQUETIE WITH THE QURAN "Whoever slept through all or part of his nightly bizb [litany of recitation] but read it between the Morning and Afternoon Prayers, it is written for him as if he had read it at night."2s (Mus­ lim related it.) Sulayman ibn Yasar said, "Abu Usayd [Malik ibn Rabi'a ibn al-Budn] (God be pleased with him) said, 'Yesterday I slept without doing my litany until I woke. When I woke up I said [in lament], "Verily we belong to God, and to Him is our return." My wird was [Surat] al-Baqara, and in my sleep I saw a cow gor­ ing me."' (lbn Abi Dawud related it.) Ibn Abi Dunya related from one of the masters of the Quran that he slept one night without doing his bizb and in his sleep he saw as if someone was saying to him: I am amazed at a body and health, and at one who sleeps until dawn, while there is death, from which none is safe from its sudden snatch in the darkness of night, when its due time comes.