CHAPTER 11

EXAGGERATED STATEMENT ABOUT THE HOLY Quran 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying: May I tell you a practice by which you will become a permanent reciter of the Holy Quran. I submitted: "Why not ? O' Messenger of Allah! I always intend to seek piety and virtue." Whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: "Fast the most superior type of fasting (that is the fasting of (Prophet) Dawud (peace be upon him). He was the greatest worshipper. Recite the whole Quran in one month's time.'' I said, "But I have power (to do more than that)." Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Then finish the recitation of the whole Quran in ten days' time." I said, 'But I have power (to do more than that)." Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Then finish the recitation of Quran in seven days, and do not finish it in less than this period." Bukhari transmitted it. 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ad (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying: "Those who exceeded the prescribed limit were destroyed." There is a marfu' tradition reported by 'Abdur Rahman Ibn Shibli in Musnad of Imam Ahmad. He said: Recite the Holy Quran and do not indulge in exaggeration about it; and do not show faithlessness to the Holy Quran; and do not make it a source of your livelihood. Abu Rafi' (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying: May I not see any person in such a state of carelessness that whenever any order of mine whether positive or negative is communicated to him, he says: I do not know, we shall follow only that which we find in the Book of Allah. Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it.