Indeed to reflect on Allah?s
verses is a form of worship that will draw one close to Allah Most High.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 else?s 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).
Every sincere Muslim who hopes
to earn Allah?s Love breciting and reflecting over Allah?s 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 Allah?s Majestic Words. Each benefit stands as enough of an
encouragement to shun any laziness we have and dedicate ourselves to the
Qur?an.
1 - Reading and reflecting
over the Qur?an 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 Jaami?ul-?Uloom wal-Hikam of Ibn Rajab
Al-Hambalee] So by reading and reflecting over the Qur?an, one fulfills an
obligation and is rewarded for that. Upon fulfilling this obligation, the
Qur?an 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 Qur?an will be a
proof for us on the Day of Judgment.
This is due to the
statement of the Messenger: ?And the Qur?an 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 Allah?s own Speech is against him?!?! Think carefully,
dear Muslim brother or sister, about your position with the Qur?an! 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 Qur?an a proof for us! O Allah!
Don?t make the Qur?an a proof against us on that Day, and save us from the
hellfire! For if Allah makes the Qur?an 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 Qur?an will
intercede for us on the Day of Judgment.
The proof: Aboo Umaamah
relates that the Prophet (sallallaahu ?alaihi wa sallam) said: ?Read the
Qur?an, 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. Haven?t 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 Qur?an and teach it to others?
[Al-Bukhari]
6 - There are ten rewards
for each letter you recite from the Qur?an.
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
Qur?an to gain these merits, and to gain the following merit as well.
7 - The reciters of the
Qur?an will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels.
?Aa?ishah, may Allah be
pleased with her, relates that the Prophet (sallallaahu ?alaihi wa sallam)
said: ?Verily the one who recites the Qur?an 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 Qur?an once you hear the last and perhaps greatest benefits of reading
and contemplating over the Qur?an...
8 - Your position in
Paradise is determined by the amount of Qur?an 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 Qur?an: 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 Qur?an will lead
you to Paradise!
The Prophet said: ?The
Qur?an 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
Mas?ood]
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 person?s mere
statement, ?I love the Qur?an, it?s beautiful.? Rather the heart must be
sincerely attached to Allah?s 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 Qur?an. There are many benefits
that await your reading in the Qur?an and books of hadith, like the chapter of
the Qur?an 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)
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