With the Name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, may His Salāh and Salām be upon His
last Messenger Muhammad, to proceed:
Indeed the Book of Allāh is not a book like any other, it is the timeless Speech of
Allāh, not a created thing, a 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 Allāh to rehearse
and explain His Words to humanity (sallallāhu 'alayhe 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 Allāh Most High, and therefore he would go
astray, thinking to be worshipping Allāh.
So every sincere Muslim who hopes to earn Allāh's Love by reciting and reflecting
over Allāh's Book, then let him hold tight to the meanings explained by the Prophet
(sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam), and those taught by the Companions and their
immediate followers, and the early scholars of Islām.
Know that reciting and pondering over the Book of Allāh, 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 Allāh's Majestic Words. Each benefit stands as enough of an encouragement on its
own for us to shun any laziness we have and dedicate ourselves to the Qur'ān
properly.
1 - Reading and reflecting over the Qur'ān fulfills an Islāmic duty
Indeed the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam) summarized this Religion with his
statement:
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"The Religion is nasīhah (sincerity)!"
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So then Tamīm ibn Aws (may Allāh be pleased with him) then said, "We asked, 'To
whom?'"He (sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam) replied:
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"To Allāh, HIS BOOK, His Messenger, the leaders of the people, and their common
folk." [2]
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The sincerity that is due to the Book of Allāh, as Ibn Rajab Al-Hambalī said,
includes having a strong love for it, honoring it and extolling its great status,
affirming that it is the Speech of Allāh, seeking to understand its meanings,
acting by it, following the orders found in it, spreading its correct understanding,
continually studying it, and taking on the good manners that are encouraged in it.
[3]
So by reading and reflecting over the Qur'ān, one fulfills an obligation and is
rewarded for that. Upon fulfilling this obligation, the Qur'ān then becomes a proof
for him on the Day of Judgement! And that is our second benefit we will take by
embracing this Noble Book...
2 - The Qur'ān will be a proof for us on the Day of Judgement
This is due to the statement of the Messenger:
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"...and the Qur'ān is a proof for you or against you..." [4]
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So one of two things will occur with this proof, the Book of Allāh. 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 Allāh's own
Speech is against him?!?!
Think carefully, dear Muslim brother or sister, about your position with the
Qur'ān! 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 Judgement?!
O Allāh! We ask you, by Your Glorious Speech and the rest of Your beautiful Names
and Attributes, to make the Qur'ān a proof for us! O Allāh! Don't make the Qur'ān
a proof against us on that Day, and save us from the hellfire!
For if Allāh makes the Qur'ān a proof in our favor 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'ān will intercede for us on the Day of Judgement
The proof: Abū Umāmah relates that the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
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"Read the Qur'ān, for verily it will come on the Day of Standing as an intercessor
for its companions." [5]
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4 - Your status in this life will be raised
In Sahīh Muslim, we find a lovely story, about how a man from the promised people
of Jannah, 'Umar ibn Al-Khattāb, understood this principle.
Some men came to question him during his khilāfah about the leadership of Makkah,
they asked, "Who do you use to govern Makkah?"
He said, "Ibn Abzā."
They asked, "And who is Ibn Abzā?"
'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 Allāh and is
knowledgeable about the obligations of the Muslims. Haven't you heard the statement
of your Messenger:
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"Verily Allāh raises some people by this Book and lowers others by it." [6]
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5 - You will be from the best of the people
'Uthmān (may Allāh be pleased with him), the third khalīfah and fourth most
virtuous person on earth after the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam), Abū
Bakr, and 'Umar, said that the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
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"The best of you are the ones who learn the Qur'ān and teach it to others" [7]
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6 - There are ten rewards for each letter you recite from the Qur'ān
As an authentic hadīth in Sunan At-Tirmithī proves:
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"Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allāh, he will have a reward. And that
reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that "Alif, Lām, Mīm" is a
letter, rather I am saying that "Alif" is a letter, "lām" is a letter, and "mīm"
is a letter." [8]
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So increase your recitation of the Qur'ān to gain these merits, and to gain the
following merit as well...
7 - The recitors of the Qur'ān will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels
'Ā'ishah (may Allāh be pleased with her), the Prophet's beloved wife who held his
head in her lap as he took his last blessed breaths, relates that the Prophet
(sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
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"Verily the one who recites the Qur'ān 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." [9]
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So do not let the Shaytān give you false excuses, such as "I am not an 'Arab," or
"Its not my language." This hadīth is a firm proof against these whisperings.
Dedicate yourself to the Book of Allāh, 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 Allāh without holding back or offering excuses!
And surely you will not hesitate to seek a teacher or a study circle for the Qur'ān
once you hear the last and perhaps greatest benefits of reading and contemplating
over the Qur'ān...
8 - The Qur'ān will lead you to Paradise
The Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
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"The Qur'ān 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." [10]
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9 - Your position in Paradise is determined by the amount of Qur'ān you memorize in
this life
'Abdullāh ibn 'Amr ibn Al-'Ās heard the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhe wa sallam)
saying:
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"It will be said to the companion of the Qur'ān: Read and elevate (up through the
levels of the Paradise) and beautify your voice as you used to do when you were in
the dunyā! For verily, your position in the Paradise will be at the last verse you
recite!" [11]
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Know that these nine benefits, from the many benefits available, can only be
attained by a sincere commitment to the Book of Allāh, not by a person's mere
statement, "I love the Qur'ān, it's beautiful." Rather the heart must be sincerely
attached to Allāh's Book and the limbs and tongue will follow in this attachment.
You must know that only a few of the numerous benefits of reading and reflecting
over the Qur'ān have been mentioned here. There are many benefits that await your
reading in the Qur'ān and books of hadīth, like the chapter of the Qur'ān 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 Allāh knows best.