The Forgotten Sweetness!!

The Forgotten Sweetness


Alif Laam Meeeem..Zalikal Kitabu La rayba fi….

And the Imam starts off reciting the Surah in his awesome voice, causing your heart to turn over at the sweetness. You make a promise to yourself that after this Ramadan you will recite the Qur’an more often. Ramadan passes, Shawwal comes and goes, then Dhul Qada’ and then Dhul Hijjah…Safar…and you haven’t touched the Qur’an since Ramadan. This is the fourth time this occurred, you remember making the same promise to yourself the year before…and the year before…and the year before…only to end up being distracted each time and leaving the Qur’an on top of the shelf to collect dust.

Why is it that we can find ourselves spending so much time doing other things, reading other books, studying secular studies, and surfing the internet yet it’s hard for us to find time for the Qur’an?

{O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (this Qur’an), and a healing for that in your breasts, – a Guidance and a Mercy for the believers.} 10:57

Little do we realize what this Qur’an is and how little time do we spend reciting it! How little time do we spend memorizing it, contemplating it, and pondering over it! If only we knew the high status of those who become companions of the Quran, then surely we would attach ourselves to it and never detach ourselves from it. Our tongues would dry with constant recitation.

So the intention here is to remind ourselves by highlighting some of Ahadeeth that pertain to the Qur’an and the glad tidings they give to the People of the Qur’an, and to mention some statements of our Salaf, to incite ourselves to spend more time with it. For indeed Allaah has chosen this Ummah to receive the Qur’an, the one miracle that will remain until the Day of Judgment, The Book about which Allaah says: {Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allah.} 59:21. This is the Ummah of the Qur’an, and we are of this Ummah, will we not then seize this? O Ummah of the Qur’an, Allaah asks you:

{Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah’s Reminder?…} 57:16


~ The Qur’an and the Hearts

Allaah’s Messenger salalahu alaihiwassalam has said:

“The people of Qur’aan, they are the people of Allaah and His specialties.”

[Ahmad, Nisaa’ee, Ibn Maajah]

So who are the ‘People of the Qur’an’? What does it take to become one of them? And how can we strive to join their ranks? What sets them apart from the rest of the people?

It is high time for us to return to the Qur’an, for our state in the world today is only because of ourselves, because we have abandoned the Qur’an. We have severed our relationship with the Book, and have taken ourselves to other petty matters, turning to the Qur’an only when we are in need, and sometimes, not even then. When it comes to finding peace, we find our youth turning to music instead of the recitation of the Qur’an, we find our brothers and sisters turning to novels instead of the recitation of the Qur’an. This is not finger pointing, but the aim here is merely to incite ourselves to examine our life to check whether we have habits, and to check whether we do things that are non essential and non beneficial and leave them and turn that time to the Qur’an because without the Qur’an, what life do our hearts have? We have forgotten the role the Qur’an should have in our lives, will we not then give that role back to the Qur’an?

What set our Salaf apart from the rest of the following generations? It was nothing except their attachment to the Qur’an. Their lives was the Qur’an. In the day they would recite Quran, and during night prayers, they contemplated over it. And history is a witness to where it led them. Ibn Khaldun said in Al-Muqaddima “Then the cities of Islam grew, and illiteracy disappeared from amongst the Arabs because of their constant occupation with the Qur’an.“

Like our body needs food to survive, our soul also need its nurishment as well. Our hearts need ‘food’ to remain alive. If we do not provide our hearts with this ‘food’, they will die out and Allaah has condemned the ones with dead hearts in the Qur’an many times. {So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!} 39:22. So what is the ‘food’ of our hearts? Ibn Al Qayyim said: “The keys to the life of the heart lie in reflecting upon the Qur‘aan , being humble before Allaah in secret, and leaving sins.” [Haadiyyul-’Arwaah ilaa Bilaadil-Afraah (p. 45)]. And if one thinks about this, he finds that they are dependent upon one another. The Qur’an and evil cannot coexist in the same heart, so one needs to leave off sins in order to be able to recite and reflect on the Qur’an for it to have any effect on him, and only when one reflects on the Qur’an can he feel the power of its Words, and only then can he humble himself before Allaah in secret for it is easier to commit a sin in secret then in the open. Ibn Masud said “These hearts are vessels. Fill them up with Qur’an and occupy them with nothing else.” and he also said “The love of the Quran and the love of music cannot combine in the heart of a believer.”

Allaah says, telling of the characteristics of the believers, when they recite or hear the Qur’an:

{…The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it (when they recite it or hear it). Then their skin and their heart soften to the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah. He Guides therewith whom He pleases and whomever Allah sends astray, for him there is no guide.} 39:23

Ibn Kathir says regarding this verse:

“This is the description of the righteous, when they hear the Words of the Compeller, the Protector, the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving, because they understand the promises and warnings contained therein. The frightening words and threats make their skin shiver from fear.
[...]
When they hear the Ayat of Allah, they are not too busy to pay attention to them; they listen to them and understand their meanings. So they act upon them and prostrate when they hear them, out of understanding, not out of ignorance and blind following of others. Third they adhere to the correct etiquette when they listen to them. As the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to do when they listened to the words of Allah recited by the Messenger of Allah. Their skin would shiver, and their hearts would soften to the remembrance of Allah. They did not shout or do other actions that are not natural; on the contrary, they would sit quietly with the proper attitude of fear, in an unparalleled fashion. they attained the victory of praise from their Lord in this world and the Hereafter.
[...]
Qatadah said: “This is the characteristic of the friends of Allah; Allah has described them in this manner, saying that their skin shivers, their eyes weep and their hearts find rest to the remembrance of Allah. He did not say that they lose their minds and swoon; that is the characteristic of the followers of innovation, and that comes from the Shaytan.”

Remember that the Qur’an can either be a proof for us or a proof against us, let us make sure that it will become a proof for us on the Day of Judgment. It is narrated on the authority if Umar r.a. that the Messenger of Allaah salalahu alaihiwassalam said:

“Verily, Allaah will raise elevate some people by this Book and He will degrade others with it”

[Muslim]

Naturally, the question comes up, how can the Qur’an raise people and lower others? This Hadith is a confirmation of the verse in Surah Al Isra where Allaah says regarding the Qur’an: {And We send down of the Qur’an that which is a cure and a mercy to the believers, and it increases the wrongdoers in nothing but loss. (82)}. Qatadah said regarding this verse that: “When the believer hears it, he benefits from it and memorizes it and understands it.” The disbelievers on the other had do not benefit from the Qur’an nor do they memorize it nor can they understand it, and this is because Allaah has made this Qur’an a Cure and a Mercy for the Believers. So the ones who Allaah will elevate are those that turn to the Qur’an, memorize it, and understand it, and the ones who’s ranks are lowered those that {threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know} 2:101. In another narration the Messenger salalahu alaihiwassalam said: “Whoever puts (the Qur’aan) ahead of him, it will lead him to Paradise; and whoever throws it behind him, it will drag him into Hell.” [at-Tabaraani]

To love Allaah and His Messenger salalahu alaihiwassalam is from the foundations of our belief, because without love for Allaah and His Messenger how can we have Imaan? The Messenger of Allah salalahu alaihiwassalam said: “Whoever wants to to love Allah and His Messenger, then let him read the Mushaf.“ ['Sahih al-Jami''; # 6289]

We ask Allaah to make us of those who recite this Book, follow it, understand it, and then teach it to others seeking nothing except His reward.

~ The Reward

So let us turn to our first source, the Ahadeeth and take a look at a few narrations about the Qur’an and the reward of the one who recites it and let us ask Allaah to make us of the Companions of the Qur’an.

The Messenger salalahu alaihiwassalam has informed us of the great reward of those that take the Qur’an as their companion, and hold fast to it, stick to it and never abandon it for anything else. They are with the Qur’an in the day, and they recite it at night in prayer.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet salalahu alaihiwassalam said:

“The Qur’aan will come on the Day of Resurrection and will say, ‘O Lord, adorn him.’ So he will be given a crown of honor to wear. Then it will say, ‘O Lord, give him more.’ So he will be given a garment of honor.’ Then it will say, ‘O Lord, be pleased with him.’ So Allaah will be pleased with him. Then it will be said to him, ‘Recite and advance in status, and for each verse you will gain one more hasanah (reward for good deed).”

[at-Tirmidhi, 2915 - Hasan]

Subhanallah, if this was the only Hadeeth describing the reward, then it would suffice! The Qur’an itself will come on the Day of Judgement and intercede for its companions, and Allaah will give him a crown of honor, a garment of honor, Allaah will be pleased with him. What else is needed to persuade us to recite the Qur’an?

Yet here is another, it was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr that the Prophet salalahu alaihiwassalam said:

“It will be said to the companion of the Qur’aan: ‘Read, advance in status and recite as you used to do in the world, for your status will be commensurate with the last ayah that you recite.’”

[at-Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud - Hasan Sahih]

And another narration, it was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that the Prophet salalahu alaihiwassalam said:

“The one who recites the Qur’aan and learns it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And, whoever exerts himself to learn the Qur’an by heart and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward.”

[Bukhari & Muslim]

Subhanallaah, aren’t these three narrations enough to make us pick up the Qur’an and read it and try to understand it? In this last Hadeeth is a glad tiding for our brothers and sisters who want to recite this Book, yet they find it hard, they will have a double reward.

The rewards are not limited to the on who becomes a companion of the Qur’an himself, but by the Mercy of Allaah, it goes further and it goes to his parents as the hadeeth states: “…his parents will be clothed with garments which far surpass everything to be found in this world. They will say, “O Lord, how did we earn this?” It will be said to them, “Because you taught your child the Qur’an.” [Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat, 6/51]

In the following Hadeeth the Messenger salalahu alaihiwassalam tells us of the reward of simply reciting the Qur’an.

“Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allaah, 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.”

[Sunan At-Tirmithee - Al-Albaanee authenticated it in Saheeh Sunan At-Tirmithee (3/164)]

That’s 30 hasanat for reciting only 3 letters! Imagine if one were to recite Al Fatihah how much hasanat they will receive, imagine if one recites Al Baqarah! The amount of Hasanat only Allaah can calculate. Imagine for a second, the ones who set out to memorize this Book, reciting its verses over and over hunderds of times to engrave it in their memories, how much is their total recitation? How much is their reward?

~ The Warning

{O My Lord, indeed my people took this Qur’aan as something worthy of being abandoned!} 25:30


In our times, rarely does the Qur’an come down from that top shelf in our bookshelves where it’s sitting collecting dust, it comes down only when someone dies. Subhanallaah, this Qur’an was revealed for the living, not the dead! In fact, it is so bad in some places, that if the Qur’an is heard being recited loudly, people will come to you and say “Ina lillahi wa ina ilayhi Rajiun, who has died?” That is what the Qur’an has become! An ornament, which is decorated and then placed on the top most shelf and left only to be picked up when someone passes away. This shows a preference of symbolism over substance. When Ibn `Abbas saw a copy of the Qur’an decorated with silver, he said: “In so doing, you will be seducing the thief, while its true ornament and decoration are within it.“

We have become people who honor only the letters of the Qur’an, leaving behind its guidance. We rarely recite it, and we do not understand it nor do we follow much of its commandments. We respect the outside of the Qur’an, yet leave off respecting the inside. Shaykh Shuraim of Masjid Al Haram in Makkah, said in one of the Dua’s that he would say: “Oh Allaah make us from those that stand up for the Hudud (laws) of the Qur’an, and do not make us from those who stand up and respect the letters and loose the Hudud of Yours.“

Then there are amongst us those who only take the Qur’an for barakah and only for that. Some just restrict themselves to Surah Ya-Sin never going beyond that, and you’ll find these small pocket-sized mass printed. What happened to the rest of the Qur’an? What happened to the rest of the Surahs? Allaah has revealed the entire Qur’an and made the entire book blessed not just one surah!

From the long Hadeeth in Ahmad regarding what happens to the soul and the questioning, it is narrated:

“…So his soul is returned to his body and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Allaah.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘My religion is Islam.’ They say, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ He says, ‘He is the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ They say, ‘What did you do?’ He says, ‘I read the Book of Allaah and I believed in it.’…”
(Ahmad -18063-Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1676)

Re-read the underlined portion brothers and sisters! The only way the soul will be able to answer the three questions will be if he read the Book of Allaah! How then can one hope to answer these questions if he never picked up the Words of his Lord, and never strove to understand them?

Ibn Qayyim said:

There are various types of ‘abandonment’ of the Qur’aan:

1) To abandon listening to it and believing in it.

2) To abandon acting upon it, and ignoring its lawful and prohibited ordinances (Halaal and haraam), even if one believes in it and recites it.

3) To abandon judging by it, and resorting to it as a judge when there are differences in the essence of the religion or other matters.

4) To abandon pondering over it, and understanding it, and seeking the explanation of it.

5) To abandon using it as a cure in all types of diseases of the heart, and instead to seek to cure these diseases by other means.

[Quoted in 'An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan' - Shaykh Yasir Qadhi]

So brothers and sisters let us take a step back, examine our lives and see if we are guilty of abandoning the Qur’an in any of these categories and strive to make up wherever we are lacking. I remind foremost myself, and then you to pick up the Qur’an and recite a portion of it daily, listen to it, and understand it Bi’Idhnillah..

~ The Salaf & The Qur’an

The Salaf were the best of this Ummah as stated by the Messenger salalahu alaihiwassalam in an authentic narration. There is not much to say about these narrations, they speak for themselves:
Jubayr bin Mut’im said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah recite ‘at-Tur’ in the Maghrib prayer, and when he got to the verses {“Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? No, but they have no firm Belief. Or are with them the treasures of your Lord? Or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like?”} [at-Tur; 35-37], my heart wanted to fly from my body out of awe.”

['Tafsir Ibn Kathir'; 4/309]

‘Uthman bin ‘Affan said:

“If our hearts were truly pure, we would never get enough of the Words of our Lord, and I hate that one day passes with me not looking in the Mushaf.”

['al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah'; 7/215]

Ibn Abi Mulaykah narrated:

“‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl used to press the Mushaf to his face and cry, saying: “The Book of my Lord! The Words of my Lord!”"

[Reported by 'Abdullah bin al-Mubarak in 'al-Jihad'; # 56]

Bishr bin as-Sirri said:

“Verily, each verse is like a date: the more you chew it, the more of its sweetness is released.” Abu Sulayman heard this and commented: “True. It is the case with one of you that if he begins one chapter of it, he wants to read it to the end.”

['al-Hadith fi 'Ulum al-Qur'an'; p. 70]

Abu az-Zahiriyyah narrated:

“I went to Tarsus, so I entered upon Abu Mu’awiyah al-Aswad after he had become blind. In his house, I saw a Mushaf hanging from the wall, so said to him: “May Allah have Mercy upon you! A Mushaf while you cannot even see?”
He replied: “My brother, will you keep a secret for me until the day I die?”
I said: “Yes.” Then, he said to me: “Verily, when I want to read from the Qur’an, my eyesight comes back to me.“

[Imam Ibn Al Jawzi's Sifat us-Safwah]

So keeping in mind what has proceeded, let us try to spend more time with the Qur’an and let us have sincerity in this because the Messenger salalahu alaihiwassalam has informed us in an authentic narration that of the first of the people to be thrown into Hell will be a person who memorized the Qur’an in order to show off to the people and receive their praise. May Allaah protect us from that. Know that we cannot achieve success in becoming the People of the Qur’an without making Dua’ for it. So we ask Allaah: Allahuma Ja3lna min Ahlil Quraan. Oh Allaah make us of the People of the Qur’an. Ameen.

Let us try to pick up the Mushaf more often, and try to recite the Qur’an daily. Let us get a Tafsir of the many widely available today and sit down and try to understand what the verses mean. Let us memorize the Qur’an be it only a verse per day. And let us teach others what we have learned because the Messenger salalahu alaihiwassalam said “The best among you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” [Bukhari]

{And you will remember what I am telling you, and my affair I leave it to Allah. Verily, Allah is the All-Seer of (His) slaves.} 40:44