Etiquette towards Quràn

A Muslim believes in the sacredness of the speech of Allah, as well as its honor and virtue that surpasses all other speech. He also believes that the Noble Qur’an is the Word of Allah, which no falsehood can approach from before it or behind it.

• Whoever speaks in accord with the Qur’an has spoken the truth.
• Whoever judges according to it, has judged justly. Its devoted people are the people of Allah and His special people.
• Those who stick to it shall be successful and victorious. Those who turn away from it are the destroyed, the losers.

A Muslim’s faith in the grandeur and greatness of the Book of Allah is increased by what has been stated about it by the one who received its revelation, the best of creation, our leader Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), Messenger of Allah.

The Prophet (SAWS) said: “Read the Qur’an, for it shall come as an intercessor for its companion on the Day of Resurrection.”(Muslim)

Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) also said: “The best of you is he who learns the Qur’an and teaches others.”(Al Bukhari)

Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) also said: “The people of the Qur’an are Allah’s people and His special slaves.”(Al Bukhari)

Another Hadith states: “The hearts get rusty like iron gets rusty.” The people said, “O Messenger of Allah (SAWS), what is its cleansing?” He said, “Reciting the Qur’an and remembering death.”(Al Bukhari)

A Muslim and believer, then, must even more so allow what it allows and forbid what forbids. He must abide by its manners and behavior according to how it teaches one to behave.

Etiquette with reciting the Qur’an

1. Strive to be sincere when you learn and recite the Qur’an.

   When you recite the Qur’an, you are performing an act of worship, for which you are seeking Allah’s pleasure and reward. This, as well as all other acts of worship, must fulfill two conditions – sincerity and Mutaa’ba’ah (following the Prophet (SAWS) in the way one performs the act of worship; otherwise, the deed performed is rejected.

   Abu Hurairah (R.A.) related that the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said,“The first person to be judged on the Day of Resurrection is a man who was martyred. He will be brought (forward); the blessings he received will be mentioned to him and he will acknowledge them. Then He (Allah) will say, ‘What did you do for them (i.e., what did you do to shadow thankfulness for those blessings)?’ He will say, ‘I fought for you until I was martyred.’ Allah will say, ‘You have lied; instead, you fought so that it would be said: [He is] brave, and that has indeed been said [about you].’ Then an order will be given regarding that man, and he will be dragged on his face until he is thrown in the Hellfire. [Another among the first to be judged is] a man who learned the Qur’an, taught it, and recite it. He will be brought (forward); the blessings he receive will be mentioned to him and he will acknowledge them. Then He (Allah) will say, ‘What did you do for them (i.e., what did you do to shadow thankfulness for those blessings)?’ He will say, ‘I learned knowledge and taught it, and I recited the Qur’an for you.” Allah will say, ‘You have lied; instead, you learned knowledge so that it would be said: He is a reciter, and that has indeed been said [about you].’ Then an order will be given regarding that man, and he will be dragged on his face until he is thrown in the Hellfire.(Muslim)

2. Apply the teachings of the Qur’an.

   You apply the Qur’an’s teachings by deeming lawful what it permits, and deeming forbidden what it forbids; by avoiding what it prohibits and acting on its commands; by applying its clear verses and believing in its unclear verses; and by applying all of its laws and percepts.

   In a long Hadeeth wherein the Prophet (SAWS) described a ream he had, he (SAWS) said,“Until we came upon a man who was lying down on his back, and upon another man who was standing on him with a rock or a stone. [The man who was standing] would break the other man’s head, and when he would strike him, the rock would roll away. Whenever he went to retrieve the rock, he would no sooner return than the other man’s head would heal and return to its previous state. Then the man [who was standing] would strike him [over and ever again]. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ The Prophet (SAWS) then explained the meaning of what he saw: “As for the one whose head would be (constantly) broken, he is a man whom Allah taught the Qur’an, but who would then sleep from it at night, and not apply it during the day. That will be done to him (his head being struck with the rock, over and over again) until the Day of Resurrection.”(Bukhari)

3. Consistently recite and study the Qur’an.

   To be sure, if one who memorizes the Qur’an does not revise it frequently and consistently, he will forget the portions he memorized, for the Qur’an escapes quickly from the breasts of men.

   Ibn Umar (R.A.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said,“The example of the companion of the Qur’an is that of an owner of a tied camel; if he is vigilant over it, he will hold onto his camel; if he releases it, it will go away.”(Bukhari and Muslim)

   And from the Hadith of Abu Moosa (R.A.), the Prophet (SAWS) said, “Maintain the Qur’an (by revising it frequently), for by the One Who has my soul in His Hand, it goes away more intensely than do camels from their hobbles.”(Bukhari)

   As long as one keeps a camel ties with its hobble, it is preserved, and as long as one studies and revises the Qur’an, it will not escape from his memory.

4. You should not say “I forgot”, instead, say, “I was made to forget.”

   One night, when he heard a man reciting a Chapter of the Qur’an, the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said:“May Allah have mercy on him, for he has indeed reminded me of such and such verse, which I was made to forget, from such and such Chapter.”(Bukhari and Muslim)

   And in another Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said,“Wretched is it for one of them to say, ‘I forgot such and such verse’; rather, he was made to forget it (some scholars have said that one says this – ‘I was made to forget’ – to recognize the fact that he is being punished for not revising and maintaining the verse (or verses) as well as he should have done).”(Bukhari and Muslim)

   An-Nawawee said, “It is forbbidden for one to say, ‘I forgot it’, because that suggests negligence regarding the Qur’an’s verses, and Allah has indeed said:

   “Our verses came unto you, but you disregarded them.”

5. It is compulsory to contemplate the Qur’an.

   “Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much contradictions.”(4:82)

   Contemplating the Qur’an is the key to and fountainhead of all knowledge. It is through contemplation of the Qur’an that one’s Eeman (faith) increases in his heart.

   “(This is) a Book (the Qur’an) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember.”(38:29)

6. The permissibility of reciting the Qur’an while one is standing, walking, riding, sitting, or lying down.

   “Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and down on their sides.”(3:191)

   And in the saying of Allah:

   “In order that you may mount firmly on their backs, and then may remember the Favor of your Lord when you mount thereon, and say: ‘Glory to Him Who has subjected this to us, and we could never have it (by our efforts). And verily, to our Lord we indeed are to return’!”(43:13)

   From the sunnah, we learn that he Prophet (SAWS) would recite the Qur’an in various positions – even when riding or resting on something.

   Abdullah Ibn Mughaffal (R.A.) said, “On the day of the Makkah Conquest, I saw the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) reciting Sooratul-Fath (The Victory Chapter) while he was on his riding camel.”(Bukhari and Muslim)

   We infer that it is similarly permissible to recite the Qur’an when we are walking.

7. The permissibility of reciting the Qur’an from memory for one who is in a minor state of impurity.

   Discussing the time when he spent the night at the home of his aunt – Maymoonah (R.A.), the Prophet’s wife – Abdullah Ibn Abbas (R.A.) said, “In the middle of the night – or just before or just after – the Messenger (SAWS) woke up, sat up, and wiped the sleep from his face with his hand. He (SAWS) then recited the last ten verses of Surat Aal-Imran, after which he stood up (and went) to a container that was suspended (or tied). He (SAWS) then made ablution, performing it well.” (Bukhari)

   That the Prophet (SAWS) recited the Qur’an after sleeping but before performing ablution proves that it is permissible for who is in a minor state of impurity to recite the Qur’an, for like sleep, urinating and passing wind and defecating result in one being in a state of minor impurity; hence, they all take the same ruling.

   Due, it is better and more complete to recite the Qur’an when one is purified; nonetheless, neither blame nor criticism should be leveled at one who recites it while being in a minor state of impurity.

8. The permission of reciting the Qur’an for menstruating women and women experiencing post-natal bleeding.

   The Permanent Council For Scientific Researches (in Saudi Arabia) issued this ruling: “There is nothing wrong in these two categories of women reciting the Qur’an without touching it: menstruating women and women experiencing post-natal bleeding. This is the stronger of the two opinions held by different scholars in this issue, for there is no authentic proof established from the Prophet (SAWS) which indicates a prohibition in this regard”

9. It is from the Sunnah to say Isti’aadah (i.e. “I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaitan”) and the Basmalah (Bismi) upon reciting the Qur’an.

   This is based on both the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah said:

   “So when you want to recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from Shaitaan (Satan), the outcast (the cursed one).”(16:98)

10. It is recommended to recite the Qur’an clearly and slowly, and it is disliked to recite it quickly and carelessly.

    “And recite the Qur’an (loudly) in a slow, (pleasing tone and) style.”(73:4)

11. It is recommended to beautify one’s voice during recitation.

    Al-Baraa said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) recite Surat Teen during Al-Isha prayer, and I have never anyone that had a more beautiful voice or recitation than he did” (Bukhari)

12. The Sunnah is to refrain from reciting when one is overcome by sleep

    This ruling is based a Hadith related by Abu Hurairah (R.A.), in which the Prophet (SAWS) said, “When one of you stands during the night, being unable to properly recite the Qur’an (i.e., it does not flow on his tongue because he is so sleepy) or understand what he is saying, then let hi lie down.”(Muslim)

    And in the following Hadith, that is related by Aaisha (R.A.), the Prophet (SAWS) explicitly stated the reason why one should not recite the Qur’an when one sleepy or drowsy:

    “If one of you become sleepy during prayer, then let him sleep (or rest) until his sleepiness goes away, because if one of you prays while he is sleepy, he must try to ask for forgiveness but curse himself instead.” (Muslim)

13. It is from the Sunnah for the reciter to make Tasbeeh (i.e. to say, ‘Subhanallah’ how perfect Allah is!) at a verse of Tasbeeh, to seek refuge in Allah at a verse

    wherein punishment (for evil doers) is mentioned, and to ask at a verse of mercy when Allah’s mercy and forgiveness is mentioned.

14. When one passes by a verse of Prostration, it is Sunnah for him to perform prostration.

    In Allah’s Book, there are verses of prostration. When one is reciting Qur’an comes across one of those verses, it is Sunnah for him to perform prostration and say any of the invocations that are related from the Prophet (SAWS) for that occasion.

    This particular prostration is not compulsory; rather it is a sunnah practice; its doer is rewarded and the one who does not do it is not punished.