Chapter 2- Etiquettes pertaining to the Book of Allh

Introduction to the Quraan

The Quraan was revealed to the Messenger of Allh r, and it is the final verbal
divine guidance and moral direction for mankind. It contains Allhs laws upon
his slaves; not only laws that prescribe the rituals and practices of worship, but
also the means to attain righteousness.
The Glorious Quraan is the most authenticated Book in the world. It is also the
most widely and most frequently read Book, and has maintained this
worldwide recognition for centuries.
The recitation of the Holy Quraan is a pious and virtuous duty. The Messenger
of Allh r said: "The best of you is he who learns the Quraan and teaches it."
(Bukhaari)
And he r said: Will not any of you go to the masjid and learn or read two
verses from the Book of Allh, The Exalted, Mighty and Glorified be He? (For)
that is better for him than two she-camels, and three (verses) are better for him
than three (she-camels), and four (verses) are better for him than four (shecamels). And the number (of verses read in total) is better than the same
number of camels. (Muslim)
And he r said: "He who is skilful in reciting the Quraan is with the Messengers
or the Angels, those that are close to Allh, and the obedient to Allh. And he
who stutters when reading the Quraan, (and its recitation) is difficult upon him,
will receive two rewards." (Bukhaari)
The meaning of the Arabic word, Al-Quraan, is The Reading, The Recitation
(aloud) and The Collection. While the Great Quraan strictly prohibits the
roots of all evils such as interest (usury), oppression, corruption, adultery,
intoxicants, gambling, etc., it constantly reminds us of Divine mercy and
compassion. The Glorious Quraan introduces the Hereafter as the ultimate
residence of peace, serenity, security and permanence for those who follow
the path of God, but of Hellfire for those who do not. It leaves us totally

accountable for our deeds in this world: either we end up in the Garden or in
Hell.
The most important feature of the Holy Quraan is its purity; every word of it is
the word of God, the Exalted. It is not a book written by Muhammad r; the
Glorious Quraan is a collection of revelations, exactly as revealed to
Muhammad r.
The Glorious Quraan is a distinguished masterpiece of Arabic literature,
unmatched throughout the life of humankind. It is a great miracle that the Holy
Quraan has not been successfully challenged for over 1400 years. In fact Allh
has taken it upon Himself to protect it, as it is mentioned in this Glorious Book
itself.
The Glorious Quraan repeatedly appeals to us to think, reason, and
understand why we believe what we believe, and forbids us to believe blindly
without pondering and reasoning. For those who wish to open their heart and
intellect, there is plenty of evidence in the Holy Quraan to consolidate their
belief. Those who do not want to believe will refuse to believe no matter how
sound the proof may be.

The linguistic meaning of the word Quraan

There are a number of different opinions concerning the linguistic meaning of
the word Quraan.
It is the view of the majority of scholars including At-Tabaree, that the word
Quraan is derived from the verb Qaraa which means to read, to recite. In
this instance the word Quraan would be the verbal noun (masdar) of qaraa,
and thus translates to The recitation or The reading. Allh I says in
reference to the Quraan,

L - ,M
And (it is) a Qur'aan which we have divided (into parts), [Al-Israa 17:106]
And He says,

L M
It is for us to collect it and to give You (O Muhammad r) the ability to recite it (the
Qur'aan),and when we have recited it to You (O Muhammad r through Jibrael),
Then follow You its (the Qur'aan's) recital. [Al-Qiyaamah 75:17-18]
On the other hand, Imaam Ash-Shafiee held the view that the word Quraan
was a proper noun that was not derived from any other word, just like Torah
or Injeel. He recited the word without a hamzah. The Qiraaah of Ibn Katheer
also pronounces the word Quraan in this manner.
Another opinion, that of Abu al-Hasan `Alee al-Asharee, states that the word
Quraan is from the root qarana, which means, to join, to associate, For
example the pilgrimage in which `Umrah and Hajj are combined is called Hajj
Qiraan (from the same root word). Therefore the meaning of the word
Quraan would be: That which is joined together, because its verses and
Soorahs are combined to form this book. In this case the word would be
pronounced the same way as Imaam ash-Shafiee pronounced it, without the
hamzah.
A fourth opinion is that Quraan comes from the word qaraain which means
to resemble, to be similar to. Hence, the Quraan is composed of verses that
aid one another in comprehension, and soorahs that resemble each other in
beauty and prose. This is the view held by Yahya ibn Ziyad ad-Daylamee, a
famous grammarian from Koofah.
Yet another opinion is that Quraan is from qar, which means to combine. It
is called such since it combines stories, commands, promises and punishments.
This is the opinion of Ibn Al-Atheer in his An-Nihaayah.
However, the opinion that is strongest, and the one that the majority of the
scholars hold, is the first one, namely that the word Quraan is the verbal noun
of qaraa and therefore means the recitation. The proof for this is that it is
named such in the Quraan (and most of the qiraaat pronounce the word with
a hamzah), and the word conforms to Arabic grammar as the verbal noun of
qaraa.

Sincerity
One must strive to be sincere when learning and reciting the Quraan. Both
learning and reciting the Quraan are acts of worship for which one is only
seeking Allh's pleasure and reward. The validity of any act of worship is that
the following two conditions are fulfilled: sincerity and Mutaaba`ah (following
the Prophet in the way one performs the act of worship).
Intention is not merely the statement of the tongue nor is it simply a thought
on the mind, rather it is the motivating force in the heart to perform a deed
solely for the sake of the Almighty.
An-Nawawee explained that the one who recites the Quraan is first and
foremost commanded to be sincere, seek Allh's pleasure and to not intend
any worldly gain from the recitation. The Prophet r warned against reciting
the Book of Allh to seek praise and veneration from the people. Abu Hurairah
related that the Messenger of Allh r said, The first man to be judged on the
Day of Resurrectionis a man who learnt knowledge and taught it, as well as
recited the Quraan. He will be brought forward, and acquainted with his
blessings and he will recognise them. He will say, What did you do for them?
The man will say, I learnt knowledge and taught it as well as recited the
Quraan for Your sake. He will say, You lie, rather you learnt knowledge so it
would be said, A scholar! and you recited the Quraan so it would be said, He
is a reciter! and it has already been said. Then an order will be given and he
will be dragged upon his face until he is thrown into the Fire (Related by
Muslim)
Sincerity to Allhs Book comprises of believing in what the Quraan tells us and
harbouring no reservations about what it says. We must know that the
Quraan is Allhs word that was revealed to Muhammad r. Submitting to the
commandments found in the Quraan and living by its teachings is also an
integral part of being sincere to Allhs Book.
We must believe that the laws enumerated in the Quraan are the best of laws
that can never be rivalled by man-made laws.
Another aspect of this sincerity is to come to the defence of the Quraan from
those who would aspire to corrupt, abuse, and misinterpret it with their
4

tongues. Allh I has taken the preservation of the Quraan upon Himself.
However, this does not mean that people will not try to misrepresent it and
corrupt how people approach it and understand it.

Apply the teachings of the Quraan

One must live their life applying the teachings of the Quraan by deeming
lawful what it permits, deeming forbidden what it forbids, avoiding what it
prohibits, acting on its commandments, practicing upon the clear verses,
believing in the unclear verses and applying all of its laws and precepts.
A severe punishment awaits those who despite being blessed with knowledge
of the Quraan do not implement its instructions. In a long hadeeth wherein
the Prophet r described a dream he had, he said: Until we came upon a man
who was lying down on his back, and upon another man who was standing
over 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 over again]. I asked, `Who is
this? ` The Prophet then explained the meaning of what he saw: As for the one
whose head would be [constantly] broken, he is a man whom Allh taught the
Quraan, 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 a rock, over and over
again) until the day of Resurrection. (Al-Bukhaari 1386)

Consistently recite and study the Quraan

Constant recitation and study of the Quraan is paramount to ensure regular
revision and that one does not forget what has been memorized, for the
Quraan escapes quickly from the breasts of men. The reason for this may be
that it is a test of peoples hearts, to show the difference between the one
whose heart is attached to the Quraan and thus he regularly recites it, and the
one whose heart is attached to it only whilst memorizing it, then he loses
interest and forgets it.
5

The reason may also be to give the Muslim a stronger motive to recite the
Quraan more frequently so as to attain the immense reward for every letter
that he recites. If it were the case that he could learn it and never forget it, he
would not need to read it frequently and then he would miss out on the
reward for reciting and reviewing it regularly.
Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allh r said: "The example of the
companion of the Quraan 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". (Bukhaari
5031 and Muslim 789)
Abu Musa reported that the Prophet r said: "Maintain the Quraan, for by the
One in whose hand is my soul; it goes more quickly than do camels from their
hobbles". (Bukhaari 5033)
Here, the Prophet r likened the study and constant recitation of the Quraan
to tying a camel, which, it is feared, might break loose and flee. As long as one
keeps a camel tied with its hobble, it is preserved; and as long as one studies
and revises the Quraan, it will not escape from his memory. Camels are
singled out in this parable because they are notorious for fleeing and because
they are difficult to retrieve once they have fled.

One should not say regarding his memorization I forgot rather say, I was
made to forget.
Saying I forgot implies neglect of the Qur'aan and the reprimand here is for
the one who allows such a situation through negligence. The Messenger of
Allh r said: "Wretched is it for one of them to say, I forgot such and such a
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)." (Bukhaari 5039 and Muslim 790)
One night when the Messenger of Allh r heard a man reciting a Chapter of
the Quraan he said: "May Allh 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." (Bukhaari 5038 and Muslim 788)
6

An-Nawawee said, "It is forbidden for one to say, "I forgot it" as this statement
suggests negligence regarding the verses of the Quraan and Allh has said:

L ) ( ' &% $ # " ! M

(Allh) will say "Like this Our Ayaat came to you, but you disregarded them (i.e.
you left them, did not think deeply in them, and you turned away from them), and so
this Day, you will be neglected (in the Hell-fire, away from Allh's Mercy)."
[Taa Haa 20:126]
The verb 'Na Si Ya' in the context of this verse denotes 'negligence' and not
'forgetfulness'- thus this etiquette being established.

And Allh knows best.