Assalamualykum w w.

The following is the 2nd and final part of the transcript of the bayan. If you have not read part 1, you may do so by here.

Our second question here is:

2) Who is the perfect human being?

Is the perfect person the one who is strong, smart, rich, well educated? No, each and every one of these categories can have many flaws. Such people maybe perfect in their fields, but when we look at their other aspects such as characteristics, good manners, worship, fear of Allah, fulfilling the rights of Allah and the rights of the creation of Allah etc, they might fall well below expectations.

Therefore, I would say that the perfect human being is the one with the perfect heart—the heart that has the most taqwa, fear and awareness of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. And the most perfect human being, the one with the most perfect heart was Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He was the most kind, the most humble, the most generous, the most pious and the most beloved to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

One hadith says that Allah looked at the hearts of the human beings to be created until the Day of Judgement. He saw that the best heart was that of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, so He chose him to be the leader of mankind. Maybe this is why Allah made him ‘al-Uswah al-Hasanah’ ie the most beautiful role model and instructed us to look up to him, follow in his footsteps, adapt his lifestyle and sacrifice everything in his love. The more we resemble him the closer we will get to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

Sayyidatuna Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked about the character (akhlaq) of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. She replied: “His characteristics were the Qur’an” i.e. he was the practical Qur’an, whatever Allah has instructed in the Qur’an, he would practice on that.

This brings us to our third question:

3) How can we gain perfection through the Qur’an?

This can be achieved by doing 5 things:

1. Respect the Qur’an
2. Recite the Qur’an
3. Memorize the Qur’an
4. Understand the Qur’an
5. Practice upon the Qur’an

1. Respect the Qur’an

It is of utmost importance that we show respect to the Qur’an. Sadly, these days, many people treat the Qur’an like a regular book. They put it on the floor, while some say you don’t need to have wudhu to touch it.; you can touch it and read it without Wudhu.

Ruling (Mas’ala) of Wudhu

It is obligatory (wajib) to have wudhu to touch the Qur’an. There is a consensus on this point among the four Imams: Imam Abu Haneefa, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i, and Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them). In fact, Imam Malik and Imam Shafi’i say that it is not permissible to even turn the pages of the Qur’an with a pencil or a piece of cloth if the reciter’s wudhu breaks during recitation. Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Ahmad, however, allow turning the pages of the Qur’an with a pencil or something similar. This shows how important it is to have wudhu when touching the Qur’an.

Some people object to this and ask for a hadith. What comes first, Qur’an or Hadith? First we should take evidence from Qur’an and then from the Hadith.

Allah Ta’ala says in Surat al-Waqi’ah:

فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِمَوَٲقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ (٧٥) وَإِنَّهُ ۥ لَقَسَمٌ۬ لَّوۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ (٧٦) إِنَّهُ ۥ لَقُرۡءَانٌ۬ كَرِيمٌ۬ (٧٧) فِى كِتَـٰبٍ۬ مَّكۡنُونٍ۬ (٧٨) لَّا يَمَسُّهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا ٱلۡمُطَهَّرُونَ (٧٩)

But nay, I swear by the falling of the stars. And it is a very great oath, if only you knew. Most surely it is an honoured Qur’an. In a book that is protected. None shall touch it save the purified ones. A revelation by the Lord of the worlds. (translation of Ahmed Shakir).

The above verse is not some information, it is an order, i.e. None should touch the Qur’an unless they are [ritually] pure and clean.

Dr Muhsin Khan has twisted the translation by putting his commentary in the translation. He writes: “79. Which (that book with Allah) none can touch but the purified (i.e. the angles)”.

He failed to understand that reference is not towards ‘fi kitabim maknoon’ rather the indication is towards ‘Qur’anun Kareem’ also he did not realise that in Arabic language informative text (words of khabar) can be used for a command.

Let’s ask the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) for the commentary of this verse. They were the first recipients of the Qur’an and they understood it better than anyone else.

Sai’d ibn Mansur, Ibn Abi Shayba, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Hakim narrate, (and Hakim says that it is Sahih), from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) that we were with Salman Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) and he went for to relieve himself (instinja). When he returned, we asked him if he could perform wudhu so that we could sit down with him and ask a few questions about the Qur’an.

He replied, “Ask me any question you want because I am not going to touch the Qur’an. Wudhu is only needed when you want to touch the Qur’an.” Then he recited the ayah: لَّا يَمَسُّهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا ٱلۡمُطَهَّرُونَ which means that the Qur’an should not be touched without wudhu. This interpretation is made by all four Imams and majority of the exegetes.

In Al-Fiqh al-Islami wa Adillatuhu, Dr. Wahba az-Zuhayli writes that if you have the minor impurity, three things are not allowed:

1. Performing prayer (salah) and anything like prayer. For example, the prostration of recitation (sajdah of tilawah), the prostration of gratitude (sajdah of shukr), and the funeral prayer (salat al-janaza). (This is because Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned this in a hadith. “No salah is accepted without purity (tuhur).” (Tirmidhi)
2. Circumambulation (tawaf) of Baytullah Sharif. (One hadith says “Tawaf of Baytullah is salah, except that Allah has allowed us to talk during tawaf”).
3. Touching the mus’haf or part of it because of the aforementioned verse and because of the hadith: لا يمس القران الا طاهر

It is narrated by Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Nasa’i, and Imam Malik in his Muwatta (mursalan) on the authority of Amr ibn Hazm and by al-Dar Qutni, also by Bayhaqi from Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and by Tabarani from Uthman ibn al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him). Which means “None should touch the Qur’an except a person in a state of ritual purity (taharah).”

And the logical proof would be that touching without wudhu is against ta’dhim al-Qur’an (honouring the Qur’an).

In fact, it comes in a hadith narrated by Imam Tahawi that once Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) was performing wudhu and a Companion (Sahabi) passed by and said salam. Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) remained quiet and continued performing wudhu. When he finished performing wudhu he replied to the salam and explained to the Sahabi that he delayed returning the salam because: “I disliked taking the name of Allah without wudhu” Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) had so much respect for the name of Allah, that at that time, he did not like to say “As-Salam” without wudhu, (As-Salam is a name of Allah). Qur’an is the word of Allah. How can one touch it without wudhu?

Another question that arises here is, that today we have the Qur’an in many other forms besides the mus’haf (i.e. on iPads, iPhones, computers etc.). Can we touch these without wudhu? The answer to this is yes, you can, because the gadget itself is like any other book of tafseer, hadith or fiqh which contain verses of the Qur’an but also other material.

Similarly, there are other materials in these gadgets like various files, books of hadith etc. However, while scrolling the pages, you should not touch the letters of the Qur’an on the screen without wudhu. If one does not have wudhu, they can use the styler pen to scroll up and down. It’s always best to try to read with wudhu, but when that is not possible, then this would be permissible.

Looking in the Mushaf During Salah

Some people put the Qur’an on the floor. Others look inside and recite it while performing salah, especially during taraweeh behind the imam. When they go in ruku they put it under their armpit and when they go in sajdah, they put it on the ground.

What is the need to read during salah? In fact, it’s not allowed.

Allah says:

وَإِذَا قُرِئَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ فَٱسۡتَمِعُواْ لَهُ ۥ وَأَنصِتُواْ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُرۡحَمُونَ

“And when the Qur’an is recited, listen to it, and keep quiet, so that you may be shown mercy.”

Your focus should be on Allah, not on trying to read yourself. You should focus on the imam’s recitation and concentrate. Placing the Qur’an under the armpit or placing the Qur’an on the floor is against the respect of the Qur’an.

Shaykh Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) was once asked about this and he also stated that it is against the adab of the Qur’an. The Qur’an should be placed on a high place. In fact, we are taught to respect the books of the other religions as well, because the followers of those religions respect their books. He went on to quote a hadith in which the Jews of Madina Munawwara came to Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) to ask a religious ruling (mas’ala). Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) told them to bring the Torah and search for the mas’ala in there. When they brought it, Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked someone to bring a chair and then placed the Torah on the chair rather than on the floor.

Another thing to mention here is that in some public places like hospitals, multi-faith prayer rooms etc, we find books of other religions. Some ignorant (jaahil) people tear off some pages or scribble graffiti in them. This is wrong. The followers of those religions revere their books and we should not hurt anybody’s feelings.

The summary is that if we want the Qur’an to transform us into perfect human beings, we must, first of all, show some respect to the Qur’an.

There are etiquettes (adaab) of reciting the Qur’an. Many books have been written about adaab of the Qur’an. Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) has written “Al-Tibyan fi Adaab Hamalat al-Qur’an” Hadhrat Shaykh Zakariyya (may Allah have mercy on him) has written a book called ‘Fazail-e Qur’an’. Some adaab include making wudhu before reciting, keeping the Qur’an on an elevated place such as a pillow or rihal, being focused, applying itr, facing the qiblah, reading with tajwid and tartil, and reading with fear and awareness of Allah Subhanawu wa Ta’ala, and reading with a soft melodious tone etc. If we follow these adaab, then we will absorb the benefits of the Qur’an

2. Reciting the Qur’an

The more one recites Qur’an, the better it is for him. Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) has said that the hearts rust just as metal rusts when water continuously falls on it. Just as water is continuously falling on that metal, tribulations (fitnas) are falling on our hearts, so our hearts likewise become rusted. Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned two medicines to clean our hearts: first, to remember death abundantly, and second, to recite the Qur’an.

An Objection and its reply

Some people say that we don’t understand the Qur’an so what is the point of reading it? This is a waswasa which Shaytaan whispers in their minds. They make this objection because they are grouping the Qur’an with other books. If there is a book in Spanish or French and you recite the words, there is no point, because you don’t understand it. However, this is not the case with the Qur’an. The Qur’an is different. It is the book of Allah Ta’ala. For every letter you read, Allah Ta’ala will give you ten rewards (hasanahs) which will be recorded in you book of good deeds. For Alif-Laam-Meem, you will get 30 hasanah. For Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, which has 19 letters, you will get 190 good deeds. For Surah Ikhlas, 990 good deeds. For Surah Yaseen, 30,000 good deeds, in 5 minutes!

For those that cannot read well, go to someone who can help you with the basics and learn to recite from them. New Muslims and reverts should do the same. Don’t only focus on understanding the meaning. No doubt, that is very important, and I will get to that later, but reciting the Qur’an is also a right that the Qur’an has upon us.

If we do not recite the Qur’an, it will hold us to account on the Day of Judgement and we will have to answer to Allah Ta’ala. The Qur’an will say “What type of a Muslim was he or she when you sent me to him/her and they never read me, never opened me?” May Allah protect us from that.

Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that there are two groups of Muslims: the hafidh and the non-hafidh. According to his research, the hafidh should at the very least make one completion (khatm) of the Qur’an every 40 days. It is better for him to recite 3 portions (juz) every day and make one khatm every ten days. And even then, it is still better to read one seventh (a manzil) a day and do a khatm every week. As for the non-hafidh, it is necessary to do two khatms a year. So recite a little bit in the morning, consistently.

The Practices of our Elders (Akabir)

There have been some shuyukh that used to do one khatm every single day. Imam Shafi (may Allah have mercy on him) was a very speedy reciter. Normally he would do one khatm every day, and in Ramadhan he would increase this to two, so he would do 60 khatms in Ramadhan. The same is narrated about Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) and many other pious predecessors (salaf) of that era. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) would complete one khatm every day in Ramadhan. Every day at the time of Maghrib, Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas would be on his lips. He used to say that when the Qur’an is completed, duas are readily accepted by Allah Ta’ala.

As mentioned, duas are accepted at the time of a khatm. In one narration, Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) says that when someone finishes the Qur’an, 60,00 angels make dua of mercy and forgiveness for that person.

Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) used to recite 10 juz every night in voluntary (nafl) prayers in Ramadhan. This means he used to do 40 khatams every Ramadhan (one every day, one every three nights). Sa’id Ibn Jubayr (may Allah have mercy on him), Uthman (may Allah be please with him), Tamim Dari (may Allah be pleased with him), and Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) all recited the whole Qur’an in one unit (rakat). Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) did this inside the Ka’ba Sharif. These people had a special love for the Qur’an. When they recited it, it was as if they had wings and they were flying high above the heavens. Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that Allah raises the ranks of many people through the Qur’an and lowers many people through the Qur’an as well. May Allah Ta’ala make us amongst the ones whose ranks are raised by the Qur’an.

3. Memorizing the Qur’an

Every Muslim should memorize as much Qur’an as they can. Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that the heart that has no Qur’an in it, is like an empty, deserted, and derelict house. If we want our heart to be filled with the special noor and by the mercy and the forgiveness of Allah Ta’ala, we should make an effort to memorize as much Qur’an as we can.

If you succeed in memorizing the whole Qur’an and become hafidh, then Subhanallah! There are many glad tidings for you:

Hadith: “The one who is an expert of the Qur’an will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement among those angels who are the envoys, the noble, and the dutiful”. They are the guardians of the Sacred Tablet (Lawh Mahfudh). Those angels that are extremely pious and honoured in the eyes of Allah. The hafidh will be resurrected with them, maybe because they are protecting the Lawh Mahfudh in the heavens and the hafidh is protecting the Qur’an on the earth.

It is also important to remember the Qur’an throughout our whole lives. There are grave warnings for forgetting the Qur’an.

If you become a proficient (pakka) hafidh, it will become easy to recite the Qur’an while sitting, standing, lying down, walking, driving, working etc. If you look at our history, the great scholars and shaykhs all memorised the Qur’an. That is why Hadhrat Junayd Baghdadi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “A person who is not hafidh and has not written the hadith has nothing to do with this affair of ours” (meaning tasawwuf).

Today, we see on TV channels that people who are not even hafidh of the Qur’an, are giving fatwas. Dr. Zakir Naik is not hafidh. He only memorizes those verses that are pertinent to his arguments. He is not an Alim. He doesn’t even know the Arabic language, he relies on translations. So he is not qualified to give verdicts on fiqhi issues. Yet he says things like you can touch the Qur’an without wudhu, three divorces (talaqs) are one, and there is no differences between the salah of men and women. Be very careful in acquiring knowledge from such people.

4. Understanding the Qur’an

Moving on, pondering (tadabbur) and reflection (tafakkur) when reciting the Qur’an are highly effective. Allah and His Rasul have encouraged us to ponder over the words of Allah. We should try to read the Qur’an with utmost concentration. If we are able to learn the Arabic language and understand the meaning of the Qur’an, then we should do so. We will get a lot of enjoyment in salah and in listening to tilawah. If we understand it, it will bring tears to our eyes. It will increase our recognition (ma’rifah) of Allah, resulting in proximity to Allah. Every time we ponder over the meanings, Allah will inspire us with insight and various sciences.

Sir Marmaduke Pickthall writes in the forward of his translation of the Qur’an: “The Qur’an cannot be translated. That is the belief of old-fashioned Sheykhs and the view of the present writer. The book is here rendered almost literally and every effort has been made to choose befitting language. But the result is not the Glorious Qur’an, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy. It is only an attempt to present the meaning of the Qur’an – and peradventure something of the charm- in English. It can never take the place of the Qur’an in Arabic, nor is it meant to do so”.

5. Practicing upon the Qur’an

Lastly, practice on the Qur’an. The Qur’an does not just teach us salah, fasting etc. It teaches us beliefs (aqa’id), worship (ibadaat), good character (akhlaq), dealings (mu’amalat), social life, and much more. We must practice on what we learn. To close, I will share with you one quote of Abdullah ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated by Abu Nu’aym in Hilyat al- Awliya’. He says that a person who has been gifted with the Qur’an, should observe the following things.

1. Worship at night when others are sleeping.
2. Fast during the day while people are eating.
3. Worry about life after death while others are rejoicing.
4. Cry to Allah while others are laughing. (Rasulullah (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) has said in one hadith that the Qur’an has been revealed with a sorrowful effect. When you are reading it, cry. If you cannot cry, at least imitate the one that is crying by making your face like the one who is crying.)
5. Hold onto silence when others are idly talking.
6. Be humble when others are showing arrogance.

He says that it is befitting for a hafidh of the Qur’an to have a habit of crying often, staying in a sorrow state, being wise, forbearing, a man of knowledge, calm, and an embodiment of peace. He should never be hard hearted, arrogant, cunning, deceitful or neglectful. He should never be in a state of ghaflat (heedlessness). He must be very careful with the matters of Allah Subhana wa Ta’ala.

Once, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a letter to the governors of various cities requesting them to send him a list of all of the hufaadh in their areas so that he could send them a special gift. Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) sent him a list of 300 hufaadh in his area. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was extremely happy and wrote a letter to those hufaadh, the translation of which is below:

“This Qur’an will be a reward for you, and an honour, and a treasure, provided you follow it. Make sure that the Qur’an does not follow you and come after you, because if the Qur’an comes after someone, then it will hold that person by the scruff of their neck, pin them down and fling them into Jahannam. Whosoever follows the Qur’an, the Qur’an will pull them towards the Gardens of Firdaws. If it is possible for you, then make sure that the Qur’an is an intercessor for you and not a claimant against you, because when the Qur’an intercedes for someone, it takes that person to Jannah. And when it makes a claim against someone, then they will have to enter Jahannam. Know that the Qur’an is the fountain of knowledge, the beacon of guidance. It is as fresh as it could be. It has come from al-Rahman. It is the most fresh Book of Allah Ta’ala. Allah has opened with it many eyes that were blind, many ears that were deaf, and many hearts that were veiled. Get up in the night and read the Qur’an, because when a person gets up at night and thoroughly cleans his mouth with miswaak and performs wudhu and says Allahuakbar (i.e. starts salah), an angel comes and puts his mouth on the person’s mouth and says: “Read. Read, for you are good, and goodness has been destined for you.” But if a person doesn’t clean his mouth properly, then the angel doesn’t do that, but only guards and protects him. Know that the Qur’an is a treasure, a protector, and goodness preserved. Read the Qur’an abundantly because Salah is light (nur), Zakah is an evidence, patience is an illumination, fasting is a shield, and Qur’an is either an evidence for you or against you. Respect the Qur’an. Do not degrade it, because whoever honours the Qur’an, Allah will honour him, and whoever degrades the Qur’an, Allah will degrade him. Know that whoever memorizes, recites and practices upon the Qur’an, Allah will accept his dua and know that whatever is with Allah is better for those who believe in Allah and put their trust in Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.” (Tuhfa-e huffaz)

May Allah Ta’ala give us the guidance (tawfiq) to understand the value the Qur’an, to respect the Qur’an, to recite the Qur’an, to memorize the Qur’an, to understand the Qur’an, and to practice upon the instructions given in the Qur’an. Ameen.