ETIQUETTES OF THE RECITATION OF THE HOLY QUR'AN

It seems appropriate to refer to some etiquettes and recommended acts that are related to the reciting of the Holy Qur'an as has been deduced from hadiths:

1)                    The best duration of reciting the Holy Qur'an wholly (khatmah) is one month. If not, the duration must not be more than four months. Thus, the Holy Qur'an will be recited wholly three times a year excluding the additions that must be made during the holy month of Ramadan.

2)                    The recitation of the Holy Qur'an must take the form of (khatmah), that is it must be recited from the beginning to the end, not choosing certain Surahs, so that the Holy Qur'an will be wholly recited and all its blessings will be attained. hadiths have confirmed this method of recitation.

3)                    It is recommended to accomplish the recitation of the Holy Qur'an on Fridays and to recite the Supplication of the completion of the recitation after that. This Supplication can be found in the famous book of al-,,Sahifah al-Kamilah al-Sajjadiyyah. ^[1]

4)                    On the accomplishment of the recitation of the Holy Qur'an, it is recommended to commence a new recitation by reciting the Opening Chapter (Sarah of al-Fatihah) and the first five verses of Sarah of al-Baqarah (The Cow; No. 2).

5)                    On the recitation of the Holy Qur'an, it is advisable to be ceremonially pure and to sit in the place of performing the obligatory prayers directing towards the Qiblah.

6)                    Interpreting Almighty Allah's saying, "O you who believe! Be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast and be careful of your duty to Allah that you may be successful, 3/200" it has been narrated that included with those who remain steadfast are those who sit in the places of their prayers waiting for the time of an obligatory prayer. In order to attain the rewards of these, a believer should make use of the periods of waiting for the prayers for reciting the Holy Qur'an. Moreover, the reward will be greater if such waiting is practiced in the mosques for the congregational prayers.

7)                    Many traditions have confirmed the recommendation of being ceremonially pure and reciting the Holy Qur'an before going to sleep. In this respect, a Hadith reads that Almighty Allah says, "He who excrements and then does not perform the ritual ablution has in fact turned away from Me; and he who performs the ritual ablution but does not offer a two-Rak'ah (unit) prayer for My sake has in fact turned away from Me; and he who performs a two-Rak'ah prayer for My sake but does not supplicate to Me has in fact turned away from Me; and he who supplicates to Me but I do not respond to him I will have turned away from him; but I am not a rude Lord." If we add the recommendations of the performance of the Night Prayer (Salat al-Layl), the toileting and the brushing of the teeth that are confirmed in many Hadiths to the acts that are advised to be done before sleep, the result will be the following excellent program: Before going to bed, it is advisable for a believer to go to toilet, clean the teeth, perform the ritual ablution, offer the Night Prayer either wholly or postpone a part of it to the hour before dawn and then recite a section of the Holy Qur'an and finally supplicate to Almighty Allah for the brothers-in-faith and for himself. When this program is followed, a believer will attain the rewards of all of these actions that have been deemed recommendable (Mustahabb) according to many Hadiths. On the other hand, those who stay up watching licentious shows and movies that cause nervous exhaustion and physical fatigue will live in incessant suffering and misery.

8) The recitation of the Holy Qur'an should be in the copy of the book of Tafsir Shubbar, especially for the beginners, because this book holds more than one advantage. In addition to having the whole text of the Holy Qur'an, the book comprises a synoptic exegesis of its words and expressions, which is advised to be within the courses of the primary studies of the Holy Qur'an. In this book too, there is an introduction on ^.the sciences of the Holy Qur'an, which is also another study that must be learnt by the specialists in this field. There is also an index of the_ expressions of the Holy Qur'an according to which it is easy to refer to the place of any verse and any word and then to deduce the evidence required. As footnotes, the book contains the several ways of reading each word and contains the order of the temporal revelation of the Surah, Within the title of each Sarah, there is an indication to the Sarah that was revealed before this one. Finally, the book comprises other useful information.

9) As is mentioned in a considerable hadith, it is advised to present the reward of the first whole recitation of the Holy Qur'an to the soul of the Holy Prophet and the second to Imam 'Ali and so on up to the last holy Imam. Because they are the most generous of all the creatures, the Holy Infallibles will certainly recompense those who present the rewards of their recitations to them in the best manner on the Resurrection Day.

10) It is advised to recite loudly the Holy Qur'an with sad tones and to read with full contemplation. A hadith has warned against making one's interest is to reach at the end of the Sarah during reciting the Holy Qur'an.

11) It is recommended to recite the verses from a copy of the Holy Qur'an even if these verses are learnt by heart and it is recommended that each member of a family has his/her own copy of the Holy Qur'an so that he/she can indicate to the point to which it is reached.

12) It is advised to listen to and ponder over the verses of the Holy Qur'an whenever an opportunity is available.

I implore to Almighty Allah to make our lives compatible to the instructions of the Holy Qur'an, to grant us its intercession (Shafa'ah) and to include us with those who follow its guidance and seek the enlightenment of its knowledge. Verily, Almighty Allah is the Granter of all graces and the Benignant to His servants. Out of His benignancy, He has led us to His Straight Religion and honored us with His Noble Book, His great Prophet and the pure Ahl al-Bayt.