FORTY HADITHS ON THE VIRTUES AND IMPACTS OF THE HOLY QUR'AN AND THE ETIQUETTES OF THE RECITATION OF' IT

In the presentation of the following forty Hadiths, I will rather stop at citing the texts of the Hadith than mention the series and ways of narrators. I will also use suitable titles according to their contents. The explanations of these Hadiths will be put off to another occasion. Finally, I will not bind myself with exactly forty Hadiths since traditions that urge on retaining forty Hadiths have not specified this number as stipulation; rather any addition to the number will be good.

Part 4

(1)               Recite the Holy Qur'an entirely Once a Month

It has been narrated that Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah asked Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq whether it is recommendable to recite the Holy Qur'an entirely in one night. The Imam answered,

"I do not like it for you to recite it entirely in less than a month." [1]

(2)               Present the Reward of the Recitation to the Holy

Infallibles

It has been narrated that 'Ali ibn al-Mughirah asked Imam 'Ali ibn Musa al-Rida, "What will be my reward if I present the reward of the recitation of the Qur'an to the Holy Prophet, Amir al-Mu'minin, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra' and the Imams respectively at the end of the month of Ramadan?" The Imam answered, "If you do it, you will have the reward of being included with them on the Resurrection Day." "Great be Allah! Will this be my reward, indeed?" he asked. "Yes, it will be," replied Imam al-Rills and repeated it thrice. ^[2]

(3)               Weeping On Listening to the Holy Qur'an

It has been narrated on the authority of Imam Ja'far al-sadiq that the Holy Prophet, once, came to a session that gathered young men from the Ansar ^[3] and said to them, "I will at the moment recite before you a section from the Qur'an; therefore, anyone of you who will weep will have Paradise as his reward." The Holy Prophet then recited the last verses of the Sarah of al-Zumar (the Groups; No. 39). All those young men wept except one who excused saying that he tried to weep but no drop of tear fell down from his eyes. Then, the Holy Prophet said, "I will repeat the same verses and anyone of you who will try to weep will be awarded Paradise. As a result, they all wept and tried to weep and won Paradise as their reward. [4]

(4)               Knowledge Entirely is in the Holy Qur'an

Imam Ali is reported to have been asked whether they, the Ahl al-bayt, receive any Divine Revelation. He answered, "No, we do not. I swear by Him Who split the seed and created souls that we have nothing save an understanding of the Qur'an that Almighty Allah confers upon any of His servants."[5]

It has been narrated that Ibrahim ibn al- 'Abbas said, "I have seen (Imam) al-Rida answering any question that was addressed to him. I have never seen anyone more knowledgeable that he was whether in the ancient or recent ages. Al-Ma'mun, the 'Abbasid ruler, used to test him in all fields of knowledge and he (Imam 'ali ibn Musa al-rida) used to answer adequately. All his words, answers and examples were quotations from the Holy Qur'an." ^[6]

From Nahj al-Balighah, the following statement is cited: "This is the Qur'an; you can therefore ask it. As it cannot speak to you openly, I will report to you its answer: Verily, it has the knowledge of the future and the narratives of the past; and it has the medicines of all of your maladies and the regulations of all your affairs." ^[7]

(5)               The Holy Qur'an; Remedy for All Maladies

Imam Ja'far al-Wig is reported to have said, "It is not strange if a dead for whom the Surah of al-Fatihah is recited seventy times lives again." ^[8]

(6)               The Holy Qur'an; The Cleaner of Hearts

The Holy Prophet is reported to have said, "Like iron, hearts are subjected to rust; and to clean it from rust is only through mention of death and reciting of the Holy Qur'an." ^[9]

(7)               More Recitation of the Holy Qur'an in Ramadan

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir is reported to have said, "Everything has its springtime, and the springtime of the Qur'an is the month of Ramadan." [10]

It has been narrated that 'Ali ibn Hamzah said that he once visited Imam Je far al-Sadiq and noticed Abu-Basir asking him whether he should recite the whole Holy Qur'an in one night. The Imam answered negatively. Then he asked whether he should recite it in two nights, and the Imam answered negatively. Then, he asked whether he should recite it in three nights, and the Imam answered yes. Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq then commented, "Verily, the month of Ramadan enjoys a definite right and sanctity that are not enjoyed by the other months." ^[11]

In the famous sermon of the Holy Prophet that he delivered on the last Friday of She ban about the merits of the month of Ramadan, he says, "Anyone who recites a verse of the Qur'an in Ramadan will be granted the reward of him who recited the Qur'an entirely in other months." [12]

(8)               Recite the Holy Qur'an as it Ought to be Recited

Commenting on Almighty Allah' saying (in the Holy Qur'an), "Those to whom We have given the Book read it as it ought to be read. 2/121," Imam Ja'far al-sadiq is reported to have said, "To read the Qur'an as it ought to be read is to recite its verses plainly, to attempt to comprehend it, to act upon its laws, to hope for its promises, to panic about its threat, to learn lessons from its narratives, to commit to its commands and to abstain from the acts forbidden therein. Definitely, it is not to learn by heart its verses, to study its letters, to know how to recite its Surahs properly or to revise its numbers. Unfortunately, they have learnt its letters and wasted its laws. The most important thing is to ponder over its verses and to act upon its instructions. Almighty Allah has said: It is a Book that We have revealed to you abounding in good that they may ponder over its verses and that those endowed with understanding may be mindful. 38/29" [13]

(9)               Scholars Never Have Enough of the Holy Qur'an

Describing the Holy Qur'an, the Holy Prophet is reported to have said, "It is the effective rope of Almighty Allah, the message of wisdom and the right path. Deviational whims cannot affect it; and scholars cannot have enough of it; and languages cannot confuse it; and none can confute it; and his niceties are infinite. He who cites it as his proof will have said the truth; and he who rests upon it in judgments will have achieved justice; and he who acts upon it will have been rewarded; and he who promulgates it will have been led to the straight path." ^[14]

(10)           The Holy Qur'an in Nahj al-Balaghah

In Nahj al-Balaghah Imam 'Ali instructs the following: "Learn the Qur'an for it is the fairest of discourses and understand it thoroughly for it is the best blossoming of hearts. Seek cure with its light for it is the cure for hearts. Recite it beautifully for it is the most beautiful narration.

Certainly, a scholar who acts not according to his knowledge is like the off-headed ignorant who does not find relief from his ignorance, but on the learned the plea of Allah is greater and grief more incumbent and he is more blameworthy before Allah." ^[15]