I was informed that Gabriel came to the Prophet while
Um Salama was with him. Gabriel started talking (to the
Prophet). Then the Prophet asked Um Salama, "Who is this?"
She replied, "He is Dihya (al-Kalbi)." When Gabriel had
left, Um Salama said, "By Allah, I did not take him for
anybody other than him (i.e. Dihya) till I heard the
sermon of the Prophet wherein he informed about the news
of Gabriel." The subnarrator asked Abu 'Uthman: From whom
have you heard that? Abu 'Uthman said: From Usama bin Zaid.
The Prophet said, "Every Prophet was given miracles
because of which people believed, but what I have been
given, is Divine Inspiration which Allah has revealed to
me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber the
followers of the other Prophets on the Day of
Resurrection."
Allah sent down His Divine Inspiration to His Apostle
continuously and abundantly during the period preceding
his death till He took him unto Him. That was the period
of the greatest part of revelation; and Allah's Apostle
died after that.
Once the Prophet fell ill and did not offer the night
prayer (Tahajjud prayer) for a night or two. A woman (the
wife of Abu Lahab) came to him and said, "O Muhammad ! I
do not see but that your Satan has left you." Then Allah
revealed (Surat-Ad-Duha):
'By the fore-noon, and by the night when it darkens (or
is still); Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor hated you.'
(93)
(The Caliph 'Uthman ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Said bin
Al-As, 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair and 'Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Harith
bin Hisham to write the Quran in the form of a book (Mushafs)
and said to them. "In case you disagree with Zaid bin
Thabit (Al-Ansari) regarding any dialectic Arabic
utterance of the Quran, then write it in the dialect of
Quraish, for the Quran was revealed in this dialect." So
they did it.
Ya'la used to say, "I wish I could see Allah's Apostle
at the time he is being inspired Divinely." When the
Prophet was at Al-Ja'rana and was shaded by a garment
hanging over him and some of his companions were with him,
a man perfumed with scent came and said, "O Allah's
Apostle! What is your opinion regarding a man who assumes
Ihram and puts on a cloak after perfuming his body with
scent?" The Prophet waited for a while, and then the
Divine Inspiration descended upon him. 'Umar pointed out
to Ya'la, telling him to come. Ya'la came and pushed his
head (underneath the screen which was covering the Prophet
) and behold! The Prophet's face was red and he kept on
breathing heavily for a while and then he was relieved.
Thereupon he said, "Where is the questioner who asked me
about 'Umra a while ago?" The man was sought and then was
brought before the Prophet who said (to him), "As regards
the scent which you perfumed your body with, you must wash
it off thrice, and as for your cloak, you must take it
off; and then perform in your 'Umra all those things which
you perform in Hajj."
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq sent for me when the people! of
Yamama had been killed (i.e., a number of the Prophet's
Companions who fought against Musailama). (I went to him)
and found 'Umar bin Al-Khattab sitting with him. Abu Bakr
then said (to me), "Umar has come to me and said:
"Casualties were heavy among the Qurra' of the! Qur'an
(i.e. those who knew the Quran by heart) on the day of the
Battle of Yalmama, and I am afraid that more heavy
casualties may take place among the Qurra' on other
battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be
lost. Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order that the
Qur'an be collected." I said to 'Umar, "How can you do
something which Allah's Apostle did not do?" 'Umar said,
"By Allah, that is a good project. "Umar kept on urging me
to accept his proposal till Allah opened my chest for it
and I began to realize the good in the idea which 'Umar
had realized." Then Abu Bakr said (to me). 'You are a wise
young man and we do not have any suspicion about you, and
you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's
Apostle. So you should search for (the fragmentary scripts
of) the Qur'an and collect it in one book)." By Allah If
they had ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it
would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me
to collect the Qur'an. Then I said to Abu Bakr, "How will
you do something which Allah's Apostle did not do?" Abu
Bakr replied, "By Allah, it is a good project." Abu Bakr
kept on urging me to accept his idea until Allah opened my
chest for what He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and 'Umar.
So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it from
(what was written on) palmed stalks, thin white stones and
also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the
last Verse of Surat At-Tauba (Repentance) with Abi
Khuzaima Al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody
other than him. The Verse is:
'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad)
from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should
receive any injury or difficulty..(till the end of
Surat-Baraa' (At-Tauba) (9.128-129) Then the complete
manuscripts (copy) of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr
till he died, then with 'Umar till the end of his life,
and then with Hafsa, the daughter of 'Umar.
Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to Uthman at the time when
the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were Waging war
to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of
their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the
recitation of the Qur'an, so he said to 'Uthman, "O chief
of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ
about the Book (Quran) as Jews and the Christians did
before." So 'Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, "Send
us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may compile
the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the
manuscripts to you." Hafsa sent it to 'Uthman. 'Uthman
then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, 'Abdullah bin AzZubair, Said
bin Al-As and 'AbdurRahman bin Harith bin Hisham to
rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. 'Uthman said to
the three Quraishi men, "In case you disagree with Zaid
bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in
the dialect of Quraish, the Qur'an was revealed in their
tongue." They did so, and when they had written many
copies, 'Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa.
'Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what
they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic
materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or
whole copies, be burnt. Said bin Thabit added, "A Verse
from Surat Ahzab was missed by me when we copied the
Qur'an and I used to hear Allah's Apostle reciting it. So
we searched for it and found it with Khuzaima bin Thabit
Al-Ansari. (That Verse was): 'Among the Believers are men
who have been true in their covenant with Allah.' (33.23)
Abu Bakr sent for me and said, "You used to write the
Divine Revelations for Allah's Apostle : So you should
search for (the Qur'an and collect) it." I started
searching for the Qur'an till I found the last two Verses
of Surat At-Tauba with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari and I could
not find these Verses with anybody other than him. (They
were):
'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad)
from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should
receive any injury or difficulty ...' (9.128-129)
There was revealed: 'Not equal are those believers who
sit (at home) and those who strive and fight in the Cause
of Allah.' (4.95)
The Prophet said, "Call Zaid for me and let him bring
the board, the inkpot and the scapula bone (or the scapula
bone and the ink pot)."' Then he said, "Write: 'Not equal
are those Believers who sit..", and at that time 'Amr bin
Um Maktum, the blind man was sitting behind the Prophet .
He said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is your order For me (as
regards the above Verse) as I am a blind man?" So, instead
of the above Verse, the following Verse was revealed:
'Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) except
those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or lame
etc.) and those who strive and fight in the cause of
Allah.' (4.95)
Allah's Apostle said, "Gabriel recited the Qur'an to me
in one way. Then I requested him (to read it in another
way), and continued asking him to recite it in other ways,
and he recited it in several ways till he ultimately
recited it in seven different ways."
I heard Hisham bin Hakim reciting Surat Al-Furqan
during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle and I listened to
his recitation and noticed that he recited in several
different ways which Allah's Apostle had not taught me. I
was about to jump over him during his prayer, but I
controlled my temper, and when he had completed his
prayer, I put his upper garment around his neck and seized
him by it and said, "Who taught you this Sura which I
heard you reciting?" He replied, "Allah's Apostle taught
it to me." I said, "You have told a lie, for Allah's
Apostle has taught it to me in a different way from
yours." So I dragged him to Allah's Apostle and said (to
Allah's Apostle),
"I heard this person reciting Surat Al-Furqan in a way
which you haven't taught me!" On that Allah's Apostle
said, "Release him, (O 'Umar!) Recite, O Hisham!" Then he
recited in the same way as I heard him reciting. Then
Allah's Apostle said, "It was revealed in this way," and
added, "Recite, O 'Umar!" I recited it as he had taught
me. Allah's Apostle then said, "It was revealed in this
way. This Qur'an has been revealed to be recited in seven
different ways, so recite of it whichever (way) is easier
for you (or read as much of it as may be easy for you)."
While I was with Aisha, the mother of the Believers, a
person from Iraq came and asked, "What type of shroud is
the best?" 'Aisha said, "May Allah be merciful to you!
What does it matter?" He said, "O mother of the Believers!
Show me (the copy of) your Qur'an," She said, "Why?" He
said, "In order to compile and arrange the Qur'an
according to it, for people recite it with its Suras not
in proper order." 'Aisha said, "What does it matter which
part of it you read first? (Be informed) that the first
thing that was revealed thereof was a Sura from Al-Mufassal,
and in it was mentioned Paradise and the Fire. When the
people embraced Islam, the Verses regarding legal and
illegal things were revealed. If the first thing to be
revealed was: 'Do not drink alcoholic drinks.' people
would have said, 'We will never leave alcoholic drinks,'
and if there had been revealed, 'Do not commit illegal
sexual intercourse, 'they would have said, 'We will never
give up illegal sexual intercourse.' While I was a young
girl of playing age, the following Verse was revealed in
Mecca to Muhammad: 'Nay! But the Hour is their appointed
time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be
more grievous and more bitter.' (54.46) Sura Al-Baqara
(The Cow) and Surat An-Nisa (The Women) were revealed
while I was with him." Then 'Aisha took out the copy of
the Qur'an for the man and dictated to him the Verses of
the Suras (in their proper order) .
Surat Bani-lsrael, Al-Kahf (The Cave), Maryam, Taha,
Al-Anbiya' (The prophets) are amongst my first earnings
and my old property, and (in fact) they are my old
property.
Abdullah said, "I learnt An-Naza'ir which the Prophet
used to recite in pairs in each Rak'a." Then Abdullah got
up and Alqama accompanied him to his house, and when
Alqama came out, we asked him (about those Suras). He
said, "They are twenty Suras that start from the beginning
of Al-Mufassal, according to the arrangement done be Ibn
Mas'ud, and end with the Suras starting with Ha Mim, e.g.
Ha Mim (the Smoke). and "About what they question one
another?" (78.1)
The Prophet was the most generous person, and he used
to become more so (generous) particularly in the month of
Ramadan because Gabriel used to meet him every night of
the month of Ramadan till it elapsed. Allah's Apostle used
to recite the Qur'an for him. When Gabriel met him, he
used to become more generous than the fast wind in doing
good.
Narrated Abu-Huraira: Gabriel used to repeat the
recitation of the Qur'an with the Prophet once a year, but
he repeated it twice with him in the year he died. The
Prophet used to stay in I'tikaf for ten days every year
(in the month of Ramadan), but
'Abdullah bin 'Amr mentioned 'Abdullah bin Masud and
said, "I shall ever love that man, for I heard the Prophet
saying, 'Take (learn) the Qur'an from four: 'Abdullah bin
Masud, Salim, Mu'adh and Ubai bin Ka'b.' "
Once 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud delivered a sermon before us
and said, "By Allah, I learnt over seventy Suras direct
from Allah's Apostle . By Allah, the companions of the
Prophet came to know that I am one of those who know
Allah's Book best of all of them, yet I am not the best of
them." Shaqiq added: I sat in his religious gathering and
I did not hear anybody opposing him (in his speech).
While we were in the city of Hims (in Syria), Ibn
Mas'ud recited Surat Yusuf. A man said to him), "It was
not revealed in this way." Then Ibn Mas'ud said, "I
recited it in this way before Allah's Apostle and he
confirmed my recitation by saying, 'Well done!' " Ibn
Mas'ud detected the smell of wine from the man's mouth, so
he said to him, "Aren't you ashamed of telling a lie about
Allah's Book and (along with this) you drink alcoholic
liquors too?" Then he lashed him according to the law.
Narrated 'Abdullah (bin Mas'ud) : By Allah other than
Whom none has the right to be worshipped! There is no Sura
revealed in Allah's Book but I know at what place it was
revealed; and there is no Verse revealed in Allah's Book
but I know about whom
I asked Anas bin Malik: "Who collected the Qur'an at
the time of the Prophet ?" He replied, "Four, all of whom
were from the Ansar: Ubai bin Ka'b, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Zaid
bin Thabit and Abu Zaid."
When the Prophet died, none had collected the Qur'an
but four persons;: Abu Ad-Darda'. Mu'adh bin Jabal, Zaid
bin Thabit and Abu Zaid. We were the inheritor (of Abu
Zaid) as he had no offspring .
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: 'Umar said, Ubai was the best of
us in the recitation (of the Qur'an) yet we leave some of
what he recites.' Ubai says, 'PI have taken it from the
mouth of Allah's Apostle and will not leave for anything
whatever." But Allah said
While I was praying, the Prophet called me but I did
not respond to his call. Later I said, "O Allah's Apostle!
I was praying." He said, "Didn't Allah say: 'O you who
believe! Give your response to Allah (by obeying Him) and
to His Apostle when he calls you'?" (8.24)
He then said, "Shall I not teach you the most superior
Surah in the Qur'an?" He said, '(It is),
'Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. ' (i.e.,
Surat Al-Fatiha) which consists of seven repeatedly
recited Verses and the Magnificent Qur'an which was given
to me."
While we were on one of our journeys, we dismounted at
a place where a slave girl came and said, "The chief of
this tribe has been stung by a scorpion and our men are
not present; is there anybody among you who can treat him
(by reciting something)?" Then one of our men went along
with her though we did not think that he knew any such
treatment. But he treated the chief by reciting something,
and the sick man recovered whereupon he gave him thirty
sheep and gave us milk to drink (as a reward). When he
returned, we asked our friend, "Did you know how to treat
with the recitation of something?" He said, "No, but I
treated him only with the recitation of the Mother of the
Book (i.e., Al-Fatiha)." We said, "Do not say anything
(about it) till we reach or ask the Prophet so when we
reached Medina, we mentioned that to the Prophet (in order
to know whether the sheep which we had taken were lawful
to take or not). The Prophet said, "How did he come to
know that it (Al-Fatiha) could be used for treatment?
Distribute your reward and assign for me one share thereof
as well."
The Prophet said, "If somebody recited the last two
Verses of Surat Al-Baqara at night, that will be
sufficient for him."
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah 's Apostle ordered me to
guard the Zakat revenue of Ramadan. Then somebody came to
me and started stealing of the foodstuff. I caught him and
said, "I will take you to Allah's Apostle!" Then Abu
Huraira described the whole narration and said:) That
person said (to me), "(Please don't take me to Allah's
Apostle and I will tell you a few words by which Allah
will benefit you.) When you go to your bed, recite
Ayat-al-Kursi, (2.255) for then there will be a guard from
Allah who will protect you all night long, and Satan will
not be able to come near you till dawn." (When the Prophet
heard the story) he said (to me), "He (who came to you at
night) told you the truth although he is a liar; and it
was Satan."
A man was reciting Surat Al-Kahf and his horse was tied
with two ropes beside him. A cloud came down and spread
over that man, and it kept on coming closer and closer to
him till his horse started jumping (as if afraid of
something). When it was morning, the man came to the
Prophet, and told him of that experience. The Prophet
said, "That was As-Sakina (tranquility) which descended
because of (the recitation of) the Qur'an."
Allah's Apostle was traveling on one of his journeys,
and 'Umar bin Al-Khattab was traveling along with him at
night. 'Umar asked him about something, but Allah's
Apostle I did not answer him. He asked again, but he did
not answer. He asked for the third time!, but he did not
answer. On that, 'Umar said to himself, "May your mother
lose you! You have asked Allah's Apostle three times, but
he did not answer at all!" Umar said, "So I made my camel
go fast till I was ahead of the people, and I was afraid
that something might be! revealed about me. After a little
while I heard a call maker calling me, I said, 'I was
afraid that some Qur'anic Verse might be revealed about
me.' So I went to Allah's Apostle and greeted him. He
said, 'Tonight there has been revealed to me a Surah which
is dearer to me than that on which the sun shines (i.e.
the world).' Then he recited: 'Verily! We have given you
(O Muhammad I, a manifest victory.' " (Surat al-Fath) No.
(48.1).
A man heard another man reciting (Surat-Al-Ikhlas) 'Say
He is Allah, (the) One.' (112. 1) repeatedly. The next
morning he came to Allah's Apostle and informed him about
it as if he thought that it was not enough to recite. On
that Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hand my life
is, this Surah is equal to one-third of the Qur'an!"
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: My brother, Qatada bin An-Nau'man
said, "A man performed the night prayer late at night in
the lifetime of the Prophet and he read: 'Say: He is
Allah, (the) One,' (112.1) and read nothing besides that.
The next morning a man went to the Prophet ,~ and told him
about that . (The Prophet replied the same as (in Hadith
532) above.)
The Prophet said to his companions, "Is it difficult
for any of you to recite one third of the Qur'an in one
night?" This suggestion was difficult for them so they
said, "Who among us has the power to do so, O Allah's
Apostle?" Allah Apostle replied: " Allah (the) One, the
Self-Sufficient Master Whom all creatures need.' (Surat
Al-Ikhlas 112.1--to the End) is equal to one third of the
Qur'an."
Whenever Allah's Apostle became sick, he would recite
Mu'awwidhat (Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas) and then
blow his breath over his body. When he became seriously
ill, I used to recite (these two Suras) and rub his hands
over his body hoping for its blessings.
Whenever thy Prophet go went to bed every night, he
used to cup his hands together and blow over it after
reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas,
and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he
was able to rub, starting with his head, face and front of
his body. He used to do that three times.
That while he was reciting Surat Al-Baqara (The Cow) at
night, and his horse was tied beside him, the horse was
suddenly startled and troubled. When he stopped reciting,
the horse became quiet, and when he started again, the
horse was startled again. Then he stopped reciting and the
horse became quiet too. He started reciting again and the
horse was startled and troubled once again. Then he
stopped reciting and his son, Yahya was beside the horse.
He was afraid that the horse might trample on him. When he
took the boy away and looked towards the sky, he could not
see it. The next morning he informed the Prophet who said,
"Recite, O Ibn Hudair! Recite, O Ibn Hudair!" Ibn Hudair
replied, "O Allah's Apostle! My son, Yahya was near the
horse and I was afraid that it might trample on him, so I
looked towards the sky, and went to him. When I looked at
the sky, I saw something like a cloud containing what
looked like lamps, so I went out in order not to see it."
The Prophet said, "Do you know what that was?" Ibn Hudair
replied, "No." The Prophet said, "Those were Angels who
came near to you for your voice and if you had kept on
reciting till dawn, it would have remained there till
morning when people would have seen it as it would not
have disappear
Shaddad bin Ma'qil and I entered upon Ibn 'Abbas.
Shaddad bin Ma'qil asked him, "Did the Prophet leave
anything (besides the Qur'an)?" He replied. "He did not
leave anything except what is Between the two bindings (of
the Qur'an)." Then we visited Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyya
and asked him (the same question). He replied, "The
Prophet did not leave except what is between the bindings
(of the Qur'an)."
The Prophet said, "The example of him (a believer) who
recites the Qur'an is like that of a citron which tastes
good and smells good. And he (a believer) who does not
recite the Qur'an is like a date which is good in taste
but has no smell. And the example of a dissolute wicked
person who recites the Qur'an is like the Raihana (sweet
basil) which smells good but tastes bitter. And the
example of a dissolute wicked person who does not recite
the Qur'an is like the colocynth which tastes bitter and
has no smell.
The Prophet said, "Your life in comparison to the
lifetime of the past nations is like the period between
the time of 'Asr prayer and sunset. Your example and the
example of the Jews and Christians is that of person who
employed laborers and said to them, "Who will work for me
till the middle of the day for one Qirat (a special
weight)?' The Jews did. He then said, "Who will work for
me from the middle of the day till the 'Asr prayer for one
Qirat each?" The Christians worked accordingly. Then you
(Muslims) are working from the bar prayer till the Maghrib
prayer for two Qirats each. They (the Jews and the
Christians) said, 'We did more labor but took less wages.'
He (Allah) said, 'Have I wronged you in your rights?' They
replied, 'No.' Then He said, 'This is My Blessing which I
give to whom I wish."
I asked 'Abdullah bin Abi 'Aufa, "Did the Prophet make
a will (to appoint his successor or bequeath wealth)?" He
replied, "No." I said, "How is it prescribed then for the
people to make wills, and they are ordered to do so while
the Prophet did not make any will?" He said, "He made a
will wherein he recommended Allah's Book."
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Allah does
not listen to a prophet as He listens to a prophet who
recites the Qur'an in a pleasant tone." The companion of
the sub-narrator (Abu Salama) said, "It means, reciting it
aloud."
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet I said, "Allah does
not listen to a prophet as He listens to a prophet who
recites the Qur'an in a loud and pleasant tone." Sufyan
said, "This saying means: a prophet who regards the Qur'an
as something that makes hi
Allah's Apostle said, "Not to wish to be the like
except of two men. A man whom Allah has given the
knowledge of the Book and he recites it during the hours
of the night, and a man whom Allah has given wealth, and
he spends it in charity during the night and the hours of
the day."
Allah's Apostle I said, "Not to wish to be the like of
except two men: A man whom Allah has taught the Qur'an and
he recites it during the hours of the night and during the
hours of the day, and his neighbor listens to him and
says, 'I wish I had been given what has been given to
so-and-so, so that I might do what he does; and a man whom
Allah has given wealth and he spends it on what is just
and right, whereupon an other man May say, 'I wish I had
been given what so-and-so has been given, for then I would
do what he does."
A lady came to the Prophet and declared that she had
decided to offer herself to Allah and His Apostle. The
Prophet said, "I am not in need of women." A man said (to
the Prophet) "Please marry her to me." The Prophet said
(to him), "Give her a garment." The man said, "I cannot
afford it." The Prophet said, "Give her anything, even if
it were an iron ring." The man apologized again. The
Prophet then asked him, "What do you know by heart of the
Qur'an?" He replied, "I know such-and-such portion of the
Qur'an (by heart)." The Prophet said, "Then I marry her to
you for that much of the Qur'an which you know by heart."
A lady came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's
Apostle! I have come to you to offer myself to you." He
raised his eyes and looked at her and then lowered his
head. When the lady saw that he did not make any decision,
she sat down. On that, a man from his companions got up
and said. "O Allah's Apostle! If you are not in need of
this woman, then marry her to me." Allah's Apostle said,
"Do you have anything to offer her?" He replied. "No, by
Allah, O Allah's Apostle!" The Prophet said to him, "Go to
your family and see if you can find something.' The man
went and returned, saying, "No, by Allah, O Allah's
Apostle! I have not found anything." The Prophet said,
"Try to find something, even if it is an iron ring.'' He
went again and returned, saying, "No, by Allah, O Allah's
Apostle, not even an iron ring, but I have this waist
sheet of mine." The man had no upper garment, so he
intended to give her, half his waist sheet. So Allah's
Apostle said, ''What would she do with your waist sheet?
If you wear it, she will have nothing of it over her body,
and if she wears it, you will have nothing over your
body." So that man sat for a long period and then got up,
and Allah's Apostle saw him going away, so he ordered
somebody to call him. When he came, the Prophet asked him,
" How much of the Qur'an do you know?" He replied, "I know
such Surat and such Surat and such Surat," and went on
counting it, The Prophet asked him, "Can you recite it by
heart?" he replied, "Yes." The Prophet said, "Go, I have
married this lady to you for the amount of the Qur'an you
know by heart."
Allah's Apostle said, "The example of the person who
knows the Qur'an by heart is like the owner of tied
camels. If he keeps them tied, he will control them, but
if he releases them, they will run away."
The Prophet said, "It is a bad thing that some of you
say, 'I have forgotten such-and-such verse of the Qur'an,'
for indeed, he has been caused (by Allah) to forget it. So
you must keep on reciting the Qur'an because it escapes
from the hearts of men faster than camel do."
The Prophet said, "Keep on reciting the Qur'an, for, by
Him in Whose Hand my life is, Quran runs away (is
forgotten) faster than camels that are released from their
tying ropes."
Those Suras which you people call the Mufassal, are the
Muhkam. And Ibn 'Abbas said, "Allah's Apostle died when I
was a boy of ten years, and I had learnt the Muhkam (of
the Qur'an).
Ibn 'Abbas said, "I have learnt all the Muhkam Suras
during the life time of Allah's Apostle." I said to him,
'What is meant by the Muhkam?" He replied, "The Mufassal."
The Prophet heard a man reciting the Qur'an in the
mosque and said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as he
has reminded me of such-and-such Verses of such a Surah."
Allah's Apostle heard a man reciting the Qur'an at
night, and said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as he
has reminded me of such-and-such Verses of such-and-such
Suras, which I was caused to forget."
The Prophet said, "Why does anyone of the people say,
'I have forgotten such-and-such Verses (of the Qur'an)?'
He, in fact, is caused (by Allah) to forget."
I heard Hisham bin Hakim bin Hizam reciting
Surat-al-Furqan during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle,
and I listened to his recitation and noticed that he
recited it in several ways which Allah's Apostle had not
taught me. So I was on the point of attacking him in the
prayer, but I waited till he finished his prayer, and then
I seized him by the collar and said, "Who taught you this
Surah which I have heard you reciting?" He replied,
"Allah's Apostle taught it to me." I said, "You are
telling a lie; By Allah! Allah's Apostle taught me (in a
different way) this very Surah which I have heard you
reciting." So I took him, leading him to Allah's Apostle
and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I heard this person reciting
Surat-al-Furqan in a way that you did not teach me, and
you have taught me Surat-al-Furqan." The Prophet said, "O
Hisham, recite!" So he recited in the same way as I heard
him recite it before. On that Allah's Apostle said, "It
was revealed to be recited in this way." Then Allah's
Apostle said, "Recite, O 'Umar!" So I recited it as he had
taught me. Allah's Apostle then said, "It was revealed to
be recited in this way." Allah" Apostle added, "The Quran
has been revealed to be recited in several different ways,
so recite of it that which is easier for you."
The Prophet heard a reciter reciting, the Qur'an in the
mosque at night. The Prophet said, "May Allah bestow His
Mercy on him, as he has remind ed me of such-and-such
Verses of such and-such Suras, which I missed!"
We went to 'Abdullah in the morning and a man said,
"Yesterday I recited all the Mufassal Suras." On that
'Abdullah said, "That is very quick, and we have the
(Prophet's) recitation, and I remember very well the
recitation of those Suras which the Prophet used to
recite, and they were eighteen Suras from the Mufassal,
and two Suras from the Suras that start with Ha Mim.
Regarding His (Allah's) Statement:-- 'Move not your
tongue concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste therewith.'
(75.16) And whenever Gabriel descended to Allah's Apostle
with the Divine Inspiration, Allah's Apostle used to move
his tongue and lips, and that used to be hard for him, and
one could easily recognize that he was being inspired
Divinely. So Allah revealed the Verse which occurs in the
Surah starting with "I do swear by the Day of
Resurrection.' (75.1) i.e. 'Move not your tongue
concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste then with. It is for
Us to collect it (in your mind) (O Muhammad) an give you
the ability to recite it 'by heart.' (75.16-17) which
means: It is for us to collect it (in your mind) and give
you the ability to recite it by heart. And when We have
recited it to you (O Muhammad) through Gabriel then follow
you its recital. (75.18) means: 'When We reveal it (the
Qur'an) to you, Listen to it.' for then: It is for Us to
explain it and make it clear to you' (75.19) i.e. It is up
to Us to explain it through your tongue. So, when Gabriel
came to him, Allah's Apostle would listen to him
attentively, and as soon as Gabriel left, he would recite
the Revelations, as Allah had promised him.
Anas was asked, "How was the recitation (of the Quran)
of the Prophet?' He replied, "It was characterized by the
prolongation of certain sounds." He then recited: In the
Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
prolonging the pronunciation of 'In the Name of Allah,
'the most Beneficent,' and 'the Most Merciful.
I saw the Prophet reciting (Qur'an) while he was riding
on his she camel or camel which was moving, carrying him.
He was reciting Surat Fath or part of Surat Fath very
softly and in an Attractive vibrating tone.
That the Prophet said to him, "Recite the Qur'an to
me." 'Abdullah said, "Shall I recite (the Qur'an) to you
while it has been revealed to you?" He said, "I like to
hear it from others."
The Prophet said to me, "Recite (the Quran) to me." I
said, "O Allah's Apostle Shall I recite (the Qur'an) to
you while it has been revealed to you?" He said, "Yes." So
I recited Surat-An-Nisa' (The Women), but when I recited
the Verse:
'How (will it be) then when We bring from each nation a
witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against
these people.' (4.41) He said, "Enough for the present," I
looked at him and behold! His eyes were overflowing with
tears
Ibn Shubruma said, "I wanted to see how much of the
Qur'an can be enough (to recite in prayer) and I could not
find a Surah containing less than three Verses, therefore
I said to myself), "One ought not to recite less than
three (Quranic) Verses (in prayer)."
Narrated Abu Mas'ud: The Prophet said, "If somebody
recites the last two Verses of Surat al-Baqara at night,
it will be sufficient for him.
My father got me married to a lady of a noble family,
and often used to ask my wife about me, and she used to
reply, "What a wonderful man he is! He never comes to my
bed, nor has he approached me since he married me." When
this state continued for a long period, my father told the
story to the Prophet who said to my father, "Let me meet
him." Then I met him and he asked me, "How do you fast?" I
replied, "I fast daily," He asked, "How long does it take
you to finish the recitation of the whole Quran?" I
replied, "I finish it every night." On that he said, "Fast
for three days every month and recite the Qur'an (and
finish it) in one month." I said, "But I have power to do
more than that." He said, "Then fast for three days per
week." I said, "i have the power to do more than that." He
said, "Therefore, fast the most superior type of fasting,
(that is, the fasting of (prophet) David who used to fast
every alternate day; and finish the recitation of the
whole Qur'an In seven days." I wish I had accepted the
permission of Allah's Apostle as I have become a weak old
man. It is said that 'Abdullah used to recite one-seventh
of the Qur'an during the day-time to some of his family
members, for he used to check his memorization of what he
would recite at night during the daytime so that it would
be easier for him to read at night. And whenever he wanted
to gain some strength, he used to give up fasting for some
days and count those days to fast for a similar period,
for he disliked to leave those things which he used to do
during the lifetime of the Prophet.
Allah's Apostle said to me, "Recite the whole Qur'an in
one month's time." I said, "But I have power (to do more
than that)." Allah's Apostle said, "Then finish the
recitation of the Qur'an in seven days, and do not finish
it in less than this period."
Allah's Apostle said (to me), "Recite the Qur'an to
me." I said, "Shall I recite (it) to you while it has been
revealed to you?" He said, "I like to hear it from another
person." So I recited Surat An-Nisa (The Women) till I
reached the Verse: 'How (will it be) then when We bring
from each nation a witness, and We bring you (O Muhammad)
as a witness against these people.' (4.41) Then he said to
me, "Stop!" Thereupon I saw his eyes overflowing with
tears.
The Prophet said to me, "Recite Quran to me." I said to
him. "Shall I recite (it) to you while it has been
revealed to you?" He said, "I like to hear it from another
person."
I heard the Prophet saying, "In the last days (of the
world) there will appear young people with foolish
thoughts and ideas. They will give good talks, but they
will go out of Islam as an arrow goes out of its game,
their faith will not exceed their throats. So, wherever
you find them, kill them, for there will be a reward for
their killers on the Day of Resurrection."
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "There will appear some
people among you whose prayer will make you look down upon
yours, and whose fasting will make you look down upon
yours, but they will recite the Qur'an which will not
exceed their throats (they will not act on it) and they
will go out of Islam as an arrow goes out through the game
whereupon the archer would examine the arrowhead but see
nothing, and look at the unfeathered arrow but see
nothing, and look at the arrow feathers but see nothing,
and finally he suspects to find something in the lower
part of the arrow."
The Prophet said, "The example of a believer who
recites the Qur'an and acts on it, like a citron which
tastes nice and smells nice. And the example of a believer
who does not recite the Qur'an but acts on it, is like a
date which tastes good but has no smell. And the example
of a hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like a Raihana
(sweet basil) which smells good but tastes bitter And the
example of a hypocrite who does not recite the Quran is
like a colocynth which tastes bitter and has a bad smell."
The Prophet said, "Recite (and study) the Qur'an as
long as you agree about its interpretation, but if you
have any difference of opinion (as regards to its
interpretation and meaning) then you should stop reciting
it (for the time being)."
The Prophet said, "Recite (and study) the Quran as long
as you agree about its interpretation, but when you have
any difference of opinion (as regards its interpretation
and meaning) then you should stop reciting it (for the
time being)'
That he heard a man reciting a Quranic Verse which he
had heard the Prophet reciting in a different way. So he
took that man to the Prophet (and told him the story). The
Prophet said, "Both of you are reciting in a correct way,
so carry on reciting." The Prophet further added, "The
nations which were before you were destroyed (by Allah)
because they differed."
Narrated 'Aisha and Ibn 'Abbas:
The Prophet remained in Mecca for ten years, during
which the Qur'an used to be revealed to him; and he
stayed in Medina for ten years.
I was informed that Gabriel came to the Prophet while
Um Salama was with him. Gabriel started talking (to the
Prophet). Then the Prophet asked Um Salama, "Who is
this?" She replied, "He is Dihya (al-Kalbi)." When
Gabriel had left, Um Salama said, "By Allah, I did not
take him for anybody other than him (i.e. Dihya) till I
heard the sermon of the Prophet wherein he informed
about the news of Gabriel." The subnarrator asked Abu
'Uthman: From whom have you heard that? Abu 'Uthman
said: From Usama bin Zaid.
The Prophet said, "Every Prophet was given miracles
because of which people believed, but what I have been
given, is Divine Inspiration which Allah has revealed to
me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber the
followers of the other Prophets on the Day of
Resurrection."
Allah sent down His Divine Inspiration to His Apostle
continuously and abundantly during the period preceding
his death till He took him unto Him. That was the period
of the greatest part of revelation; and Allah's Apostle
died after that.
Once the Prophet fell ill and did not offer the night
prayer (Tahajjud prayer) for a night or two. A woman
(the wife of Abu Lahab) came to him and said, "O
Muhammad ! I do not see but that your Satan has left
you." Then Allah revealed (Surat-Ad-Duha):
'By the fore-noon, and by the night when it darkens
(or is still); Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor hated
you.' (93)
(The Caliph 'Uthman ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Said bin
Al-As, 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair and 'Abdur-Rahman bin
Al-Harith bin Hisham to write the Quran in the form of a
book (Mushafs) and said to them. "In case you disagree
with Zaid bin Thabit (Al-Ansari) regarding any dialectic
Arabic utterance of the Quran, then write it in the
dialect of Quraish, for the Quran was revealed in this
dialect." So they did it.
Ya'la used to say, "I wish I could see Allah's
Apostle at the time he is being inspired Divinely." When
the Prophet was at Al-Ja'rana and was shaded by a
garment hanging over him and some of his companions were
with him, a man perfumed with scent came and said, "O
Allah's Apostle! What is your opinion regarding a man
who assumes Ihram and puts on a cloak after perfuming
his body with scent?" The Prophet waited for a while,
and then the Divine Inspiration descended upon him.
'Umar pointed out to Ya'la, telling him to come. Ya'la
came and pushed his head (underneath the screen which
was covering the Prophet ) and behold! The Prophet's
face was red and he kept on breathing heavily for a
while and then he was relieved. Thereupon he said,
"Where is the questioner who asked me about 'Umra a
while ago?" The man was sought and then was brought
before the Prophet who said (to him), "As regards the
scent which you perfumed your body with, you must wash
it off thrice, and as for your cloak, you must take it
off; and then perform in your 'Umra all those things
which you perform in Hajj."
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq sent for me when the people! of
Yamama had been killed (i.e., a number of the Prophet's
Companions who fought against Musailama). (I went to
him) and found 'Umar bin Al-Khattab sitting with him.
Abu Bakr then said (to me), "Umar has come to me and
said: "Casualties were heavy among the Qurra' of the!
Qur'an (i.e. those who knew the Quran by heart) on the
day of the Battle of Yalmama, and I am afraid that more
heavy casualties may take place among the Qurra' on
other battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an
may be lost. Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order
that the Qur'an be collected." I said to 'Umar, "How can
you do something which Allah's Apostle did not do?"
'Umar said, "By Allah, that is a good project. "Umar
kept on urging me to accept his proposal till Allah
opened my chest for it and I began to realize the good
in the idea which 'Umar had realized." Then Abu Bakr
said (to me). 'You are a wise young man and we do not
have any suspicion about you, and you used to write the
Divine Inspiration for Allah's Apostle. So you should
search for (the fragmentary scripts of) the Qur'an and
collect it in one book)." By Allah If they had ordered
me to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been
heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the
Qur'an. Then I said to Abu Bakr, "How will you do
something which Allah's Apostle did not do?" Abu Bakr
replied, "By Allah, it is a good project." Abu Bakr kept
on urging me to accept his idea until Allah opened my
chest for what He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and
'Umar. So I started looking for the Qur'an and
collecting it from (what was written on) palmed stalks,
thin white stones and also from the men who knew it by
heart, till I found the last Verse of Surat At-Tauba
(Repentance) with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari, and I did not
find it with anybody other than him. The Verse is:
'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad)
from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should
receive any injury or difficulty..(till the end of
Surat-Baraa' (At-Tauba) (9.128-129) Then the complete
manuscripts (copy) of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr
till he died, then with 'Umar till the end of his life,
and then with Hafsa, the daughter of 'Umar.
Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to Uthman at the time when
the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were Waging
war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was
afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq)
differences in the recitation of the Qur'an, so he said
to 'Uthman, "O chief of the Believers! Save this nation
before they differ about the Book (Quran) as Jews and
the Christians did before." So 'Uthman sent a message to
Hafsa saying, "Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so
that we may compile the Qur'anic materials in perfect
copies and return the manuscripts to you." Hafsa sent it
to 'Uthman. 'Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit,
'Abdullah bin AzZubair, Said bin Al-As and 'AbdurRahman
bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in
perfect copies. 'Uthman said to the three Quraishi men,
"In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point
in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish,
the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue." They did so,
and when they had written many copies, 'Uthman returned
the original manuscripts to Hafsa. 'Uthman sent to every
Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and
ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials, whether
written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be
burnt. Said bin Thabit added, "A Verse from Surat Ahzab
was missed by me when we copied the Qur'an and I used to
hear Allah's Apostle reciting it. So we searched for it
and found it with Khuzaima bin Thabit Al-Ansari. (That
Verse was): 'Among the Believers are men who have been
true in their covenant with Allah.' (33.23)
Abu Bakr sent for me and said, "You used to write the
Divine Revelations for Allah's Apostle : So you should
search for (the Qur'an and collect) it." I started
searching for the Qur'an till I found the last two
Verses of Surat At-Tauba with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari and
I could not find these Verses with anybody other than
him. (They were):
'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad)
from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should
receive any injury or difficulty ...' (9.128-129)
There was revealed: 'Not equal are those believers
who sit (at home) and those who strive and fight in the
Cause of Allah.' (4.95)
The Prophet said, "Call Zaid for me and let him bring
the board, the inkpot and the scapula bone (or the
scapula bone and the ink pot)."' Then he said, "Write:
'Not equal are those Believers who sit..", and at that
time 'Amr bin Um Maktum, the blind man was sitting
behind the Prophet . He said, "O Allah's Apostle! What
is your order For me (as regards the above Verse) as I
am a blind man?" So, instead of the above Verse, the
following Verse was revealed:
'Not equal are those believers who sit (at home)
except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or
lame etc.) and those who strive and fight in the cause
of Allah.' (4.95)
Allah's Apostle said, "Gabriel recited the Qur'an to
me in one way. Then I requested him (to read it in
another way), and continued asking him to recite it in
other ways, and he recited it in several ways till he
ultimately recited it in seven different ways."
I heard Hisham bin Hakim reciting Surat Al-Furqan
during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle and I listened to
his recitation and noticed that he recited in several
different ways which Allah's Apostle had not taught me.
I was about to jump over him during his prayer, but I
controlled my temper, and when he had completed his
prayer, I put his upper garment around his neck and
seized him by it and said, "Who taught you this Sura
which I heard you reciting?" He replied, "Allah's
Apostle taught it to me." I said, "You have told a lie,
for Allah's Apostle has taught it to me in a different
way from yours." So I dragged him to Allah's Apostle and
said (to Allah's Apostle),
"I heard this person reciting Surat Al-Furqan in a
way which you haven't taught me!" On that Allah's
Apostle said, "Release him, (O 'Umar!) Recite, O
Hisham!" Then he recited in the same way as I heard him
reciting. Then Allah's Apostle said, "It was revealed in
this way," and added, "Recite, O 'Umar!" I recited it as
he had taught me. Allah's Apostle then said, "It was
revealed in this way. This Qur'an has been revealed to
be recited in seven different ways, so recite of it
whichever (way) is easier for you (or read as much of it
as may be easy for you)."
While I was with Aisha, the mother of the Believers,
a person from Iraq came and asked, "What type of shroud
is the best?" 'Aisha said, "May Allah be merciful to
you! What does it matter?" He said, "O mother of the
Believers! Show me (the copy of) your Qur'an," She said,
"Why?" He said, "In order to compile and arrange the
Qur'an according to it, for people recite it with its
Suras not in proper order." 'Aisha said, "What does it
matter which part of it you read first? (Be informed)
that the first thing that was revealed thereof was a
Sura from Al-Mufassal, and in it was mentioned Paradise
and the Fire. When the people embraced Islam, the Verses
regarding legal and illegal things were revealed. If the
first thing to be revealed was: 'Do not drink alcoholic
drinks.' people would have said, 'We will never leave
alcoholic drinks,' and if there had been revealed, 'Do
not commit illegal sexual intercourse, 'they would have
said, 'We will never give up illegal sexual
intercourse.' While I was a young girl of playing age,
the following Verse was revealed in Mecca to Muhammad:
'Nay! But the Hour is their appointed time (for their
full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and
more bitter.' (54.46) Sura Al-Baqara (The Cow) and Surat
An-Nisa (The Women) were revealed while I was with him."
Then 'Aisha took out the copy of the Qur'an for the man
and dictated to him the Verses of the Suras (in their
proper order) .
Surat Bani-lsrael, Al-Kahf (The Cave), Maryam, Taha,
Al-Anbiya' (The prophets) are amongst my first earnings
and my old property, and (in fact) they are my old
property.
Abdullah said, "I learnt An-Naza'ir which the Prophet
used to recite in pairs in each Rak'a." Then Abdullah
got up and Alqama accompanied him to his house, and when
Alqama came out, we asked him (about those Suras). He
said, "They are twenty Suras that start from the
beginning of Al-Mufassal, according to the arrangement
done be Ibn Mas'ud, and end with the Suras starting with
Ha Mim, e.g. Ha Mim (the Smoke). and "About what they
question one another?" (78.1)
The Prophet was the most generous person, and he used
to become more so (generous) particularly in the month
of Ramadan because Gabriel used to meet him every night
of the month of Ramadan till it elapsed. Allah's Apostle
used to recite the Qur'an for him. When Gabriel met him,
he used to become more generous than the fast wind in
doing good.
Narrated Abu-Huraira: Gabriel used to repeat the
recitation of the Qur'an with the Prophet once a year,
but he repeated it twice with him in the year he died.
The Prophet used to stay in I'tikaf for ten days every
year (in the month of Ramadan), but
'Abdullah bin 'Amr mentioned 'Abdullah bin Masud and
said, "I shall ever love that man, for I heard the
Prophet saying, 'Take (learn) the Qur'an from four:
'Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Mu'adh and Ubai bin Ka'b.' "
Once 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud delivered a sermon before
us and said, "By Allah, I learnt over seventy Suras
direct from Allah's Apostle . By Allah, the companions
of the Prophet came to know that I am one of those who
know Allah's Book best of all of them, yet I am not the
best of them." Shaqiq added: I sat in his religious
gathering and I did not hear anybody opposing him (in
his speech).
While we were in the city of Hims (in Syria), Ibn
Mas'ud recited Surat Yusuf. A man said to him), "It was
not revealed in this way." Then Ibn Mas'ud said, "I
recited it in this way before Allah's Apostle and he
confirmed my recitation by saying, 'Well done!' " Ibn
Mas'ud detected the smell of wine from the man's mouth,
so he said to him, "Aren't you ashamed of telling a lie
about Allah's Book and (along with this) you drink
alcoholic liquors too?" Then he lashed him according to
the law.
Narrated 'Abdullah (bin Mas'ud) : By Allah other than
Whom none has the right to be worshipped! There is no
Sura revealed in Allah's Book but I know at what place
it was revealed; and there is no Verse revealed in
Allah's Book but I know about whom
I asked Anas bin Malik: "Who collected the Qur'an at
the time of the Prophet ?" He replied, "Four, all of
whom were from the Ansar: Ubai bin Ka'b, Mu'adh bin
Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit and Abu Zaid."
When the Prophet died, none had collected the Qur'an
but four persons;: Abu Ad-Darda'. Mu'adh bin Jabal, Zaid
bin Thabit and Abu Zaid. We were the inheritor (of Abu
Zaid) as he had no offspring .
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: 'Umar said, Ubai was the best of
us in the recitation (of the Qur'an) yet we leave some
of what he recites.' Ubai says, 'PI have taken it from
the mouth of Allah's Apostle and will not leave for
anything whatever." But Allah said
While I was praying, the Prophet called me but I did
not respond to his call. Later I said, "O Allah's
Apostle! I was praying." He said, "Didn't Allah say: 'O
you who believe! Give your response to Allah (by obeying
Him) and to His Apostle when he calls you'?" (8.24)
He then said, "Shall I not teach you the most
superior Surah in the Qur'an?" He said, '(It is),
'Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. ' (i.e.,
Surat Al-Fatiha) which consists of seven repeatedly
recited Verses and the Magnificent Qur'an which was
given to me."
While we were on one of our journeys, we dismounted
at a place where a slave girl came and said, "The chief
of this tribe has been stung by a scorpion and our men
are not present; is there anybody among you who can
treat him (by reciting something)?" Then one of our men
went along with her though we did not think that he knew
any such treatment. But he treated the chief by reciting
something, and the sick man recovered whereupon he gave
him thirty sheep and gave us milk to drink (as a
reward). When he returned, we asked our friend, "Did you
know how to treat with the recitation of something?" He
said, "No, but I treated him only with the recitation of
the Mother of the Book (i.e., Al-Fatiha)." We said, "Do
not say anything (about it) till we reach or ask the
Prophet so when we reached Medina, we mentioned that to
the Prophet (in order to know whether the sheep which we
had taken were lawful to take or not). The Prophet said,
"How did he come to know that it (Al-Fatiha) could be
used for treatment? Distribute your reward and assign
for me one share thereof as well."
The Prophet said, "If somebody recited the last two
Verses of Surat Al-Baqara at night, that will be
sufficient for him."
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah 's Apostle ordered me to
guard the Zakat revenue of Ramadan. Then somebody came
to me and started stealing of the foodstuff. I caught
him and said, "I will take you to Allah's Apostle!" Then
Abu Huraira described the whole narration and said:)
That person said (to me), "(Please don't take me to
Allah's Apostle and I will tell you a few words by which
Allah will benefit you.) When you go to your bed, recite
Ayat-al-Kursi, (2.255) for then there will be a guard
from Allah who will protect you all night long, and
Satan will not be able to come near you till dawn."
(When the Prophet heard the story) he said (to me), "He
(who came to you at night) told you the truth although
he is a liar; and it was Satan."
A man was reciting Surat Al-Kahf and his horse was
tied with two ropes beside him. A cloud came down and
spread over that man, and it kept on coming closer and
closer to him till his horse started jumping (as if
afraid of something). When it was morning, the man came
to the Prophet, and told him of that experience. The
Prophet said, "That was As-Sakina (tranquility) which
descended because of (the recitation of) the Qur'an."
Allah's Apostle was traveling on one of his journeys,
and 'Umar bin Al-Khattab was traveling along with him at
night. 'Umar asked him about something, but Allah's
Apostle I did not answer him. He asked again, but he did
not answer. He asked for the third time!, but he did not
answer. On that, 'Umar said to himself, "May your mother
lose you! You have asked Allah's Apostle three times,
but he did not answer at all!" Umar said, "So I made my
camel go fast till I was ahead of the people, and I was
afraid that something might be! revealed about me. After
a little while I heard a call maker calling me, I said,
'I was afraid that some Qur'anic Verse might be revealed
about me.' So I went to Allah's Apostle and greeted him.
He said, 'Tonight there has been revealed to me a Surah
which is dearer to me than that on which the sun shines
(i.e. the world).' Then he recited: 'Verily! We have
given you (O Muhammad I, a manifest victory.' " (Surat
al-Fath) No. (48.1).
A man heard another man reciting (Surat-Al-Ikhlas)
'Say He is Allah, (the) One.' (112. 1) repeatedly. The
next morning he came to Allah's Apostle and informed him
about it as if he thought that it was not enough to
recite. On that Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose
Hand my life is, this Surah is equal to one-third of the
Qur'an!"
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: My brother, Qatada bin
An-Nau'man said, "A man performed the night prayer late
at night in the lifetime of the Prophet and he read:
'Say: He is Allah, (the) One,' (112.1) and read nothing
besides that. The next morning a man went to the Prophet
,~ and told him about that . (The Prophet replied the
same as (in Hadith 532) above.)
The Prophet said to his companions, "Is it difficult
for any of you to recite one third of the Qur'an in one
night?" This suggestion was difficult for them so they
said, "Who among us has the power to do so, O Allah's
Apostle?" Allah Apostle replied: " Allah (the) One, the
Self-Sufficient Master Whom all creatures need.' (Surat
Al-Ikhlas 112.1--to the End) is equal to one third of
the Qur'an."
Whenever Allah's Apostle became sick, he would recite
Mu'awwidhat (Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas) and then
blow his breath over his body. When he became seriously
ill, I used to recite (these two Suras) and rub his
hands over his body hoping for its blessings.
Whenever thy Prophet go went to bed every night, he
used to cup his hands together and blow over it after
reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat
An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of
his body he was able to rub, starting with his head,
face and front of his body. He used to do that three
times.
That while he was reciting Surat Al-Baqara (The Cow)
at night, and his horse was tied beside him, the horse
was suddenly startled and troubled. When he stopped
reciting, the horse became quiet, and when he started
again, the horse was startled again. Then he stopped
reciting and the horse became quiet too. He started
reciting again and the horse was startled and troubled
once again. Then he stopped reciting and his son, Yahya
was beside the horse. He was afraid that the horse might
trample on him. When he took the boy away and looked
towards the sky, he could not see it. The next morning
he informed the Prophet who said, "Recite, O Ibn Hudair!
Recite, O Ibn Hudair!" Ibn Hudair replied, "O Allah's
Apostle! My son, Yahya was near the horse and I was
afraid that it might trample on him, so I looked towards
the sky, and went to him. When I looked at the sky, I
saw something like a cloud containing what looked like
lamps, so I went out in order not to see it." The
Prophet said, "Do you know what that was?" Ibn Hudair
replied, "No." The Prophet said, "Those were Angels who
came near to you for your voice and if you had kept on
reciting till dawn, it would have remained there till
morning when people would have seen it as it would not
have disappear
Shaddad bin Ma'qil and I entered upon Ibn 'Abbas.
Shaddad bin Ma'qil asked him, "Did the Prophet leave
anything (besides the Qur'an)?" He replied. "He did not
leave anything except what is Between the two bindings
(of the Qur'an)." Then we visited Muhammad bin
Al-Hanafiyya and asked him (the same question). He
replied, "The Prophet did not leave except what is
between the bindings (of the Qur'an)."
The Prophet said, "The example of him (a believer)
who recites the Qur'an is like that of a citron which
tastes good and smells good. And he (a believer) who
does not recite the Qur'an is like a date which is good
in taste but has no smell. And the example of a
dissolute wicked person who recites the Qur'an is like
the Raihana (sweet basil) which smells good but tastes
bitter. And the example of a dissolute wicked person who
does not recite the Qur'an is like the colocynth which
tastes bitter and has no smell.
The Prophet said, "Your life in comparison to the
lifetime of the past nations is like the period between
the time of 'Asr prayer and sunset. Your example and the
example of the Jews and Christians is that of person who
employed laborers and said to them, "Who will work for
me till the middle of the day for one Qirat (a special
weight)?' The Jews did. He then said, "Who will work for
me from the middle of the day till the 'Asr prayer for
one Qirat each?" The Christians worked accordingly. Then
you (Muslims) are working from the bar prayer till the
Maghrib prayer for two Qirats each. They (the Jews and
the Christians) said, 'We did more labor but took less
wages.' He (Allah) said, 'Have I wronged you in your
rights?' They replied, 'No.' Then He said, 'This is My
Blessing which I give to whom I wish."
I asked 'Abdullah bin Abi 'Aufa, "Did the Prophet
make a will (to appoint his successor or bequeath
wealth)?" He replied, "No." I said, "How is it
prescribed then for the people to make wills, and they
are ordered to do so while the Prophet did not make any
will?" He said, "He made a will wherein he recommended
Allah's Book."
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Allah
does not listen to a prophet as He listens to a prophet
who recites the Qur'an in a pleasant tone." The
companion of the sub-narrator (Abu Salama) said, "It
means, reciting it aloud."
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet I said, "Allah does
not listen to a prophet as He listens to a prophet who
recites the Qur'an in a loud and pleasant tone." Sufyan
said, "This saying means: a prophet who regards the
Qur'an as something that makes hi
Allah's Apostle said, "Not to wish to be the like
except of two men. A man whom Allah has given the
knowledge of the Book and he recites it during the hours
of the night, and a man whom Allah has given wealth, and
he spends it in charity during the night and the hours
of the day."
Allah's Apostle I said, "Not to wish to be the like
of except two men: A man whom Allah has taught the
Qur'an and he recites it during the hours of the night
and during the hours of the day, and his neighbor
listens to him and says, 'I wish I had been given what
has been given to so-and-so, so that I might do what he
does; and a man whom Allah has given wealth and he
spends it on what is just and right, whereupon an other
man May say, 'I wish I had been given what so-and-so has
been given, for then I would do what he does."
A lady came to the Prophet and declared that she had
decided to offer herself to Allah and His Apostle. The
Prophet said, "I am not in need of women." A man said
(to the Prophet) "Please marry her to me." The Prophet
said (to him), "Give her a garment." The man said, "I
cannot afford it." The Prophet said, "Give her anything,
even if it were an iron ring." The man apologized again.
The Prophet then asked him, "What do you know by heart
of the Qur'an?" He replied, "I know such-and-such
portion of the Qur'an (by heart)." The Prophet said,
"Then I marry her to you for that much of the Qur'an
which you know by heart."
A lady came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's
Apostle! I have come to you to offer myself to you." He
raised his eyes and looked at her and then lowered his
head. When the lady saw that he did not make any
decision, she sat down. On that, a man from his
companions got up and said. "O Allah's Apostle! If you
are not in need of this woman, then marry her to me."
Allah's Apostle said, "Do you have anything to offer
her?" He replied. "No, by Allah, O Allah's Apostle!" The
Prophet said to him, "Go to your family and see if you
can find something.' The man went and returned, saying,
"No, by Allah, O Allah's Apostle! I have not found
anything." The Prophet said, "Try to find something,
even if it is an iron ring.'' He went again and
returned, saying, "No, by Allah, O Allah's Apostle, not
even an iron ring, but I have this waist sheet of mine."
The man had no upper garment, so he intended to give
her, half his waist sheet. So Allah's Apostle said,
''What would she do with your waist sheet? If you wear
it, she will have nothing of it over her body, and if
she wears it, you will have nothing over your body." So
that man sat for a long period and then got up, and
Allah's Apostle saw him going away, so he ordered
somebody to call him. When he came, the Prophet asked
him, " How much of the Qur'an do you know?" He replied,
"I know such Surat and such Surat and such Surat," and
went on counting it, The Prophet asked him, "Can you
recite it by heart?" he replied, "Yes." The Prophet
said, "Go, I have married this lady to you for the
amount of the Qur'an you know by heart."
Allah's Apostle said, "The example of the person who
knows the Qur'an by heart is like the owner of tied
camels. If he keeps them tied, he will control them, but
if he releases them, they will run away."
The Prophet said, "It is a bad thing that some of you
say, 'I have forgotten such-and-such verse of the
Qur'an,' for indeed, he has been caused (by Allah) to
forget it. So you must keep on reciting the Qur'an
because it escapes from the hearts of men faster than
camel do."
The Prophet said, "Keep on reciting the Qur'an, for,
by Him in Whose Hand my life is, Quran runs away (is
forgotten) faster than camels that are released from
their tying ropes."
Those Suras which you people call the Mufassal, are
the Muhkam. And Ibn 'Abbas said, "Allah's Apostle died
when I was a boy of ten years, and I had learnt the
Muhkam (of the Qur'an).
Ibn 'Abbas said, "I have learnt all the Muhkam Suras
during the life time of Allah's Apostle." I said to him,
'What is meant by the Muhkam?" He replied, "The
Mufassal."
The Prophet heard a man reciting the Qur'an in the
mosque and said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as
he has reminded me of such-and-such Verses of such a
Surah."
Allah's Apostle heard a man reciting the Qur'an at
night, and said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as
he has reminded me of such-and-such Verses of
such-and-such Suras, which I was caused to forget."
The Prophet said, "Why does anyone of the people say,
'I have forgotten such-and-such Verses (of the Qur'an)?'
He, in fact, is caused (by Allah) to forget."
I heard Hisham bin Hakim bin Hizam reciting
Surat-al-Furqan during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle,
and I listened to his recitation and noticed that he
recited it in several ways which Allah's Apostle had not
taught me. So I was on the point of attacking him in the
prayer, but I waited till he finished his prayer, and
then I seized him by the collar and said, "Who taught
you this Surah which I have heard you reciting?" He
replied, "Allah's Apostle taught it to me." I said, "You
are telling a lie; By Allah! Allah's Apostle taught me
(in a different way) this very Surah which I have heard
you reciting." So I took him, leading him to Allah's
Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I heard this
person reciting Surat-al-Furqan in a way that you did
not teach me, and you have taught me Surat-al-Furqan."
The Prophet said, "O Hisham, recite!" So he recited in
the same way as I heard him recite it before. On that
Allah's Apostle said, "It was revealed to be recited in
this way." Then Allah's Apostle said, "Recite, O 'Umar!"
So I recited it as he had taught me. Allah's Apostle
then said, "It was revealed to be recited in this way."
Allah" Apostle added, "The Quran has been revealed to be
recited in several different ways, so recite of it that
which is easier for you."
The Prophet heard a reciter reciting, the Qur'an in
the mosque at night. The Prophet said, "May Allah bestow
His Mercy on him, as he has remind ed me of
such-and-such Verses of such and-such Suras, which I
missed!"
We went to 'Abdullah in the morning and a man said,
"Yesterday I recited all the Mufassal Suras." On that
'Abdullah said, "That is very quick, and we have the
(Prophet's) recitation, and I remember very well the
recitation of those Suras which the Prophet used to
recite, and they were eighteen Suras from the Mufassal,
and two Suras from the Suras that start with Ha Mim.
Regarding His (Allah's) Statement:-- 'Move not your
tongue concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste therewith.'
(75.16) And whenever Gabriel descended to Allah's
Apostle with the Divine Inspiration, Allah's Apostle
used to move his tongue and lips, and that used to be
hard for him, and one could easily recognize that he was
being inspired Divinely. So Allah revealed the Verse
which occurs in the Surah starting with "I do swear by
the Day of Resurrection.' (75.1) i.e. 'Move not your
tongue concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste then with.
It is for Us to collect it (in your mind) (O Muhammad)
an give you the ability to recite it 'by heart.'
(75.16-17) which means: It is for us to collect it (in
your mind) and give you the ability to recite it by
heart. And when We have recited it to you (O Muhammad)
through Gabriel then follow you its recital. (75.18)
means: 'When We reveal it (the Qur'an) to you, Listen to
it.' for then: It is for Us to explain it and make it
clear to you' (75.19) i.e. It is up to Us to explain it
through your tongue. So, when Gabriel came to him,
Allah's Apostle would listen to him attentively, and as
soon as Gabriel left, he would recite the Revelations,
as Allah had promised him.
Anas was asked, "How was the recitation (of the
Quran) of the Prophet?' He replied, "It was
characterized by the prolongation of certain sounds." He
then recited: In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent,
the Most Merciful prolonging the pronunciation of 'In
the Name of Allah, 'the most Beneficent,' and 'the Most
Merciful.
I saw the Prophet reciting (Qur'an) while he was
riding on his she camel or camel which was moving,
carrying him. He was reciting Surat Fath or part of
Surat Fath very softly and in an Attractive vibrating
tone.
That the Prophet said to him, "Recite the Qur'an to
me." 'Abdullah said, "Shall I recite (the Qur'an) to you
while it has been revealed to you?" He said, "I like to
hear it from others."
The Prophet said to me, "Recite (the Quran) to me." I
said, "O Allah's Apostle Shall I recite (the Qur'an) to
you while it has been revealed to you?" He said, "Yes."
So I recited Surat-An-Nisa' (The Women), but when I
recited the Verse:
'How (will it be) then when We bring from each nation
a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness
against these people.' (4.41) He said, "Enough for the
present," I looked at him and behold! His eyes were
overflowing with tears
Ibn Shubruma said, "I wanted to see how much of the
Qur'an can be enough (to recite in prayer) and I could
not find a Surah containing less than three Verses,
therefore I said to myself), "One ought not to recite
less than three (Quranic) Verses (in prayer)."
Narrated Abu Mas'ud: The Prophet said, "If somebody
recites the last two Verses of Surat al-Baqara at night,
it will be sufficient for him.
My father got me married to a lady of a noble family,
and often used to ask my wife about me, and she used to
reply, "What a wonderful man he is! He never comes to my
bed, nor has he approached me since he married me." When
this state continued for a long period, my father told
the story to the Prophet who said to my father, "Let me
meet him." Then I met him and he asked me, "How do you
fast?" I replied, "I fast daily," He asked, "How long
does it take you to finish the recitation of the whole
Quran?" I replied, "I finish it every night." On that he
said, "Fast for three days every month and recite the
Qur'an (and finish it) in one month." I said, "But I
have power to do more than that." He said, "Then fast
for three days per week." I said, "i have the power to
do more than that." He said, "Therefore, fast the most
superior type of fasting, (that is, the fasting of
(prophet) David who used to fast every alternate day;
and finish the recitation of the whole Qur'an In seven
days." I wish I had accepted the permission of Allah's
Apostle as I have become a weak old man. It is said that
'Abdullah used to recite one-seventh of the Qur'an
during the day-time to some of his family members, for
he used to check his memorization of what he would
recite at night during the daytime so that it would be
easier for him to read at night. And whenever he wanted
to gain some strength, he used to give up fasting for
some days and count those days to fast for a similar
period, for he disliked to leave those things which he
used to do during the lifetime of the Prophet.
Allah's Apostle said to me, "Recite the whole Qur'an
in one month's time." I said, "But I have power (to do
more than that)." Allah's Apostle said, "Then finish the
recitation of the Qur'an in seven days, and do not
finish it in less than this period."
Allah's Apostle said (to me), "Recite the Qur'an to
me." I said, "Shall I recite (it) to you while it has
been revealed to you?" He said, "I like to hear it from
another person." So I recited Surat An-Nisa (The Women)
till I reached the Verse: 'How (will it be) then when We
bring from each nation a witness, and We bring you (O
Muhammad) as a witness against these people.' (4.41)
Then he said to me, "Stop!" Thereupon I saw his eyes
overflowing with tears.
The Prophet said to me, "Recite Quran to me." I said
to him. "Shall I recite (it) to you while it has been
revealed to you?" He said, "I like to hear it from
another person."
I heard the Prophet saying, "In the last days (of the
world) there will appear young people with foolish
thoughts and ideas. They will give good talks, but they
will go out of Islam as an arrow goes out of its game,
their faith will not exceed their throats. So, wherever
you find them, kill them, for there will be a reward for
their killers on the Day of Resurrection."
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "There will appear
some people among you whose prayer will make you look
down upon yours, and whose fasting will make you look
down upon yours, but they will recite the Qur'an which
will not exceed their throats (they will not act on it)
and they will go out of Islam as an arrow goes out
through the game whereupon the archer would examine the
arrowhead but see nothing, and look at the unfeathered
arrow but see nothing, and look at the arrow feathers
but see nothing, and finally he suspects to find
something in the lower part of the arrow."
The Prophet said, "The example of a believer who
recites the Qur'an and acts on it, like a citron which
tastes nice and smells nice. And the example of a
believer who does not recite the Qur'an but acts on it,
is like a date which tastes good but has no smell. And
the example of a hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is
like a Raihana (sweet basil) which smells good but
tastes bitter And the example of a hypocrite who does
not recite the Quran is like a colocynth which tastes
bitter and has a bad smell."
The Prophet said, "Recite (and study) the Qur'an as
long as you agree about its interpretation, but if you
have any difference of opinion (as regards to its
interpretation and meaning) then you should stop
reciting it (for the time being)."
The Prophet said, "Recite (and study) the Quran as
long as you agree about its interpretation, but when you
have any difference of opinion (as regards its
interpretation and meaning) then you should stop
reciting it (for the time being)'
That he heard a man reciting a Quranic Verse which he
had heard the Prophet reciting in a different way. So he
took that man to the Prophet (and told him the story).
The Prophet said, "Both of you are reciting in a correct
way, so carry on reciting." The Prophet further added,
"The nations which were before you were destroyed (by
Allah) because they differed."