بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ
قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
ثم الصلاه و السلام علی محمد عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون
اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
Eighteen Virtues: Reciting the Quran
أَمَّا اللَّيْلَ فَصَافُّونَ أَقْدَامَهُمْ، تَالِينَ لِأَجْزَاءِ الْقُرْآنِ يُرَتِّلُونَهَا تَرْتِيلاً
When it is night (for prayer) they stand and recite the verses of the Quran with reflection and thought.
This phrase from amir al-mumenin has two virtues from the virtues of pious: one of them is night prayer and the other is the recitation of the Quran.
We discussed the virtues of praying at night last week, and today we will discuss the virtues of reciting the Quran.
Reciting the Quran
In the Holy Qur’an and the sayings of Prophet and ahl al-beit there are many recommendations regarding the recitation of the Qur’an and reflection and thinking about it.
Persistence in reading the Qur’an leads to the human being being inspired by the Word of God and has many worldly and eternal blessings.
This is so important to the leaders of the Islamic religion that even those who do not have the necessary literacy to read the Qur’an have been told to look at the scripture of the Qur’an. The recitation and reading of the Qur’an is primarily addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) , which holly Quran says:
وَقُرْآنًا فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَى مُكْثٍ وَنَزَّلْنَاهُ تَنْزِيلًا ﴿اسراء:۱۰۶)
A Quran which We unfolded gradually, that you may recite to the people over time. And We revealed it in stages.
And God says to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to declare his duty in reciting the Qur’an to the people:
إِنَّمَا أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ رَبَّ هَذِهِ الْبَلْدَةِ الَّذِي حَرَّمَهَا وَلَهُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ؛ وَأَنْ أَتْلُوَ الْقُرْآنَ فَمَنِاهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُنْذِرِينَ ﴿نمل:۹۱-92)
“I was commanded to worship the Lord of this town, who has sanctified it, and to Whom everything belongs; and I was commanded to be of those who submit. And to recite the Quran.” Whoever is guided—is guided to his own advantage. And whoever goes astray, then say, “I am one of the warners.”
In the case of the people, the Holy Quran repeatedly invites Muslims to read the Quran repeatedly. In the last verse of Surah al-Muzzammil, God has ordered people twice to recite Quran as its possible for men:
(فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ … فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ… ﴿مزمل:۲۰
So read of the Quran what is possible for you. He knows that some of you may be ill;
The Holy Quran commands all Muslims to read and think on the Qur’an and comprehend the divine traditions and even reproach those who do not meditate on the Qur’an and carefully understand its meanings:
أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَى قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا ﴿محمد:۲۴)
Will they not ponder the Quran? Or are there locks upon their hearts?
In a narration by Imam Sadiq (as) it is reproofed that work conflicts prevent people from reading the Quran. In the logic of the Ahlul-Bayt, every human being should read and meditate on a certain amount of verses of the Qur’an every day. Imam Sadeq says:
مَا يَمْنَعُ التَّاجِرَ مِنْكُمُ الْمَشْغُولَ فِي سُوقِهِ إِذَا رَجَعَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ أَنْ لا يَنَامَ حَتَّى يَقْرَأَ سُورَةً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَتُكْتَبَ لَهُ مَكَا
( كُلِّآيَةٍ يَقْرَؤُهَا عَشْرُ حَسَنَاتٍ وَيُمْحَى عَنْهُ عَشْرُ سَيِّئَاتٍ. (کافی، ج2، ص44
What prevents a business man in the market who is engaged in trading, not to read few ayahs of Quran when he’s comes home. And instead of every ayah he will have 10 swab and 10 of his sins will be forgiven.
Difference between recitation of Quran and reading of Quran
In the verses of the Holy Quran, reading the Quran is sometimes interpreted as reciting the Quran and sometimes reading the Quran.
The semantic difference between recitation and reading is that reading means reading and often reading the appearance of the verses, but recitation is both the reading of the appearance of the verses and it is used when one reads divine words and understands the meanings, and Commandments are also considered, as if the verses were revealed to him at that very moment.
Tartile in Reading
the Holy Qur’an has repeatedly spoken of Tartil in the recitation of the Qur’an, and says to the Prophet:
رَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا
and chant the Quran rhythmically.
Amir al-Mu’minin also mentions the characteristics of righteous that they read the Quran with tartil and In interpreting of this verse and defining the Quranic view of reading of the Qur’an in tartil, he says:
بَيِّنْهُ تِبيَاناً وَلَا تَهُذُّهُ هَذُّ الشِّعْرِ، وَلَا تَنْثُرْهُ نَثْرَ الرَّمْلِ، وَلَكِنْ إفزَعُوا قُلُوبَكُمُ الْقَاسِيَةِ، وَلَا يَكُنْ هَمُّ أحَدِكُمْ آخِرَ السُّورَةِ (کافی، ج2، ص614)
Read the Qur’an transparently, not as fast as poetry and not as scattered as prose, but give your hearts to the Qur’an, and your aim is not to complete the Surah.
The Difference Between the Impact of Reading the Quran on Individuals
As for those who read and recite the Qur’an, we see in one of the narrations of the Prophets (peace be upon them):
أَفْضَلُ عِبَادَةِ أُمَّتِي قِرَاءَةُ القرآنِ (احیاء علوم الدین، باب اول)
My highest safe worship is reading the Quran.
And on the other hand, we can see some sharp words about the reciters and readers of the Qur’an:
أكْثَرُ مُنَافِقِي هَذِهِ الأمَّةِ قُرَّاؤهَا(احیاء علوم الدین، باب اول)
Most hypocrites of the Ummah of Islam are its reciters.
رُبَّ تَالٍ لِلْقُرْآنِ وَ القُرْآنُ يَلْعَنُهُ(احیاء علوم الدین، باب اول)
How very reciters of the Quran, which Quran curses them.
What is the difference with Quran readers? How is it that some of the reciters have been called hypocrites, and the Qur’an curses them, and some come to the Faith by reading the Quran?
The difference goes back to the Quran reminder which says:
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَالْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَا يَزِيدُ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا؛(اسرا۸۲)
We send down in the Quran healing and mercy for the believers, but it increases the wrongdoers only in loss.
The difference is in the spiritual connection with the Qur’an. There is no doubt that one who seeks to use the teachings of the Qur‘an to answer the intellectual questions and needs of his life and seeks to obtain the best deeds that god likes differs from the one who’s aim of reciting the Qur’an is only for worldly use.
Anyone who seeks to understand God’s will from the verses of the Holy Quran will find guidance and bliss from it, and who seeks to exploit the Quranic verses inappropriately, he will be mislead with this same Quranic connection that the other person has.
Amir al-Momenin Ali (AS) says:
ألا لَاخَيْرَ فِي قِرَاءَةٍ لَيْسَ فِيهَا تَدَبُّرٌ، ألا لَاخَيْرَ فِي عِبَادَةٍ لَيْسَفِيهَا تَفَكُّرٌ (کافی، ج1، ص36)
There will be no reading without thought, and no worship without thinking.
