Reciting the Qur'aan with Contemplation

There is nothing more beneficial to the heart than recitation of Qur’aan with contemplation and reflection upon its verses, because it comprises of all the stations of the travelers, the conditions of the workers and the stations of the acquainted. Reciting the Qur’aan with contemplation generates love, yearning, fear, hope, repentance, reliance on Allaah, being pleased with Him, entrusting affairs to Him, gratitude, patience and other conditions with which the heart attains life and perfection.

Further, the Qur’aan restrains one from all blameworthy characteristics and deeds with which the heart gets corrupted and ruined. If people were to know what recitation of the Qur’aan with reflection contains [of benefit], they would have preoccupied themselves with it at the expense of any other thing. If a person recites it with contemplation to the extent that whenever he comes across a verse which he needs for the treatment of his heart, he should recite it repeatedly even if it is a hundred times or throughout the night.

Reciting a verse with contemplation and understanding is better than reciting the whole Qur’aan without contemplation and understanding. It is more beneficial to the heart and it leads to the attainment of eemaan and tasting the sweetness of the Qur’aan. This was the practice of the pious predecessors. One of them would continue to repeat a verse until dawn. It is established from the Prophet that he paused at a verse and kept on reciting it repeatedly until dawn. The verse in question was: “If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You are the All­-Mighty, the All­-Wise.” [Soorah al-Maa’idah: 118]

Reciting the Qur’aan with contemplation is the foundation of the heart’s rectification. For this reason, Ibn Mas‘ood said: “Do not rush through the recitation of the Qur’aan like the hasty recitation of poetry and do not scatter the Qur’aan out like the scattering of sand. Stop at its amazing parts and make your heart move with it. None of you should let his concern be to reach the end of the Soorah.”  Aboo Ayyoob related that Aboo Jamrah said: “I said to Ibn Abbaas that I am fast in reciting the Qur’aan, and that I used to recite it completely in three days.” Ibn Abbaas then said: “To recite one Soorah of the Qur’aan with contemplation and perfect recitation is dearer to me than reciting it the way you are reciting.”

Taken from Miftaah Daar as-Sa’aadah by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Signs of Loving the Prophet

Know that whoever loves something will give preference to it and prefer to be in conformity to it; otherwise he is not truthful in his love. Rather he is a pretender. The person who is truthful in his love for the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) is one who manifests the signs of loving him.

The first sign is to emulate him, make use of his Sunnah, follow his sayings and actions, comply with his obligations, avoid his prohibitions and adorn oneself with his manners in pleasure and displeasure and in prosperity and adversity. The proof is this saying of Allaah: “If you (really) love Allaah then follow me (i.e. accept Islaamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’aan and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you.”[1]

Another sign is that one must give preference to what he has legislated and exhorted over one’s desires and lust. Allaah the most High said: “And those who, before them, had homes (in al-Madeenah) and had adopted the Faith, love those who emigrate to them, and have no jealousy in their breasts for that which they have been given (from the booty of Banee An-Nadeer), and give them (emigrants) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that.”[2]

From among the signs of loving the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) is to remember him often, for whoever loves something will remember it a lot. Also included is frequently yearning to meet him, for every beloved loves to meet his beloved.

Another sign of loving the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) is to love those whom he loves from among his household and his companions of the emigrants and helpers, show enmity towards those who show enmity towards them and hate whoever hates them or abuses them. This is because whoever loves someone will love one whom the person loves. The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) stated regarding al-Hasan and al-Husayn: “O Allaah, I love them, so love them.”[3] In another version, he said regarding al-Hasan: “O Allaah I love him, so love whoever loves him.”[4]

Among the signs is to hate whoever Allaah and His Messenger hate, show animosity to those who show animosity to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam), keep away from whoever opposes his Sunnah and invent new things into his religion. Allaah the most High said: “You (O Muhammad) will not find any people who believe in Allâh and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad)…”[5] In fact, his companions killed their beloved ones,  their fathers, and their children in seeking his pleasure. Abdullaah bin Abdullaah bin Ubayy said to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam): “If you wish I will bring his head for you.” That is, his father.

Another sign of loving the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) is to love the Qur’aan which he came with. Loving the Qur’aan means reciting it, acting upon it, understanding it and loving the Sunnah and stopping at its limits. Sahl bin Abdullaah said: “The sign of loving Allaah is to love the Qur’aan; the sign of loving the Qur’aan is to love the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam); and the sign of loving the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) is to love his Sunnah…”

Further, among the signs of loving the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)  is to be kind and sincere to his Ummah and to strive hard in bringing benefit to them and repelling harm from them just as the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) was kind and merciful to the believers.

Source: ash-Shifaa Bita‘reef Huqooq al-Mustafaa, pp. 19-22 by Qaadee ‘Iyaad

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[1] Soorah Aal-Imraan: 31

[2] Soorah al-Hashr: 9

[3] Saheeh: Recorded by al-Bukhaaree (3747)

[4] Saheeh: Recorded by al-Bukhaaree (4749) and Muslim (2422)

[5] Soorah al-Mujaadilah: 22

Ruling on using public fund to finance pilgrimage

Questioner: Is it permissible for a Muslim to ask the government or some rich persons for support in order to perform the pilgrimage of Islaam?

Shaykh al-Albaanee: No, it is not permissible.

Questioner: Indeed, in our country, we have a governor who announces every year that he wants to send six hundred persons for pilgrimage at his own expense, and people would come forward with request to collect the fund and go for the pilgrimage. The same applies to tourism. [What is your view]?

Shaykh al-Albaanee: If the announcement is made and there is no objection either to the rich or poor, it is permissible to ask for it.

Questioner: Is this ruling the same if the fund is from the wealth of the state?

Shaykh al-Albaanee: No, it differs. The wealth of the state is among the wealth of the public; hence it is not permissible to use it.

Source: al-Haawee min Fataawaa ash-Shaykh al-Albaanee, p. 295

True Recitation of the Qur'aan

The true recitation of the Qur’aan is recitation of the meaning and following it out of belief in its information, complying with its commandment, avoiding its prohibition and following it to wherever it directs you to. Recitation of the Qur’aan involves recitation of its wordings and its meaning. And recitation of its meaning is nobler than mere recitation of the words (without understanding the meaning), and those who recite its meaning are the people of the Qur’aan, who will be praised in this world and in the Hereafter, for they are the people of true recitation and true followers.

Taken from Miftaah Daar As-Sa‘aadah by Ibn Qayyim

Was the ‘Arsh created before the Pen?

The scholars are uncertain here: was the ’Arsh created before the Pen or the Pen was created before the ‘Arsh? The correct opinion[1] is that the ’Arsh was created before the Pen because when Allaah created it and commanded it to write, His Throne was already on the water.

Consequently, the renowned scholar, Ibn Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “People differ regarding the Pen that was used in writing the decree from ad-Dayyaan (i.e. Allaah). Was it before the ‘Arsh or after it? There are two opinions according to Abul ‘Allaa al-Hamadhaani. The truth, (however), is that the ‘Arsh was before; because before the writing; the ‘Arsh had already been placed having pillars; while the writing with the noble pen came shortly after into existence without much time interval.”[2]  

Taken from, “A Gift to the Reader in Annotation of Sharh As-Sunnah”, vol. 1, pp. 371-372 by Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, published by Dar Makkah International.

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[1] It is the saying of the majority of the scholars; see Bughyah al-Murtad of  Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (p. 285-295) and Bidayah wan-Nihayah by Imam Ibn Kathir (1/8-9)

[2] See Sharh Nuniyyah Ibn Qayyim of al-Alaamah Ibn Isa (1/375)