The Manners Related To Reciting The Qur’an

1) Strive To Be Sincere When You Learn And Recite The Qur’an

When you recite the Qur’an you are performing an act of worship, for which you are seeking Allah’s
pleasure and reward. This, as well as all others acts of worship, must fulfill two conditions- sincerity and
mutaa’ba’ah (following and prophet in the way one perform the act of worship; otherwise the deed
performed is rejected).
An-Nawawee explained that one who recites the Qur’an an is first and foremost commanded to be sincere
in his recitation, to seek Allah’s countenance, and to not intend the achievement of any other goal. An-
Nawawee makes an important point, for some recites of the Qur’an want to attract attention to
themselves, desiring veneration from others- we ask Allah to keep us safe and healthy (from such
diseases). It should be enough for a reciter to know the punishment awaiting him if he recites the Qur’an
so that people will praise him for his recitation, a punishment that is explained in the following hadeeth.
Abu Hurairah related that the Messenger of Allah said,
“The first person to be judged on the day of resurrection is a man who was martyred. He will be
brought (forward); the blessings he received will be mentioned to him and he will acknowledge them.
Then He (Allah) will say. What did you do for them (i.e., what did you do to show thankfulness for those
blessings)? He will say, I fought for you until I was martyred. Allah will say, you have lied; instead, you
fought so that it would be said: (he is) brave, and that indeed been said (about you) then an order will be
given regarding that man, and he will dragged on his face until he is thrown into the hellfire (another
among the first to be judged is) a man who learned the Qur’an taught it, and recited it. he will be
brought (forward); the blessings he received will be mentioned to him and he will acknowledge them.
Then he will say, what did you do for them? The man will say, I learned knowledge and taught it. And I
recited the Qur’an for you. He will say, you have lied, but instead you learned knowledge so that it would
be said: (he is) a scholar; and you recited the Qur’an, so that it would be said; He is reciter, and (both
statement) have been said. Then an order will be given regarding him; he will be dragged on his face
until he is thrown into the hellfire…”
2) Apply the teachings of the Qur’an
You apply the Qur’an’s teachings by deeming lawful what it permits, and deeming forbidden what if
forbids; by avoiding what is prohibits and acting on its commands; by applying its clear verse and
believing in its unclear verses; and by applying all of its laws and precepts, A severe punishment awaits
those who, despite being blessed by Allah with knowledge of the Qur’an do not apply its teachings. In a
long Hadeeth wherein the prophet described a dream he had, he said,
“until we came upon a man who was lying down on his back, and upon another man who was
standing over him with a rock or a stone. (the man who was standing) would break the other man’s head,
and when he would strike him, the rock he would roll away. Whenever he went to retrieve the rock, he
would no sooner return than the other man’s head would heal and return to its previous state. Then the
man (who was standing) would strike him (over and over again). I asked, who is this? ‘’’The prophet then
explained the meaning of what he saw: “As for the one whose head would be (constantly) broken, he is a
man whom Allah taught the Qur’an, but who would then sleep from it at night, and not apply it during the
day. That will be done to him (his head being struck with the rock, over and over again) until the day of
resurrection.”
3) Consistently Recite And Study The Qur’an
To be sure, if one who memorizes the Qur’an does not revise it frequently and consistently, he will forget
the portions he memorized, for the Qur’an escapes quickly from the breasts of men. And for this is very
reason, we must study and recite it as frequently as possible. Ibn Umar reported that the messenger of
Allah said,
“the example of the companion of the Qur’an an is that of an owner of a tied camel; if he is
vigilant over it, he will hold onto his camel: if he release it, it will go away.”
And from the hadeeth of Abu Moosa, the prophet said,
“maintain the Qur’an (by revising it frequently), for by the one who was has my soul in his hand,
it goes away more intensely than do camels from their hobbles”

Here, the prophet likened the study and constant recitation of the Qur’an to trying a camel, which it is
feared, might break loose and flee. As long as one keeps a camel tied with its hobble, it is preserved; and
as long as one studies and revises the Qur’an, it will not escape from his memory. Camels are singled out
in this example because they are notorious for fleeing and because they are difficult to retrieve once have
fled.
4) You Should Not Say, “I Forgot”; Instead say, “I Was Made To Forget.”
One night, when he heard a man reciting a chapter of the Qur’an the messenger of Allah said,
“May Allah have mercy on him, for he has indeed reminded me of such and such verse, which I
was made to forget, from such and such soorah (chapter).”
And in another hadeeth, the messenger of Allah said,
“wretched is it for one of them to say, I forgot such and such verse; rather he was made to forget
it ( some scholars have said that one says this-“I was made to forget ” -to recognize the fact that he is
being punished for not revising and maintaining the verse (or verses) as well as he should have done).”
An-Nawawee said, “it is forbidden for one to say, I forgot it; because the suggest negligence regarding the
Qur’an’s verses, and Allah has indeed said:
“our verses came unto you, but you disregarded them.”
And in explaining the above-mentioned hadeeth, Al-Qaadee Iyaadh said, “the best explanation of this
hadeeth is that the saying itself- “I forget it” – is not being blamed, but rather what is reprehensible is the
condition of the person saying it. It is as if he is saying, I forgot… (and my situation is) the situation of
one who memorized the Qur’an but was then negligent regarding it, until he forgot it.”
Question: what is the ruling regarding one who memorizes the Qur’an or part of it, but then forgets what
he memorized?
Answer: the permanent council of scholarly research in Saudi Arabia gave this answer: it is certainly not
appropriate for one who memorized the Qur’an to be derelict in reciting and maintaining it; instead, he
should revise a set amount daily, to help him maintain the Qur’an and to prevent him from forgetting it;
furthermore, he should do so, hoping for reward and seeking to benefit from its commands and rulings,
both in belief and in action. But if one memorizes a portion of the Qur’an and then forgets it because he
was careless or because he became busy, he is not sinning. All ahaadeeth that mention any kind of
punishment for someone who forgets what he memorized from the Qur’an are not authentically related
from the prophet and success lies with Allah
5) It Is Compulsory To Contemplate The Qur’an
There are a number of revealed texts in which we are called upon to contemplate the verses of the Qur’an.
We have hitherto mentioned some of those text; one example is this verse:
“Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully? Ha it been from other than Allah, they would
surely have found therein much contradictions” (Qur’an 4:82)
Ibn As-Sa’dee explained that contemplating the Qur’an means to contemplate its meaning, to reflect on
its teaching, aims, and wisdoms. Contemplating the Qur’an is the key to and fountain-head of all
knowledge. It is through contemplation of the Qur’an that one’s Eemaan (faith) increases in his heart. In
contemplating the Qur’an, one becomes acquainted with his lord, his perfect qualities, and those qualities
of imperfection that he is far above from having; furthermore, one learns tha way to worship Allah and
becomes able to distinguish between the people of righteousness and the people of evil. And the more one
reflects on the Qur’an, the more will his knowledge, foresight, and practical application of the religion
increase. So important is it to contemplate the Qur’an that Allah did not only encourage us to do so, but
informed us that it is the purpose behind the Qur’an being revealed:
“(this is) a book (the Qur’an) which we have sent down to you’ full of blessings that they may
ponder over its verses, and that men of understanding may remember” (Qur’an 38:29)
This was the way of the companions; they would, as Imam related, take ten verses from the messenger of
Allah. Then, they would not move on to the next ten until they learned the knowledge and the application
of the ten they had with them. They said,” and so we learned knowledge and action.”
Yahyaa Ibn Sa’eed related that when he was sitting down with Muhammad Ibn Yahyaa on one occasion,
Muhammad called outto a man and said, “relate to me what you heard from your father.” The man said,
“my father informed me that he once went to Zaid Ibn Thaabit and said, what is your view on reading the
(entire) Qur’an in seven (night)? Zaid answered, that is good, but for me to read the (entire) Qur’an in half
a month or ten (nights) is more beloved to me- but ask me why? My father said, then I ask you, why?
Zaid said, so that I may contemplate it, and stop at (different verses, to reflect on them and the profound
wisdoms and teachings contained in them).”
6) The Permissibility Of Reciting The Qur’an While One Is Standing, Walking, Ridding,
Sitting, Or Lying Down
The source of this ruling is found in the saying of Allah
“ Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers ) standing, sitting, and don on their sides”
(Qur’an 3:191)
And in the saying of Allah
“In order that you may mount firmly on their backs, and then may remember the favor of your
lord when you mount thereon, may remember the favor of your lord when you mount thereon and
say: “Glory to him who has subjected this to us, and we could never have it (by our efforts). And
verily, to our lord we indeed are to return! (Qur’an 43:13)
From the Sunnah, we learn that prophet would recites the Qur’an in various positions- even when
riding or resting on something. Abdullah Ibn Mughaffal said, “on the day of the Makkah Conquest, I
saw the messenger of Allah reciting Sooratul-fath (the victory chapter) while he was on his riding
camel. Aaisha said, “while I would be menstruating, the prophet would recline in my lap and recite
the Qur’an. From the fact that the prophet recited the Qur’an while he was riding on his mount, we
infer that it is similarly permissible to recite the Qur’an when we are walking, for there is no
significant difference between the two states as would make one deserving of a certain ruling and
other deserving of a different ruling.
7) Only The purified May Touch The Qur’an
This ruling is based on the saying of Allah
“which (that book with Allah) none can touch but the purified (i.e., angels)” (Qur’an 56:79)
The prophet sent an important letter to Amr Ibn Hazm; it contained, in addition to other matters, legal
ruling pertaining to inheritance law and punishments for crimes. In that letter is written,
“and that none touch the Qur’an except for the purified.”
Question: Is it permissible for one who is in a state of impurity to hold the Qur’an via a barrier, such
as a piece of cloth or or the cloth of one’s garment?
Answer: Yes, one may hold the Qur’an via a barrier, because in doing so, one is not physically
touching the Qur’an. Shaikh Al-Islam issued this ruling and said that it applies regardless of
regardless of whether one holds it from above or below. And Allah knows best.
Although it is permissible to carry the Qur’an in one’s pocket, it is not permissible for one to carry it
when one enters the toilet. Before entering, one should leave it in an appropriate place, so as to show
honor and veneration for the Qur’an. But if one is forced to enter with it because he fears that, left
outside, it will be stolen, he is allowed to take it into the washroom with him, for there is a necessity
in this case.
8) The Permissibility Of Reciting The Qur’an From Memory For One Who Is In A Minor
State Of Impurity
If one is Junub, in a major state of impurity (this result, for instance, from engaging in sexual
intercourse or having a wet dream, and on continues to remain in this state until he takes a
shower), it is categorically forbidden for him to recite the Qur’an, which means that h may
neither touch the Qur’an and read from it directly nor recite it from memory. Alee said, “the
messenger of Allah would recite the Qur’an to us, as long as he was not Junub (in a major state of
impurity),”
But if one is in a minor state of impurity (which result, for example, from sleeping passing wind,
defecating or urinating), then it is permissible for him to at least recite the Qur’an from memory.
Discussing the time when he spent the night at the home of his aunt- Maymoonah, the prophet
wife-Abdullah Ibn Abbaas said, ‘’ in the middle of the night -or just after- the messanger of Allah
woke up, sat up, and wiped the sleep from his face with his hand. He then recited the last ten
verses of Soorat Aal-Imran (the family of Imraan chapter), after which he stood up (amd went) to
a canteen that was suspended (or tied). He then made ablution, performing it well.” That the
prophet recited the Qur’an after sleeping but before performing ablution proves that it permissible
for onr who is in a minor state of impurity to recite the Qur’an, for like sleep, urinating and
 passing win and defecating result in one being in a state of minor impurity; hence they all take the
same ruling.
True, it is beter and more complete to recite the Qur’an an when one is purified; nonetheless,
neither blame nor criticism should be leveled at one who recites it while being in a minor state of
impurity. In fact, the one who blames or criticizes him is the one who deserves censure, because
he is imputing blame to one who is doing he same as the prophet did-as is established in the
authentic Sunnah.
Umar Ibn Al-khattab was once with a group of people who were reciting the Qur’an. He left them
to relieve himself, and as he was returning, e was reciting the Qur’an. A man said to him, “O
Leader of the believers, do you recite the Qur’an without having had performed ablution? Umar
rejoined, “who issued this ruling to you (that it is not permissible to recite the Qur’an when one is
in a minor state of impurity); was it Musailamah?”

Question: it is permissible for a person who is in a minor state of impurity to read directly from
the Qur’an (e, i., while he is touching it)?
The permanent council for scientific researcher (in Saudi Arabia 0 gave the following answer: if
one is junub (in a major state of impurity, he my not recite the Qur’an an until he takes a shower;
he may neither read from the Qur’an an directly nor recites it both the minor and major states of
impurity, may one read directly from the Qur’an.
Answer: the scholars are in disagreement concerning this issue. Some hold that it is better to
read from one’s memory, while others maintain that it is better to read directly from the Qur’an.
The latter group represent the majority of scholars; they say it is better to read directly because
there is the added precision and blessings of seeing the Qur’an, blessing that are not necessarily
tangible or directly felt. However, there remains a third group of scholars whose opinion in the
matter lies somewhere in between
; Ibn Katheer said “some scholars say, the matter really revolves around humility and presence of
heart; if these are found in greater abundance when on reads from memory, then it is better for
him to read from memory; but if they ae found in greater abundance when one is reading directly
from the Qur’an id better. And if one finds that he has an equal amount of humility when reading
from memory, then reading directly from the Qur’an id better, because better precision is
achieved and because there is the added distinction of looking at the Qur’an.” After discussing
this last opinion, ash-Shaikh abu Zakariyyah An-Nawawee (may Allah have mercy on him ) said ,
from the saying and action of our pious predecessors, it appears that they applied this detailed
ruling.” And in relation to this issue, Ibn Al-Jawzee said, “whoever has a copy or the Qur’an
should at the very least read a few verses directly from it every day, so that it does not become
abandoned.”

9) The Permissibly Of Reciting The Qur’an For Menstruating Women And Women
Experiencing Post-Natal Bleeding
There is no authentic proof in which it is established that these two categories of women may not
recite the Qur’an; nonetheless, we know for sure that they may not touch the Qur’an. The permanent
council for scientific researches (in Saudi Arabia) issued this ruling: ‘there is nothing wrong in these
two Categories of women reciting the Qur’an without touching it: menstruating women and women
experiencing post-natal bleeding. This is the stronger of the two opinions held by different scholars in
this issue, for there is no authentic proof established from the prophet which indicates a prohibition in
this regard.”
 10) It Is Recommended To Clean One’s Mouth With Siwaak Before Reciting The Qur’an
One does this, showing good manners to and veneration for Allah’s speech. So if one intends to recite
Allah’s speech. So if one intends to recite Allah’s speech, he does well to clean his mouth and give it a
good smell with As- Siwaak or with anything else through which cleanliness is achieved. Thissaying of
Hudhaifah indicates something to the effect of the said practice:
‘when the prophet would wake up at night for tahajjud (late-night prayer), he would rub and clean his
mouth with As-Siwaak.”
11) It Is from The Sunnah To Say the Isti’aadhah (i.e., ‘I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed
shaitaan”) and the basmalah (e.i., “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the most merciful”)
upon reciting Te Qur’an
That it is Sunnah to say the Isti’aadhah before reciting the Qur’an is based on both Qur’an and the
Sunnah. Allah said;
“So when you want to recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from shaitaan (satan), the outcast
(the cursed one)” (Qur’an 16:98)
And from the sunnah, there is the narration of Abu Sa’eed Al-khudree who said, “when the prophet stood
at night, he would kabbar (make takbeer, e.i., say, Alllahuakbar, Allah is the greatest). Then he would
say,
How perfect you are O Allah, and I praise you, blessed be your name,and lofty is your position,
and none has the right to be worshipped expect you. Next, he would say,
Laailaha Illallah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah)
Three times, followed by
Allahuakbar kabeeran (Allah is most great)
three times, and,
“ I seek refuge with Allah, the All-hearing and the all- knowing, from the accursed shaitaan (satan)- from
his pride, his pride, his poetry, and his madness.
Then he would recite (the Qur’an).”
Therefore, from the above-mentioned verse and hadeeth, we know of two forms of making Isti’aadhah (of
seeking refuges with Allah from the accursed Shaitaan)”
1) “I seek refuges with Allah from the accursed shaitaan.”
2) “ I seek refuges with Allah , the All-hearing and the All-knowing, from the accursed shaitaan-
from his pride his poetry’ and his madness.”
And there is a third working that is related by Abu Daawod:” I seek refuges with the All-hearing and the
All-knowing from the accused shaitan.” Since each wording has its source in the Qur’an and Sunnah, it is
recommended for one to alternative, now using one wording, now using another.
The Isti’aadhah is important because it helps keep the shaitaan at a fair distance away from one’s heart
while he is reciting Allah’sbook. With the shaitaan far away, one can then benefit by his recitation- by
reflecting upon its verses and understanding its meanings, for there ir certainly a significant difference
between reciting the Qur-an while one’s heart is awake and present , and between reciting it while one’s
heart is asleep and heedless as for the basmallah (to say, in the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the
most merciful), it is sunnah to say it upon reciting the Qur’an, Anas said, “one day, while the prophet was
amomg us, he took a nap; then he raised hes head, smiling. We asked, what made you laugh, O
Messenger of Allah? He said
“A soorah (chapter of the Qur’an) was revealed to me earlier
He then recited”
“in the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.” “verily, we have granted you (O
Muhammad) Al-kauthar (a river in paradise). Therefore turn in prayer to your lord and sacrifice ( to him
only). For he who makes you angry (O Muhammad)-he will be cut off (from every good thing in this
world and in thr hereafter)” (Qu’an 108)