General
46088: Which is better, reading Qur'aan together
or individually?
Question:
What is the manner in which Jibreel review the
Qur'aan with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) in Ramadaan? Does that indicate that it is better
to study the Qur'aan together rather than individually? Is
it better to do that at night rather than during the day?
We hope you can explain.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Firstly:
With regard to how he reviewed it with him, I do
not know how that was done.
Secondly:
With regard to whether it is mustahabb for people to
gather to read Qur'aan together or for each person to read
it individually, that depends on the person himself.
If gathering with his brothers to study Qur'aan together
will make him more focused and help him to learn better,
then gathering with others is preferable, i.e., if gathering
with others will make him have proper presence of mind
and be more focused on pondering the meanings of
the Qur'aan, and allow the opportunity to discuss
the meanings, then that is better. But if it is the opposite
then reading it on his own is better.
Thirdly:
With regard to Jibreel reviewing the Qur'aan with
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
that was for the purpose of making sure that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) memorized it.
With regard to the third part of your question _ which
is whether it is better to do that at night rather than
during the day _ the answer is yes, but a person may need to
do other things which means that he cannot study
Qur'aan at night, in which case he should study it more during
the day.
So each person should look at what is best for
him, because of the general meaning of the words of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Strive
to do that which will benefit you." So whatever is
more beneficial for you, so long as it is not forbidden
according to sharee'ah, is best.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 8/78.
(www.islam-qa.com)
34234: He claims that the Qur'aan is lacking in
eloquence and contains grammatical errors
Question:
In Soorat al-Baqarah it says (interpretation of themeaning):
"And indeed, We gave Moosa (Moses) the Book
and followed him up with a succession of Messengers.
And We gave `Eesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary),
clear signs and supported him with Rooh-ul-Qudus
[Jibreel (Gabriel)]. Is it that whenever there came to you
a Messenger with what you yourselves desired not,
you grew arrogant? Some you disbelieved and some
you killed" [al-Baqarah 2:87]
My Christian colleague says, look at the way the
word taqtuloon (translated as "you killed" _ appears in
present tense form) follows the word kadhdhabtum
("you disbelieved" _ past tense). He says that the wording
should be [Allaah forbid that we should alter His Holy Book]
fa fareeqan kadhdhabtum wa fareeqan qataltum (Some
you disbelieved and some you killed) [i.e., both
verbs appearing in past tense form], because the Prophets
have ceased and Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets.
It should be noted that he does not believe that the
Prophet Muhammad was a Prophet, rather he believes that
Prophet `Eesa (Jesus) was the last of the Messengers.
In Soorat Aal `Imraan it says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"When He has decreed something, He says to it
only: `Be!'__and it is [kun fa yakoon]" [Aal `Imraan 3:47]
My Christian colleague also thinks that this is
ineloquent and he says that it would be more correct [Allaah
forbid that we should alter His Holy Book] to say Kun fa
kaana (Be and it was).
Please explain so that I can refute his comments. "So
ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know"
[al-Anbiya 21:7 _ interpretation of the meaning].
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The one who is not able to engage in debate with
others should fear Allaah and not get involved in debates
and arguments with others; rather he should try to protect
his religious commitment by refraining from arguing
with the ignorant or those who promote specious arguments.
Secondly:
With regard to the specious arguments mentioned _
which are more flimsy than a spider's web _ these may
be answered in two ways.
The first way is in general terms, which is to say that
the Qur'aan is the Book of Allaah which was revealed to
the pure Arabs, who were the most advanced nation in
the field of eloquence; they paid a great deal of attention
to that and had reached a high level of eloquent
self-expression. They had established festivals of poetry
and speech-giving, they hung their mu'allaqaat poems on
the Ka'bah as a sign of the high esteem in which they
held eloquence and literature; they competed in poetry
and beautiful speech. Poetry flowed through their veins
and they recited poems on all occasions, for joy and
sorrow, birth and death, happiness and misery, victory and
defeat. This was something that was unknown in any other nation.
Hence by His wisdom Allaah revealed to them
this Qur'aan in this language of which they were so
proud and because of which they thought themselves
superior to other nations. The Qur'aan dazzled them with
its beautiful words and meanings, its great purpose
and structure. So they submitted to it out of respect for
its language and dare not speak any word of criticism
against its wording, grammar or expression.
Allaah challenged them in His Book to produce
anything like the Qur'aan, but they could not match it, let
alone find fault with its grammar. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"Say: `If the mankind and the jinn were together
to produce the like of this Qur'aan, they could not
produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another'"
[al-Isra' 17:88]
Then Allaah challenged them to produced ten
soorahs like it, as He said (interpretation of the meaning):
"Or they say, `He (Prophet Muhammad) forged it
(the Qur'aan).' Say: `Bring you then ten forged
Soorah (chapters) like unto it, and call whomsoever you can,
other than Allaah (to your help), if you speak the truth!'"
[Hood 11:13]
When they were unable to do that, then Allaah
challenged them to produce just one soorah like it. Allaah
said (interpretation of the meaning):
"And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians) are
in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e.
the Qur'aan) to Our slave (Muhammad), then produce
a Soorah (chapter) of the like thereof and call
your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allaah, if
you are truthful" [al-Baqarah
2:23]
No one who comes afterwards, when the language
has become corrupted and mixed with foreign languages,
has any right to support such nonsensical ideas that do
no more than point to the depth of his ignorance and
the shallowness of his thinking, and his lack of
knowledge of the Arabic language. As it was said,
"How often do you see someone criticizing
something that is sound, and his problem is that he cannot
understand it properly."
The second way is in specific, detailed terms,
discussing the aspects of eloquence in the words that he
criticized. This is as follows:
With regard to the words of Allaah (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Some you disbelieved and some you killed
(fa fareeqan kadhdhabtum wa fareeqan taqtuloon)"
[al-Baqarah 2:87]
The scholar al-Taahir ibn `Ashoor said in his
commentary (al-Tahreer wa'l-Tanweer, 1/598):
The word taqtuloon (translated as "you killed")
appears in the present tense form to emphasize more vividly
the terrible action that they did, namely killing the
Prophets. This is like the verse in which Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And it is Allaah Who sends [arsala _ part tense
form] the winds, so that they raise up [fa tutheeru _
present tense form] the clouds, and We drive them to a dead
land, and revive therewith the earth after its death"
[Faatir 35:9]
Moreover, the form taqtuloon fits with the rhyme of
the soorah and makes it more vivid; this provides
eloquence of meaning and beauty of form. End of quote.
Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen quoted in his
Tasfeer (1/283) from some of the scholars another reason for using
the present tense form taqtuloon, which is to provide a
sense of continuity, i.e., the Jews kept on killing the
Prophets, even the last of them, Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). They killed the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with the
poison that they gave him at Khaybar, and he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) continued to suffer the effects
of that until, in his final illness, he said, "I still feel
pain from the food I ate at Khaybar. This is the time when
it has cut off my aorta."
Abu Dawood; also narrated by al-Bukhaari in a
mu'allaq report. Al-Albaani said in Saheeh Abi
Dawood (3784), it is hasan saheeh.
With regard to the verse in which Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"When He has decreed something, He says to it
only: `Be!' __and it is [kun fa yakoon]"
[Aal `Imraan 3:47]
This is more indicative of the ignorance of this
objector, because this verse is speaking of when Allaah wills
to create something in the future, not in the past; this is
to be understood from the use of the word
idha (meaning when, if), which refers to something in the future.
Hence the verb yaqool (says) appears in the present tense,
to indicate that it is referring to something in the future,
and it is followed by the verb yakoon (it is), also in the
present tense, which also refers to something in the future.
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
32594: Is it better to recite Qur'aan from memory or
to read from the Mus-haf?
Question:
Is it better to read Qur'aan whilst looking at the
Mus-haf, or to recite from memory?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
In prayer, it is better to recite from memory. See
question no. 3465.
Outside of prayer, it is better for a person to do that
which will increase his khushoo' (humility, focus). If
his khushoo' will be increased by reciting from memory,
then that is better; if his khushoo' will be increased by
reading from the Mus-haf, then that is better. If it is the same
in either case, then reading from the Mus-haf is
better, because it combines reading and looking, and his
eyes will be protected from looking at things that may
distract him from reciting and pondering the meaning.
Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar (p. 90-91):
Reading Qur'aan from the Mus-haf is better than
reciting from memory; this is the view of our companions and
it is well known from the salaf (may Allaah be pleased
with them). This does not apply in all cases however; if
the reader can focus and ponder the meanings more
when reciting from memory than when reading from the
Mus-haf, then reciting from memory is better. If it is the
same in both cases, then reading from the Mus-haf is
better. This is what the salaf meant.
There are weak (da'eef) ahaadeeth narrated from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) which cannot be used as proof that it is better to look
at the Mus-haf. We mention them only to draw attention
to the fact that they are weak. These include:
"Looking at the Mus-haf is an act of worship; for a
child to look at his parents is an act of worship; looking at
`Ali ibn Abi Taalib is an act of worship." This is a
fabricated (mawdoo') hadeeth, as al-Albaani said in
al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah, 1/531.
"Give your eyes their share of worship: looking at
the Mus-haf, thinking about it and pondering its
wonders." This is also fabricated (mawdoo').
Al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah, 4/88.
"Five things are acts of worship: eating little, sitting
in the mosque, looking at the Ka'bah, looking at the
Mus-haf and looking at the face of a scholar." This is a
very weak (da'eef jiddan) hadeeth. Da'eef al-Jaami'
al-Sagheer, no. 2855.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
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33583: Are precious stones mentioned in the Qur'aan?
Question:
Please let me know about this query ? how many stones
[ precious / semi precious ] are mentioned in the holy
quran ? in which surah are they mentioned ? is there any
spiritual significance of these stones ?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The primary purpose of the Qur'aan is to guide
mankind to Allaah, so that they will affirm His Oneness and
worship Him alone, and attain His Paradise and His pleasure.
The Qur'aan is not a book of science, medicine or
astronomy, even though its verses may contain a little of such things.
Hence the Muslim should not let himself be
distracted from the greater purpose of reciting the Qur'aan and
look for the number of stones or rivers or kinds of
animals mentioned therein.
Some precious stones such as rubies, pearls and coral
are mentioned in the Qur'aan.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"(In beauty) they are like rubies and coral"
[al-Rahmaan 55:58]
"Out of them both come out pearl and coral"
[al-Rahmaan 55:22]
"Like unto preserved pearls"
[al-Waaqi'ah 56:23]
"And round about them will (serve) boys of
everlasting youth. If you see them, you would think them
scattered pearls"
[al-Insaan 76:19]
These stones do not have any spiritual significance,
rather they are mentioned in the Qur'aan to explain the
blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon His slaves, of the seas
and the things that are brought forth from them, or as
a metaphor _ so al-hoor al-`iyn are likened to rubies,
coral and preserved pearls, combining the purity of rubies
and the whiteness of pearls and coral.
The boys are likened to scattered pearls, to indicate
their beauty and good looks.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
96: The Qur'aan and medicine
Question:
I heard in a lecture that medical scientists or doctors
claim that many medicines&treatements have
been discovererd&propounded by inferring facts frm the
Holy Quran.
Now my question is, Is that all regarding medicine
is mentioned in the Holy Quran? Or is there more left
which we've to still put into use?
I'm asking this question with regards to an earnest
request frm a friend of mine, a hindu named Vignesh and he
asked me whether there r matters left still in the Holy Quran
to control some of these deadly diseases.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) with a religion that covers all aspects
of life, as Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) left us and no bird flapped its wings in
the sky except that he had taught us some knowledge
about it.
(Narrated by Ahmad, 20399. See Majma'
al-Zawaa'id, 8/263. al-Haythami said: it was narrated by
al-Tabaraani and its men are the men of saheeh apart from
Muhammad ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Yazeed al-Muqri' who is
thiqah (trustworthy)).
Islam came to meet the needs of people in all aspects
of their lives.
Secondly:
What is narrated in the Sunnah from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) complements
what is in the Qur'aan. These two sources are the
principal sources for Muslims. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us that Allaah has
not sent down any disease but He has also sent down a
cure for it.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has not sent down any
disease but He has also sent down a cure for it."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5678.
Thirdly:
What the questioner has mentioned, that some
Muslims say that many remedies were discovered through the
Holy Qur'aan, we say that this is somewhat exaggerated.
The Qur'aan is not a book of medicine or geography
or geology as some Muslims like to say to westerners.
Rather it is a book of guidance for mankind and one of the
greatest of its miracles is its eloquence and the ideas and
concepts that it contains. This is the main aspect of its
miraculous nature. Allaah revealed it to His Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at a time when
eloquence had reached great heights, so this book came to
amaze those people and challenge them in their area of
expertise, to prove to them that it was from Allaah.
This is not strange, and it is nothing new in religion.
The signs of Moosa (peace be upon him) _ his stick and
his hand _ were of the kind that was prevalent during
his time, which was magic (sihr). The signs of `Eesa
(peace be upon him) _ raising the dead and healing the blind
and lepers _ were of the kind that his people were skilled
in and that was widespread among them, which was medicine.
Hence we say that the greatest feature of the Qur'aan
is its eloquence. Scholars nowadays are still discovering
new aspects of its eloquence through their study of its verses.
This does not mean that there is no other
miraculous aspects to the Qur'aan. Rather in some verses
Allaah mentions things about the design of the human body,
the stages of its creation and development, some
natural phenomena, etc.
But with regard to cures for various diseases, as
the questioner mentions, the Qur'aan is a healing for
the believers. This includes healing the heart (mental
or spiritual disease) and physical healing. Allaah
mentions honey in the Qur'aan and says that it is a healing
for mankind. And He mentions the principle of
preserving good health and guarding against sickness. So
whoever says that the Qur'aan says a lot about medicine in
this regard is right, but whoever goes beyond that
is exaggerating. Rather this is a kind of exaggeration
coined by some Muslims. The Qur'aan is not a book of
medicine. There are some diseases that did not exist previously,
so how could their cure come _ according to what
the questioner says _ before they appeared?
Fourthly:
(a) The following are some of the verses which
indicate that the Qur'aan is healing:
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And We send down of the Qur'aan that which is a
healing and a mercy to those who believe"
[al-Isra' 17:82]
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Allaah says "And We send down of the Qur'aan that
which is a healing and a mercy to those who
believe". The correct view is that the word
min (translated here as "of")
serves to explain the nature of the Qur'aan as a whole, not
to refer to parts of it and not other parts.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O mankind! There has come to you a good advice
from your Lord (i.e. the Qur'aan, enjoining all that is
good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for
that which is in your hearts"
[Yoonus 10:57]
The Qur'aan is the complete healing for all
mental, spiritual and physical diseases, all diseases of this
world and the Hereafter. But not everyone is guided to use it
for the purpose of healing. If the sick person uses the
Qur'aan for healing in the proper way, and applies it to his
disease with sincerity, faith, complete acceptance and
firm conviction, fulfilling all its conditions, then no
disease can resist it.
How can disease resist the words of the Lord of
heaven and earth which, if He had revealed it to the
mountains they would have crumbled and if He had revealed it
to the earth it would have broken it apart? There is
no sickness, spiritual or physical, but in the Qur'aan there
is that which indicates its remedy, its cause and how
to protect against it for those who are blessed
with understanding of His Book. Zaad
al-Ma'aad, 4/352
(b) The Qur'aan contains the treatment for hearts
and souls, and as such it is a means of expelling all
sicknesses from the body. In this regard the Qur'aan is a healing
and a remedy for many diseases.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
We and others have tried this on many occasions and
we have seen that it works in ways that physical remedies
do not. Indeed we now regard physical medicine as
the doctors regard folk medicine. This is in accordance
with the law of divine wisdom, not contrary to it, but the
causes of healing are many and varied. When the heart is
in contact with the Lord of the Worlds, the Creator of
the disease and the remedy, the Controller of nature
Who directs it as He wills, he has other remedies apart
from the remedies that are sought by the heart that is far
away from Him and that turns away from Him. It is known
that when a person's spirits are high and his body is in
good shape, they cooperate in warding off disease
and suppressing it, so if a person is in high spirits and
physical good shape, finds comfort in being close to his
Creator, loving Him, enjoying remembrance of Him
(dhikr), devoting all his strength and power for His sake
and focusing on Him, seeking His help, putting his trust
in Him, how can anyone deny that this is the
greatest medicine or that this spiritual power gives him the
means to ward off pain and defeat it completely? No one
would deny this but the most ignorant of people, those who
are furthest away from Allaah and the most hard-hearted
and unaware of human nature.
Zaad al-Ma'aad 4/12
(c) In the Qur'aan there is Soorat al-Faatihah which is
a ruqyah to be recited as a prayer for healing.
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: "A group of the companions of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set out on
a journey and traveled until they stopped in (the land
of) one of the Arab tribes. They asked them for
hospitality but they refused to welcome them. The chief of that
tribe was stung by a scorpion and they tried everything
but nothing helped them. Some of them said, `Why don't
you go to those people who are camped (near us), maybe
you will find something with them.' So they went to
them and said, `O people, our chief has been stung by a
scorpion and we have tried everything but nothing helped him.
Can any of you do anything?' One of them said, `Yes,
by Allaah, I will recite ruqyah for him, but by Allaah
we asked you for hospitality and you did not welcome us,
so I will not recite ruqyah for you until you give us
something in return.' Then they agreed upon a flock of sheep.'
Then he went and spat drily and recited over him
Al-hamdu Lillaahi Rabb il-`Aalameen [Soorat al-Faatihah].
(The chief) got up as if he was released from a chain and
started walking, and there were no signs of sickness on him.
They paid them what they agreed to pay. Some of them (i.e.
the companions) then suggested to divide their
earnings among themselves, but the one who performed the
ruqyah said, `Do not divide them until we go to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and tell him
what happened, then wait and see what he tells us to do.'
So they went to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told him what had
happened. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) asked, `How did you know that it
(al-Faatihah) is a ruqyah?' Then he added, `You have
done the right thing. Share out (the flock of sheep) and
give me a share too.' And the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2156; Muslim, 2201
Ibn al-Qayyim said concerning Soorat al-Faatihah:
Whoever is guided by Allaah and is given good insight
to understand the deep meaning of this soorah and what
it contains of Tawheed, understanding of the Divine
nature, the names, attributes and actions of Allaah, the
Divine decree, the Resurrection, rejecting any misconception
that undermines the concept of the Oneness of the
Divine Lordship and Divine nature, complete trust in Allaah
and referring all one's affairs to the One Who has full
control of all things _ to Him be all praise, for all goodness is
in His hand and to Him all things return _ and feeling
in need of Him in seeking guidance that is the root
of happiness in this world and in the Hereafter, will
realize the connection between the contents of this soorah
and bringing good and warding off evil. He will
understand that ultimate goodness and blessing is connected to
this soorah and is dependent upon understanding it and
acting upon it. Then this soorah will make him independent
of many other kinds of medicine and ruqyah, and it will
open the door to a great deal of goodness and ward off a
great deal of evil.
Zaad al-Ma'aad, 4/347
(d) The Qur'aan mentions the principle of
maintaining good health.
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
The basic principles of medicine are three:
prevention, maintaining good health, and removing
harmful substances from the body.
Allaah has mentioned them all together, to His
Prophet and his ummah in three places in His Book.
He prevented the sick person from using water lest it
harm him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you
comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been
in contact with women (by sexual relations) and you find
no water, perform Tayammum with clean earth and
rub therewith your faces and hands
(Tayammum)" [al-Nisa' 4:42]
Allaah allowed the sick person to do tayammum to
protect him, just as He permitted it to the one who has no water.
Allaah says concerning the maintenance of good health:
"and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number
[of days which one did not observe Sawm (fasts) must
be made up] from other days"
[al-Baqarah 2:185]
The traveller is allowed to break his fast during
Ramadaan, to protect his health lest the combination of fasting
and the difficulties of travel weakens him and affects
his health.
And Allaah said concerning the removal of harmful
things by shaving the head of the person in ihraam (for Hajj
or `Umrah):
"And whosoever of you is ill or has an ailment in
his scalp (necessitating shaving), he must pay a
Fidyah (ransom) of either observing Sawm (fasts) (three
days) or giving Sadaqah (charity — feeding six poor
persons) or offering sacrifice (one sheep)"
[al-Baqarah 2:196]
So if a person has an ailment in his scalp when he is
in ihraam, he is permitted to shave his head and remove
the harmful thing or the bad substance that is causing lice
to develop _ as happened to Ka'b ibn `Ajrah _ or if it
is causing sickness to develop.
These three matters are the basic principles of
medicine. We have mentioned an example of each one in order
to point out the blessing of Allaah to His slaves in
preventing sickness, protecting their health and removing
harmful substances from them, as a mercy and kindness
towards His slaves, for He is the Most Kind, Most Merciful.
Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/164, 165
Ibn al-Qayyim said: On one occasion I discussed this
with one of the chief doctors of Egypt, and he said: By
Allaah if I had to travel to the west to obtain these benefits
that would not be too much _ or words to that effect.
Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/25
(e) Mention of honey in the Qur'aan, and that it is a
healing for mankind.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"There comes forth from their [bees'] bellies, a drink
of varying colour wherein is healing for men"
[al-Nahl 16:69]
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the Prophet's guidance
concerning drinking, it is the most perfect guidance that
maintains good health. He used to drink honey mixed with
cold water. This is very healthy and no one can
understand how healthy it is except the most prominent doctors.
For drinking honey on an empty stomach dissolves
phlegm, cleanses the stomach, reduces its viscosity, washes
away waste matter, warms it up a little and opens its inlet
and exit. It has a similar effect on the liver, kidneys and
urethra. It is more beneficial to the stomach than any other
kind of sweet that enters it. However it may cause side
effects in people who are suffering from jaundice because it
is hot and jaundice is hot, so it may aggravate it; in order
to avoid this effect vinegar may be added, then honey
will become beneficial and drinking it will be more
useful than many or most of the drinks that are made from
sugar, especially for those who are not used to these drinks,
for if they drink them they will not suit them as well as
honey does, or even come close.
With regard to drinking it when it is collected and
well-prepared, this is one of the most beneficial things for
the body, and one of the greatest means of preserving
health; it is very refreshing and energizing, and it is good for
the liver and heart. If it is well-prepared it provides
nutrition and makes food reach all parts of the body in the
most effective manner.
Zaad al-Ma'aad, 4/224, 225
And he said (may Allaah have mercy on him):
Honey contains great benefits, for it cleanses
impurities from the veins and stomach etc, whether it is eaten
or applied to the skin. It is good for the elderly, the
phlegmatic and those whose humours are cold and wet. It
is nourishing, aids digestion, energizes, makes
unpleasant medicine palatable, is good for the liver and chest, is
a diuretic and helps to ease coughs caused by phlegm. If
it is drunk warm mixed with rosewater it is beneficial
for one who has been bitten by a scorpion or who
has consumed opium. If it is drunk on its own mixed
with water, it is good for the one who has been bitten by
a rabid dog or eaten poisonous mushrooms. If fresh
meat is placed in honey, it will stay fresh for three months,
as will cucumbers, pumpkins and eggplants. Many fruits
can be kept in it for six months. It will also preserve a
dead body, and it is known as the trustworthy preserver. If
the body of one who is afflicted with lice is painted
with honey, it will kill the lice and their eggs. It makes the
hair long, beautiful and smooth. If used on the eyes like
kohl it clears the vision. If the teeth are brushed with it,
it whitens the teeth and makes them bright, and keeps
the gums healthy. It opens the veins and induces
menstruation. If taken on an empty stomach it takes away phlegm
and cleanses the stomach, clearing away waste matter
and restoring the correct temperature. It does likewise to
the liver, kidneys and urethra.
As well as all this, it has no side effects and causes
little harm. It may cause side effects in one who is
suffering from jaundice, but that may be counteracted by
vinegar and the like, in which case it becomes very beneficial
for him.
It is a kind of nourishment, a kind of medicine, a kind
of drink, a kind of sweet, a kind of cream. There is
nothing that has been created for us for a similar purpose that
is better than it, or even comes close. The ancient
peoples relied on it, and in most of the books of the ancients
there is no mention of sugar at all and it was unknown to
them, for it is something that is very new. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to drink
honey mixed with water on an empty stomach, and this is
the secret of maintaining good health that no one
can understand except one who is intelligent and blessed.
Zaad al-Ma'aad, 4/33, 34.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
31865: Were the heavens and the earth created in six
days or eight?
Question:
I read the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"Indeed, your Lord is Allaah, Who created the
heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then He rose over
(Istawa) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His
Majesty). He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking
it rapidly, and (He created) the sun, the moon, the
stars subjected to His Command. Surely, His is the
creation and commandment. Blessed is Allaah, the Lord of
the `Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)!"
[al-A'raaf 7:54]
What I understand from this is that Allaah created
the heavens and the earth in six days. This is clear.
But in another passage Allaah mentions the creation
of the heavens and the earth, and He says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): Do you verily disbelieve in
Him Who created the earth in two Days? And you set up
rivals (in worship) with Him? That is the Lord of the
`Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
He placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains
from above it, and He blessed it, and measured therein
its sustenance (for its dwellers) in four Days equal (i.e.
all these four `days' were equal in the length of time) for
all those who ask (about its creation).
Then He rose over (Istawa) towards the heaven when
it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: `Come both
of you willingly or unwillingly.' They both said: `We
come willingly.'
Then He completed and finished from their creation
(as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each
heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest)
heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to
guard (from the devils by using them as missiles against
the devils). Such is the Decree of Him, the AllMighty,
the AllKnower" [Fussilat 41:9-12]
Here Allaah says that He created the earth in two
days, then He placed therein firm mountains and
measured therein its sustenance in four days, which makes six
days in all. Then He created the heavens in two days, so
the total comes to eight days.
How can we reconcile between the two verses?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This is an issue which confuses some people, and
some of them think that Allaah created the heavens and the
earth in eight days as Allaah says in Soorah
Fussilat (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): Do you verily disbelieve in
Him Who created the earth in two Days? And you set up
rivals (in worship) with Him? That is the Lord of the
`Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
He placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains
from above it, and He blessed it, and measured therein
its sustenance (for its dwellers) in four Days equal (i.e.
all these four `days' were equal in the length of time) for
all those who ask (about its creation).
Then He rose over (Istawa) towards the heaven when
it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: `Come both
of you willingly or unwillingly.' They both said: `We
come willingly.'
Then He completed and finished from their creation
(as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each
heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest)
heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to
guard (from the devils by using them as missiles against
the devils). Such is the Decree of Him, the AllMighty,
the AllKnower"
[Fussilat 41:9-12]
because this seems to contradict the other verse
which says that He created them in six days.
This is a misunderstanding, and the answer to it is
as follows:
There is no contradiction between the time
period mentioned in these verses and the other verse which
says that it was six days.
In these verses _ from Soorah Fussilat _ we see that
Allaah is telling us that He "created the earth in two
Days".
Then He "placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm
mountains from above it, and He blessed it, and measured
therein its sustenance (for its dwellers)" in four days equal_
i.e., in two days that were added to the two days in which
He created the earth, so the total is four days. It does not
say that the creation of the mountains and the measuring
of the sustenance took four days.
Perhaps the confusion which is mentioned in the
question stems from this, i.e., from thinking that the four days
are added to the two days in which the earth was
created, equaling six, and then adding the two days in which
the heavens were created ("Then He completed and
finished from their creation (as) seven heavens in two
Days") _ making a total of eight days, not six days. But
this confusion can be dispelled by dealing with this
mistaken notion. So the earth was created in two days, and
the mountains were created and the sustenance measured
in two more days which makes a total of four, i.e., this
took the other two days. Then the creation of the seven
heavens took two days. So the total is six days of the Days
of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.
The mufassireen commented on this fact which deals
with the mistaken notion. Al-Qurtubi said:
"in four days" _ this is like someone saying, "I set
out from Basra to Baghdad in ten days and to Kufa in
fifteen days, i.e., a total time of fifteen days."
(al-Jaami' li Ahkaam al-Qur'aan, vol. 15, p. 343).
Al-Baghawi said: "in four days" means the creation
of what is in the earth. The measuring of the sustenance
was on Tuesday and Wednesday, which along with
Sunday and Monday add up to four days. This is like saying
"I married a woman yesterday and today I married two"
_ one of whom is the woman whom he married the day before.
Tafseer al-Baghawi, 7/165
Al-Zajjaaj said: "in four days" means two days added
to the previous two days.
Al-Kashshaaf, vol. 3, p. 444
These verses _ from Soorah Fussilat _ confirm the
other verse, which says that the creation of the heavens and
the earth was completed in six days. So there is
no contradiction concerning the period in which
Allaah created the heavens and the earth. There cannot be
any such contradictions in the Qur'aan..
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
10022: The meaning of the hadeeth " `Qul Huwa
Allaahu Ahad" is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'aan"
Question:
Answer #4156 item#2
then there is no need to learn the entire quraan or to
even read it during ramadaan,etc all you have to do is to
read sura Ikhlas.I think you made a mistake.Sura Ikhlas is
the substance of 1/3 of the quraan.it is amazing to
believe that reading the sura Iklas 3 times will give you
the blessing of reading the ENTIRE quraan,then there is
no point reading the entire Quraan.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: there follow some of the ahaadeeth narrated
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) which state that Soorat al-Ikhlaas (Qul Huwa
Allaahu Ahad) is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'aan.
Al-Bukhaari (6643) narrated from Abu Sa'eed that a
man heard another man reciting Qul Huwa Allaahu
Ahad and repeating it. The next morning he came to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and told him about that. The man thought that it was
too little, but the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose
hand is my soul, it is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'aan."
Muslim (811) narrated from Abu'l-Dardaa' that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Is any one of you unable to recite one-third of the
Qur'aan in one night?" They said, "How could anyone read
one-third of the Qur'aan?" He said, "Qul Huwa Allaahu
Ahad is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'aan."
Muslim (812) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Gather together, for I will recite to
you one-third of the Qur'aan." So those who could
gather together gathered there, then the Prophet of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out and
recited Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad, then he went in. They said
to one another, Perhaps there has been some news
from heaven on account of which he has gone inside
(the house). Then the Prophet of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out and said, "I told
you that I was going to recite to you one-third of the
Qur'aan. Verily it is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'aan."
Secondly: The bounty of Allaah is immense, and
Allaah has bestowed His bounty upon this ummah and has
made up for its short life span by giving it more reward
for simple deeds. It is strange that with some people,
instead of this motivating them to do more good, this makes
them apathetic and lazy in doing acts of worship, or they
feel that this bounty and reward is strange and farfetched.
With regard to the meaning of the hadeeth:
There is a difference between jaza' (reward) and
ijza' (what is sufficient). What is making the brother
confused is that he does not see the difference between them.
Jaza' means the reward which Allaah gives for
obeying Him.
Ijza' means what is sufficient and takes the place
of something else.
Reciting Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad brings a
reward equivalent to reciting one-third of the Qur'aan, but it
does not take the place of reading one-third of the Qur'aan.
If a person vows _ for example _ to read one-third of
the Qur'aan, it is not sufficient for him to read
Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad, because it is equivalent to one-third of
the Qur'aan in reward, but not in terms of being sufficient
or taking the place of reading one-third of the Qur'aan.
The same may be said of reciting it three times. If a
person recites it three times in his prayer, that does not mean
that he does not have to recite al-Faatihah, even though
he will be given the reward of reciting the whole Qur'aan.
A similar example is the reward given by the Lawgiver
to one who offers a single prayer in the Sanctuary of
Makkah, and that he will have the reward of one hundred
thousand prayers. Does anyone take this divine bounty to
means that he does not have to pray for decades because
he offered a single prayer in the Haram that is equivalent
to one hundred thousand prayers?
Rather this has to do with reward; as for what is
sufficient, that is another matter altogether.
Moreover, none of the scholars has ever said that there
is no need for us to read the Qur'aan or that Qul Huwa
Allaah Ahad is sufficient and takes the place of that. The
correct scholarly view is that this soorah has this great
virtue because the Qur'aan deals with three topics:
one-third for rulings, one-third for promises and warnings, and
one-third for the Divine names and attributes.
This soorah combines names and attributes.
This is the view of Abu'l-`Abbaas ibn Surayj, and
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah stated that it was good in
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 17/103.
The Muslim cannot do without the two other issues,
which are the rulings and the promises and warnings.
His knowledge cannot be complete unless he looks at the
Book of Allaah as a whole. The one who stops at Soorat
al-Ikhlaas cannot know the other two matters.
Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah _ may Allaah have
mercy on him) said:
Rewards are of different types, just as wealth is of
different types, such as food, drink, clothing, houses, money
and so on. If a man possesses one type of wealth, to the
value of one thousand dinars, that does not mean that he can
do without the other types. Rather if he has wealth in
the form of food, he also needs clothing and a place to
live, etc. Similarly if it is a type other than money, he still
needs other things. If he has nothing but money, he will need
all kinds of wealth that are usually needed. In
al-Faatihah there are the benefits of praise and du'aa' which
people need, and Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad cannot replace it
in that sense. Although its reward is very great, he
cannot benefit from it unless he also recites the Opening of
the Book (al-Faatihah) in his prayer. Hence if a person
recites only Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad in his prayer, without
al-Faatihah, his prayer is not valid. Even if he recited
the whole of the Qur'aan without al-Faatihah, his
prayer would not be valid, because the al-Faatihah refers to
the basic needs that people cannot do without.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 17/131.
And he said:
The people need the commands, prohibitions and
stories that are in the Qur'aan, even though Tawheed is
greater than that. Man needs to know what he is enjoined to
do and what he is forbidden to do; he need to know what
is enjoined upon him and the stories and promises
and rewards. These cannot be replaced by anything else,
and Tawheed cannot be replaced by these. The stories
cannot take the place of the commands and prohibitions, and
the commands and prohibitions cannot take the place of
the stories. Rather everything that was sent down by
Allaah is beneficial and people need it.
If a person recites Qul Huwa Allaahu
Ahad, he earns a reward equivalent to the reward of one-third of
the Qur'aan, but that does not mean that the reward is of
the same kind as that earned by reading the rest of the
Qur'aan. Rather he may need the kind of reward that comes
from reading the commands and prohibitions and stories,
so Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad cannot take the place of all that.
And he said:
The knowledge that is to be gained by reading the rest
of the Qur'aan cannot be gained by reciting this soorah
only. So whoever reads the whole Qur'aan is better than
one who simply recites this soorah three times in the
sense that he earns different kinds of reward, even though
the one who recites Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad earns a
reward equivalent to that reward, but it is of one type and
does not include all the types that a person needs. This is like
a man who has three thousand dinars and another who
has food, clothing, accommodation and money equivalent
to three thousand dinars. The latter has that which
will benefit him in all his affairs, whereas the former
needs what the latter has, even though what he has is
equivalent in value. Similarly, if he has the finest food, equivalent
to three thousand dinars in value, he still needs clothing
and accommodation, and weapons and tools that will
ward off harm from him, and the like, which cannot be
done with food alone.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 17/137-139
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
10012: Who wrote the Qur'aan and how was it put together?
Question:
Who wrote the Qur'aan and how was it put together?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Allaah has guaranteed to preserve this Qur'aan
Himself. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr
(i.e. the Qur'aan) and surely, We will guard it
(from corruption)"
[al-Hijr 15:9]
Ibn Jareer al-Tabari said in his Tafseer, 14/8:
Allaah is saying, it is We Who have sent down the
Dhikr (Reminder), i.e. the Qur'aan, and We will guard
the Qur'aan against anything false being added to it that
is not part of it, or anything that is part of it being
taken away, whether that has to do with rulings,
hudood punishments or matters having to do with inheritance.
Al-Sa'di said in his Tafseer (p. 696):
It is We Who have sent down the Qur'aan in which
there is mention of all issues and clear evidence, and in
which We remind those who want to be reminded.
"and surely, We will guard it" means, when it is
being revealed and after it has been revealed. When it
is revealed, We protect it from the tampering of
every accursed devil, and after it has been revealed
Allaah instilled it in the heart of His Messenger. Allaah
protected the words from being changed and from anything
being added or taken away, or from its meanings being
distorted. So no one can attempt to distort its meanings but
Allaah will guide someone to explain the truth of the
Qur'aan. This is one of the greatest signs of Allaah and His
blessing to His believing slaves. Another aspect of this
protection is that Allaah protects the people of the Qur'aan
against their enemies, and no enemy can overpower them
and eliminate them.
The Qur'aan was revealed to the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in stages over a
period of twenty-three years. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And (it is) a Qur'aan which We have divided (into
parts), in order that you might recite it to men at intervals.
And We have revealed it by stages"
[al-Isra' 17:106]
al-Sa'di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This means, We have revealed this Qur'aan in stages,
to differentiate between guidance and misguidance,
between truth and falsehood.
"in order that you might recite it to men at
intervals" means, slowly, so that they may ponder and think
about its meanings, and understand the different branches
of knowledge contained therein.
"And We have revealed it by stages" means,
gradually, over a period of twenty-three years.
Tafseer al-Sa'di, p. 760.
Secondly:
Literacy was not widespread among the Arabs.
Allaah described them in such terms when He said
(interpretation of the meaning):
"He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a
Messenger (Muhammad) from among
themselves" [al-Jumu'ah 63:2]
They used to memorize the Qur'aan by heart, and a
few of them used to write down some verses or soorahs
on animal skins, thin white stones and the like.
Thirdly:
At first the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) forbade the writing of anything other than
the Qur'aan, and he forbade them to write down his
words for a while, so that the Sahaabah would focus
on memorizing the Qur'aan and writing it down, and so
that the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) would not be confused with the words
of Allaah, and so the Qur'aan was protected from
anything being added or taken away.
Fourthly:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) appointed a group of his companions who were trustworthy and knowledgeable to write down
the revelation. They are known in their biographies as
those who wrote down the Revelation, such as the four
Caliphs, `Abd-Allaah ibn `Amr ibn al-`Aas, Mu'aawiyah ibn
Abi Sufyaan, Zayd ibn Thaabit and others _ may Allaah
be pleased with them all.
Fifthly:
The Qur'aan was revealed in seven dialects as
was narrated in the saheeh hadeeth of `Umar ibn
al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This was
narrated by al-Bukhaari (2287) and Muslim (818); these were
the dialects of the Arabs which were known for
their eloquence.
Sixthly:
The Qur'aan continued to be preserved in the hearts
of the Sahaabah who had memorized it, and on the
skins and other materials until the time of the caliph Abu
Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him). During
the Riddah wars many of the Sahaabah who had
memorized the Qur'aan were killed, and Abu Bakr (may Allaah
be pleased with him) was afraid that the Qur'aan would
be lost. So he consulted the senior Sahaabah about
compiling the Qur'aan in a single book so that it would
remain preserved and would not be lost. He entrusted this
mission to the chief of memorizers Zayd ibn Thaabit (may
Allaah be pleased with him). Al-Bukhaari narrated in his
Saheeh (4986) that Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said:
Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq sent for me when the people of
al-Yamaamah had been killed [i.e., a number of the
Prophet's Companions who fought against the false
prophet Musaylimah]. (I went to him) and found `Umar ibn
al-Khattaab 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'aan (i.e. those who
knew the Qur'aan by heart) on the day of the battle of
al-Yamaamah, and I am afraid that more heavy
casualties may take place among the Qurra' on other
battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur'aan may be lost.
Therefore I suggest that you (Abu Bakr) order that the Qur'aan
be collected." I said to `Umar, "How can you do
something that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did not do?" `Umar said, "By
Allah, this is something good." `Umar kept on urging me
to accept his proposal till Allaah opened my heart to 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
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him). So search for (the fragmentary scripts of)
the Qur'aan and compile it in one book." By Allah If
they had ordered me to move one of the mountains, it
would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me
to compile the Qur'aan. Then I said (to Abu Bakr),
"How can you do something that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do?"
Abu Bakr replied, "By Allaah, it is a good thing." Abu
Bakr kept on urging me to accept his idea until Allaah
opened my heart to that to which He had opened the hearts
of Abu Bakr and `Umar. So I started looking for the
Qur'aan and collecting it from (what it was written on) palm
stalks, thin white stones and also from the men who knew it
by heart, until I found the last Verse of Soorat
al-Tawbah with Abu Khuzaymah al-Ansaari, and I did not find
it with anybody other than him. The verse is
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, there has come unto you a
Messenger (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves
him that you should receive any injury or difficulty..."
[al-Tawbah 9:128] until the end of Soorat Baraa'ah (i.e.,
al-Tawbah).
Then the complete manuscript (copy) of the
Qur'aan remained with Abu Bakr until he died, then with
`Umar until the end of his life, and then with Hafsah, the
daughter of `Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him).
The Sahaabi Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be
pleased with him) knew the Qur'aan by heart but he
was methodical in his confirmation; he would not agree
to write down any verse until two of the Sahaabah
testified that they had heard it from the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
This Mus-haf (written copy of the Qur'aan) remained
in the hands of the caliphs until the time of the
Rightly-Guided Caliph `Uthmaan ibn `Affaan (may Allaah
be pleased with him). The Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them) had dispersed to different lands, and they
used to recite the Qur'aan according to what they had heard
of the seven recitations from the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and each of
their students used to recite according to what he had
heard from his shaykh. If a student heard someone reciting in
a manner different from what he knew, he would
denounce him and accuse him of making a mistake, and this
went on until the Sahaabah feared that there would be
fitnah (trouble) between the Taabi'een and
successive generations. So they thought that they should unite
the people in following one recitation, which was in
the dialect of Quraysh in which the Qur'aan had first
been revealed, so as to dispel any disputes and resolve
the matter. `Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him)
was consulted, and he agreed with this opinion.
Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh (4988) from Anas
ibn Maalik that Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan came to
`Uthmaan at the time when the people of Shaam (Syria) and
the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Hudhayfah was alarmed by their (the
people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of
the Qur'aan, so he said to `Uthmaan, "O Ameer
al-Mu'mineen! Save this nation before they dispute
about the Book (Qur'aan) as the Jews and the Christians
did before." So `Uthmaan sent a message to Hafsah
saying, "Send us the manuscript of the Qur'aan so that we
may make copies of the Mus-haf and we will return
the manuscript to you."
Hafsah sent it to `Uthmaan. Then `Uthmaan ordered
Zayd ibn Thaabit, `Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, Sa'eed ibn
al-`Aas and `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Haarith ibn Hishaam to
copy out the manuscripts. `Uthmaan said to the three men
who were from Quraysh (the tribe of which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was a member),
"In case you disagree with Zayd ibn Thaabit on any point
in the Qur'aan, then write it in the dialect of Quraysh,
for the Qur'aan was revealed in their tongue." They did
so, and when they had written many copies,
`Uthmaan returned the original manuscripts to Hafsah.
`Uthmaan sent to every Muslim province one copy of
what they had copied, and ordered that all the other
Qur'aanic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts
or whole copies, be burnt.
Ibn Shihaab said: Khaarijah ibn Zayd ibn Thaabit
told me that he heard Zayd ibn Thaabit say: "When we
made copies of the Mus-haf I missed a verse of al-Ahzaab
that I used to hear the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recite. So we
searched for it and we found it with Khuzaymah ibn Thaabit
al-Ansaari. (The verse was) `Among the believers are
men who have been true to their covenant with Allaah'
[al-Ahzaab 33:23 _ interpretation of the
meaning]. So we put it in its place in its soorah in the Mus-haf."
Thus an end was put to dispute and the Muslims
were united. The Qur'aan has remained and will
remain narrated from generation to generation and preserved
in men's hearts until the Day of Resurrection. This is
how Allaah has preserved His Book, in confirmation of
the verse in which He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr
(i.e. the Qur'aan) and surely, We will guard it
(from corruption)"
[al-Hijr 15:9]
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
6577: The Qur'aan is a healing and a mercy to
the believers
Question:
Tell me more about quran.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Qur'aan is the word of Allaah that was revealed
to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and is recited as an act of worship.
This definition of the Qur'aan is comprehensive.
Our saying "the word of Allaah" excludes the words
of human beings or others.
Our saying "revealed to His Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)" excludes
anything that was revealed to anyone else, such as the
Injeel (Gospel), Tawraat (Torah) and Zaboor (Psalms).
Our saying "it is recited as an act of worship"
excludes the hadeeth qudsi (ahaadeeth in which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) narrated words
from Allaah which are not part of the Qur'aan).
It brings light and gives certainty, it is the strong rope,
it is the path of the righteous. It tells us of those who
came before us, Prophets and righteous people, and how
those who disobeyed them tasted the punishment of Allaah
and were humiliated. It contains verses which speak of
the miracles of Allaah and His power in this great
universe. It tells us of the origins of human beings who are
created from "despised water" (semen). It contains the
basic principles of faith which must be embraced by
every humble heart. It contains the rules of sharee'ah
which tells us what is permissible and what is forbidden;
what is true and what is false. It tells us of the
Resurrection and the fate of human beings, either in the Fire in
which they will burn and be among those who are
humiliated, or in Paradise with its gardens, springs, plants and
places of security.
In it there is healing for men's hearts, light
and illumination for the blind. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"And We send down of the Qur'aan that which is a
healing and a mercy to those who believe (in Islamic
Monotheism and act on it), and it increases the Zaalimoon
(polytheists and wrongdoers) nothing but loss"
[al-Isra' 17:82]
Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer said in his commentary on
this verse:
Here Allaah tells us about His Book, which He
revealed to His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and which is the Qur'aan
which "Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind
it, (it is) sent down by the AllWise, Worthy of all
praise" [Fussilat 42:41- interpretation of the
meaning], that it is "a healing and a mercy to those who
believe" _ i.e., it takes away the diseases in the heart such as
doubt, hypocrisy, shirk, deviation and misguidance; the
Qur'aan heals all of that. And it is also a mercy which brings
about faith, wisdom and the pursuit of and desire for
goodness. This is only for those who believe in it and follow it;
for such it will be a healing and a mercy. But as for the
kaafir and those who wrong themselves thereby, their
hearing the Qur'aan only makes them further away (from
truth) and increases them in kufr. The problem comes from
the kaafir, not from the Qur'aan. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: It is for those who believe, a guide and a
healing. And as for those who disbelieve, there is
heaviness (deafness) in their ears, and it (the Qur'aan) is
blindness for them. They are those who are called from a place
far away (so they neither listen nor understand)"
[Fussilat 41:44]
"And whenever there comes down a Soorah, some of
them (hypocrites) say: `Which of you has had his
Faith increased by it?' As for those who believe, it has
increased their Faith, and they rejoice.
But as for those in whose hearts is a disease (of
doubt, disbelief and hypocrisy), it will add suspicion and
doubt to their suspicion, disbelief and doubt; and they die
while they are disbelievers"
[al-Tawbah 9:124-125]
Qutaadah said, concerning the phrase "And We send
down of the Qur'aan that which is a healing and a mercy
to those who believe": when the believer hears it he
benefits from it, memorizes it and understands it.
"and it increases the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) nothing
but loss" means, they do not benefit from it, memorize it
or understand it. Allaah has made this Qur'aan a
healing and a mercy for the believers. Tafseer Ibn
Katheer, 3/60.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O mankind! There has come to you a good advice
from your Lord (i.e. the Qur'aan, enjoining all that is
good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for
that which is in your breasts, — a guidance and a
mercy (explaining lawful and unlawful things) for the
believers" [Yoonus 10:57]
"And if We had sent this as a Qur'aan in a
foreign language (other than Arabic), they would have said:
`Why are not its verses explained in detail (in our
language)? What! (A Book) not in Arabic and (the Messenger)
an Arab?' Say: `It is for those who believe, a guide and
a healing. And as for those who disbelieve, there
is heaviness (deafness) in their ears, and it (the
Qur'aan) is blindness for them. They are those who are called
from a place far away (so they neither listen nor understand)'"[Fussilat
41:44]
In it is guidance for mankind, away from
misguidance and to the truth. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"This is the Book (the Qur'aan), whereof there is no
doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqoon [the
pious" [al-Baqarah 2:2]
"And thus We have revealed to you (O Muhammad)
a Qur'aan in Arabic that you may warn the Mother of
the Towns (Makkah) and all around it, and warn (them)
of the Day of Assembling of which there is no doubt, when
a party will be in Paradise (those who believed in
Allaah and followed what Allaah's Messenger brought them)
and a party in the blazing Fire (Hell) (those who
disbelieved in Allaah and followed not what Allaah's
Messenger brought them)"
[al-Shoora 42:9]
"And thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad) Rooh
(a revelation, and a mercy) of Our Command. You knew
not what is the Book, nor what is Faith? But We have made
it (this Qur'aan) a light wherewith We guide whosoever
of Our slaves We will. And verily, you (O Muhammad)
are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path
(i.e. Allaah's religion of Islamic Monotheism).
The path of Allaah to Whom belongs all that is in
the heavens and all that is in the earth. Verily, all matters
at the end go to Allaah (for decision)"
[al-Shoora 42:52-53]
It contains innumerable benefits, so everyone who
seeks happiness in this world and in the Hereafter must refer
to it for judgement and follow its commands.
Imam Ibn Hazm said:
Because the proof and the miracles indicate that
the Qur'aan is the covenant of Allaah with us, we must
believe in it and act in accordance with it. It has come down to
us through generations of Muslims narrating it to those
who came after them, which leaves no room for doubt that
the Qur'aan is the one which is written in the Mus-hafs
which we find everywhere. We have to follow its teachings,
for it is our reference-point, because we read in it the
words (interpretation of the meaning):
"There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor
a bird that flies with its two wings, but are
communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book,
then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered"
[al-An'aam 6:38]
Whatever commands and prohibitions are in the
Qur'aan, we must adhere to them.
Al-Ihkaam, 1/92 . And Allaah knows best. Islam
Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Search Inside This Book At Google Book Search - (276 pages)
21500: Distortion of the Qur'aan by the Raafidis
Question:
I have also heard by a shia collegue that their is a surat
in their book which is not in the QURAN. can u
confirm this? the surat in qs is called SURAT AL-WILAYAT.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
With regard to Soorat al-Wilaayah, some of the
Shi'ah scholars and imams have stated that it exists. Any of
them who denies that does so by way of taqiyah
(dissimulation). One of those who clearly stated that it exists is
Mirza Hussein Muhammad Taqiy al-Noori al-Tubrusi (d.
1320 AH). He wrote a book in which he claimed that
the Qur'aan had been distorted and that the Sahaabah
has concealed some parts of it, including Soorat
al-Wilaayah. The Raafidis honoured him after his death by
burying him in al-Najaf. This book by al-Tubrusi was
published in Iran in 1298 AH, and when it was published there
was a great deal of controversy because they wanted the
doubts about the validity of the Qur'aan, which were known
only to their leaders, to remain scattered throughout
hundreds of their major books, and they did not want that to
be compiled in one book. At the beginning of his book
he said:
"This is a good and noble book entitled
Fasl al-khitaab fi ithbaat tahreef Kitaab Rabb
il-Arbaab (Decisive comment on the distortion of the Book of the Lord of Lords)…
He mentioned aayahs and soorahs which he claims that
the Sahaabah concealed, including `Soorat al-Wilaayah,'"
the text of which, according to them, and as quoted in
this book, is:
"O you who believe, believe in the Prophet and the
Wali [i.e., `Ali] whom We have sent to guide you to the
straight path, a Prophet and a Wali who are part of one
another, and I am the All-Knowing, All-Aware…"
And they have another soorah which they call Soorat
al-Noorayn: "O you who believe, believe in the two
lights (al-noorayn) which We have sent down to you to recite
to you My Verses and to warn you of the punishment of
a great Day. They are part of one another and I am the
All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Those who fulfil the covenant
with Allaah and His Messenger mentioned in the verses
(of the Qur'aan), the Gardens of delight will be theirs,
but those who disbelieve after they believed by breaking
their covenant and disobeying the command of the
Prophet, they will be thrown into Hell. They have
wronged themselves and gone against the wasiyyah of the
Prophet (i.e., the appointment of `Ali as khaleefah), and they
will be given to drink of boiling water…" and other
such nonsense.
You can see the entire soorah, along with a
telegraphic picture of the Persian mus-haf at the following site:
http://arabic.islamicweb.com/shia/nurain.htm
Prof. Muhammad `Ali Sa'oodi _ who was one of
the greatest experts of the Ministry of Justice in Egypt
_ examined an Iranian mus-haf kept by the Orientalist
Bryan and he obtained a copy of this soorah; above the lines
of Arabic script there is written the translation in the
Iranian language.
As it was mentioned by al-Tubrusi in his book,
Fasl al-khitaab fi ithbaat tahreef Kitaab Rabb
il-Arbaab, it is also mentioned in their book
Dabastan Madhaahib, which is in Farsi, written by Muhsin Faani al-Kashmiri.
This book has been printed numerous times in Iran, and
this false soorah was quoted from it by the
Orientalist Noeldeke in his book The History of
Qur'anic Manuscripts, 2/120, and was published by the
French Asian newspaper in 1842
(p. 431-439).
It was also mentioned by Mirza Habibullaah
al-Haashimi al-Kho'i in his book Manhaaj al-Baraa'ah fi Sharh
Nahj al-Balaaghah (2/217); and by Muhammad Baaqir
al-Majlisi in his book Tadhkirat al-A'immah (p. 19, 20)
in Farsi, (published by) Manshoorat Mawlana, Iran.
See also al-Khutoot al-`Areedah li'l-Asas allati
qaama `alayha deen al-Shi'ah by Muhibb al-Deen al-Khateeb.
This claim of theirs is a denial of the words of
Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr
(i.e. the Qur'aan) and surely, We will guard it
(from corruption)"
[al-Hijr 15:9]
Hence the Muslims are unanimously agreed that
anyone who claims that anything in the Qur'aan has been
altered or changed is a kaafir.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
The same applies to those among them who claim
that some verses of the Qur'aan have been taken away
or concealed, or who claim to have some esoteric interpretations that exempt him from having to do
the actions prescribed in sharee'ah etc., who are called
al-Qaraamitah and al-Baatiniyyah, and who include
al-Tanaasukhiyyah [names of esoteric sects]. There is
no dispute that they are kaafirs.
Al-Saarim al-Maslool, 3/1108-1110.
Ibn Hazm said:
The view that the Qur'aan has been altered is blatant
kufr and is a rejection of what the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said.
Al-Fasl fi'l-Ahwa' wa'-Milal wa'l-Nihal, 4/139.
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
5105: Refutation of those who try to prove that
the Qur'aan is not true
Question:
Recently I became aware of some scholarly research
done by German scholars into the inerrancy of the Quran.
Some of their findings are discussed in an Atlantic
Monthly article entitled "What Is the Koran?" written by
Toby Lester, published in the January 1999 issue of
that magazine. The gist of their research is that some very
old fragments of the Quran found in a mosque in Yemen
show small but significant aberrations from the
standard Quranic texts. In some cases, the writing on the
fragments found had been washed off and different
writing substituted overtop. The article tries to cast doubt on
the Muslim view of the Quran as being absolutely
reliable, and tries to show instead that it is a literary text that
has been subject to change just like any other.
I am not a Muslim, but I know that the Quran holds
a position in Islam that is similar to that of Christ
in Christianity. In view of this, sir, how would you
respond to these attempts to dispute the absolute inerrancy of
the Quran? In your view, do these scholars have false
motives that render their findings untrustworthy? Or do you
have another response to these attacks on the verity of
the Quran?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
1 _ The proof that the copies of the Holy Qur'aan that
we have before us is not just one or two pieces of
evidence, rather it is proven by a vast amount of evidence that
no fair-minded person can study without becoming convinced that it is exactly as Allaah revealed it
to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
2 _ There have been generations coming one after
another, reciting the Book of Allaah and studying it,
memorizing it and writing it down. They have not omitted a
single letter, and no one can change even the vowel point of
a single letter. Writing is just one means of preserving
it; basically it is preserved in their hearts.
3 _ The Qur'aan has not come down to us on its
own, such that the so-called alterations could be made.
Rather the interpretation of its verses, the meanings of its
words, the reasons for its revelation, the grammar of its
words and the commentary on its rulings have all
been transmitted. When such care has been given to this
Book, how could sinful hands find a way to distort even
one letter of it, or add a word, or take away a verse?
4 _ The Qur'aan speaks of matters of the unseen, in
the future, which Allaah revealed to His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) to show him that they came from Allaah. If a human
being wants to write a book, he can describe an event or
express a point of view, but if any human being were to
speak about matters of the unseen, in this field he can only
base that on speculation and lies. But the Qur'aan told of
the defeat of the Romans by the Persians, at the time
when there was no means of communication to inform the
Arabs of this event. The same verses also foretold that they
(the Persians) would be defeated after a certain number
of years. If what the Qur'aan said was not accurate, then
the kaafirs would have had a great opportunity to
criticize the Qur'aan.
5 _ If you read any verse of the Qur'aan, then you go
to America or Asia or the jungles of Africa, or to the
deserts of Arabia or any place where there are Muslims, you
will find that all of them have the exact same verse,
memorized by heart or in their books; not a single letter of it
will have been altered.
So what is the importance of this unknown manuscript
in Yemen which we have not seen, and in which some ignorant may have altered, in recent times, one verse
or one word?
Does this argument carry any weight when
properly researched and discussed? Especially when the
people claim to be fair-minded and objective in their research.
What would be their response if we went to one of
their most trusted books by a well-known author, a book
of which there are many copies in the world, all of
them exactly the same, and we claimed that there was a
copy of this book in some country or other in which there
was extra material and alterations, and it was different
from what is in their copies? Would they pay any attention?
Their answer would be the same as ours.
6 _ The manuscript copies which are in the
Muslims' possession cannot be proven to be authentic in
this simplistic manner, for we have experts who know
the history of calligraphy and we have principles
and guidelines through which we may determine whether
a manuscript is genuine, such as the names and
signatures of the people who heard it and read it.
We do not think that these features are present in this
so-called copy of the Qur'aan in Yemen or in others.
7 _ We are happy to conclude our answer with this
true story that happened in Baghdad during the `Abbasid
era, when a Jew wanted to find out how true are the
books attributed by their followers to God, namely the
Torah among the Jews, the Gospel among the Christians
and the Qur'aan among the Muslims.
He went to the Torah and added and took away a
few minor things that were not very obvious, then he gave
it to a scribe from among the Jews and asked him to
make copies of it. It did not take long before these copies
were placed in the synagogues of the Jews and were
in circulation among their major scholars.
Then he went to the Gospel and added and took away
a few things as he had done with the Torah, and he gave
it to their scribes and asked them to make copies of it.
It was not long before it was being read in their
churches and was in circulation among their scholars.
Then he went to the Qur'aan and added and took away
a few things as he had done with the Torah and the
Gospel. Then he gave it to a Muslim scribe to make copies of it.
When he went back to get his copy, the scribe threw it
in his face and told him that this was not the Qur'aan of
the Muslims!
From this experiment the man came to know that
the Qur'aan is the true Book of Allaah and that all other
books were the works of human beings.
If the scribes of the Muslims could tell that this copy
had been tampered with, then how could it go into
circulation among the Muslim scholars undetected?
If the questioner wants to repeat this ancient
experiment nowadays, all she has to do is to do the same as that
Jewish man did, who later became Muslim; she can add and
take away things from these three books and see what
happens as a result.
But we do not tell her to show her copy of the Qur'aan
to a scribe, rather we tell her to show it to Muslim
children, and they will tell her where the mistakes are in her copy!
Some Muslim states have printed Mus-hafs in which
there were mistakes, and young children found them before
the grown-ups did!
And Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
5142: The revelation of the Qur'aan in seven styles
(ahruf, sing. harf)
Question:
I have read that during the third Khalief, Oethmaan,
a committee under supervision of Zaid ibn Thabit has
been ordered to make an official editorship of the whole
Koran. But this "Oethmanian" text didn't give yet a
uniform reading.
Because early arabic language didn't have vowels
and also some consonants had the same or almost the
same form. New signs were introduced to seperate the
different letters. But this still did not stop the different ways
of reading.
In the first half of the fourth/tenth century the `imaam
of the Koran readers' in Baghdad, Ibn Moedjahid, gave
a solution to this problem. He said that the word harf
should be put equivalent to kira'a. He declared seven ways
of reading correct. Because according to him the saying
of the Prophet (PBUH) that the Koran was send in
seven ahroef means that seven ways of reading are inspired.
Nowadays only to ways of reading are in use, Warsj
of Nafi' and Hafs of `Asim.
Could you tell me more about these different ways
of reading? Are there ahadieth about this?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly :
you should note, may Allaah bless you, that the
Qur'aan was revealed in one style at the beginning, but
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) kept asking Jibreel until he taught him
seven styles, all of which were complete. The evidence for
that is the hadeeth of Ibn `Abbaas who narrated that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Jibreel taught me one style and I reviewed it until
he taught me more, and I kept asking him for more and
he gave me more until finally there were seven styles."
(narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3047; Muslim, 819)
Secondly, what is meant by styles (ahruf, sing.
harf)?
The best of the scholarly opinions concerning what
is meant is that there are seven ways of reciting the
Qur'aan, where the wording may differ but the meaning is the
same; if there is a different meaning then it is by way of
variations on a theme, not opposing and contradiction.
Thirdly:
Some of the scholars said that what was meant by
ahruf was the dialects of the Arabs, but this is
far-fetched, because of the hadeeth of `Umar ibn al-Khattaab
who said: "I heard Hishaam ibn Hakeem reciting Soorat
al-Furqaan in a manner different from that in which I
used to recite it and the way in which the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught me
to recite it. I was about to argue with him whilst he
was praying, but I waited until he finished his prayer, and
then I tied his garment around his neck and seized him by
it and brought him to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, `O
Messenger of Allaah, I heard this man reciting Soorat-al-Furqaan
in a way different to the way you taught it to me.'
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said to him, `Recite it,' and he recited it as
I had heard him recite it. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, `It was
revealed like this.' Then he said to me, `Recite it,' so I recited
it and he said, `It was revealed like this.' This Qur'aan
has been revealed in seven different ways, so recite it in
the way that is easiest for you.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2287; Muslim, 818)
It is known that Hishaam was Asadi Qurashi (i.e.,
from the clan of Bani Asad in Quraysh) and `Umar was
`Adawi Qurashi (i.e., from the clan of Bani `Adiyy in
Quraysh). Both of them were from Quraysh and Quraysh had
only one dialect. If the difference in ahruf (styles) had been
a difference in dialects, why would two men of
Quraysh have been different?
The scholars mentioned nearly forty different
opinions concerning this matter! Perhaps the most correct is
that which we have mentioned above. And Allaah knows best.
Fourthly:
It seems that the seven styles were revealed with
different wordings, as indicated by the hadeeth of `Umar,
because `Umar's objection was to the style, not the meaning.
The differences between these styles are not the matter
of contradiction and opposition, rather they are
synonymous, as Ibn Mas'ood said: "It is like one of you
saying halumma, aqbil or
ta'aal (all different ways of saying `Come here')."
Fifthly:
With regard to the seven recitations (al-qiraa'aat
al-saba'), this number is not based on the Qur'aan
and Sunnah, rather it is the ijtihaad of Ibn Mujaahid
(may Allaah have mercy on him). People thought that
al-ahruf al-saba' (the seven styles) were
al-qiraa'aat al-saba' (the seven recitations) because they happened to be the
same number. But this number may have come about coincidentally, or it may have been done deliberately
by Ibn Mujaahid to match what was narrated about
the number of styles (ahruf) being seven. Some
people thought that the styles (ahruf) were the recitations,
but this is a mistake. No such comment is known among
the scholars. The seven recitations are one of the seven
styles, and this is the style that `Uthmaan chose for all
the Muslims.
Sixthly:
When `Uthmaan made copies of the Qur'aan, he did
so according to one style (harf), but he omitted the dots
and vowel points so that some other styles could also
be accommodated. So the Mus-haf that was copied in
his time could be read according to other styles, and
whatever styles were accommodated by the Mus-haf of
`Uthmaan remained in use, and the styles that could not
be accommodated fell into disuse. The people had started
to criticize one another for reciting differently, so
`Uthmaan united them by giving them one style of the Qur'aan.
Seventhly:
Your saying that Mujaahid's different recitations
meant the seven styles (ahruf) is not correct, as was said
by Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah. (Majmoo'ah
al-Fatawa, vol. 13, p. 210)
Eighthly:
The seven readers or reciters were:
1- Naafi' al-Madani
2- Ibn Katheer al-Makki
3- `Aasim al-Kufi
4- Hamzah al-Zayaat al-Kufi
5- Al-Kisaa'i al-Kufi
6- Abu `Amr ibn al-`Ala' al-Basri
7- `Abd-Allaah ibn `Aamir al-Shaami
The ones who have the strongest isnaad in recitation
are Naafi' and `Aasim.
The most eloquent are Abu `Amr and al-Kisaa'i.
Warsh and Qaaloon narrated from Naafi'.
Hafs and Shu'bah narrated from `Aasim.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
23487: Claims that the Qur'aan has been distorted
Question:
Dear Sir, please try to answer my question as it is
very important to me. I have read in an antiislamic
website run by a christian theologist from England that the
scholar "Al-Sagistany" wrote in his book called "Almasahif"
that the Muslim leader "Al-Hajjajj " changed letters in
the Quran in about at least ten words . He claims
that "Alsagistany" reported this and that he wrote it under
the title: "Ma Ghayarraho Alhajjajj Fe Moshaf Othman".
this christian also narrates in Arabic what he claims to be
a copy of this page with the ten words which he claims
had letters changed in them.
I have tried to find a copy of that book to search the
matter but I failed. Please try your best efforts to make this
matter clear . Also it is unimaginable to me that the whole
Muslim scholars and memorizers of Quran could have
just accepted someone to change in the Quran
without stopping this or not knowing about it. Even if
Alsagistany really reported this, it still really doesnot make sense
at all; first of all because we are not like christians and
jews who dont memorize their books totally and it is
mainly left to religious scholars. Instead very large numbers
of muslims memorize the Quran and almost all read it .
So changes could not have just passed unnoticed except
by Alsagistany especially that at this era there were
already several total copies of the Quran in all muslim
countries. Secondly, if it is very difficult to believe that these
changes were not noticed by scholars or people at the time, then
it is far more difficult to imagine that any muslim
scholar or even lay man would know of the changes to the
book of Allah and keep quiet and not fight this thing and
just accept it. Sir, it just could not happen.
So please try to find this book and clarify the matter
for me in great detail with definite evidence and proofs
as much as Allah will help you. I appreciate your
cooperation and again forgive me for my long letter but I cannot
tell you how important this matter is to me. I put all my
trust and hope in Allah that I will find a really clear and
clearcut answer.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is not possible for a Muslim to entertain
doubts concerning the immutability of the Qur'aan,
because Allaah has guaranteed to preserve the Qur'aan.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr
(i.e. the Qur'aan) and surely, We will guard it
(from corruption)"
[al-Hijr 15:9]
The Qur'aan was preserved in the hearts of the
Sahaabah who had memorized it, and on the trunks of trees
and thin white stones until the time of the caliph Abu Bakr
al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him). During
the Riddah wars many of the Sahaabah who had
memorized the Qur'aan were killed, so Abu Bakr (may Allaah
be pleased with him) was afraid that the Qur'aan may
be lost. He consulted the senior Sahaabah concerning
the idea of compiling the entire Qur'aan in one book so
that it would be preserved and would not be lost, and this
task was entrusted to the great hafiz Zayd ibn Thaabit
and others who had written down the Revelation.
Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh that Zayd ibn Thaabit (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq sent for me when the people
of Yamamah had been killed (i.e., a number of the
Prophet's Companions who fought against Musaylimah). (I
went to him) and found `Umar bin al-Khattaab sitting with
him. Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said (to
me), ` `Umar has come to me and said: "Casualties were
heavy among the Qurra' of the Qur'aan (i.e. those who
knew the Qur'aan by heart) at the Battle of Yamaamah, 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
that you [Abu Bakr] should issue orders that the Qur'aan
be collected." I said to `Umar, "How can you do
something that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did not do?" `Umar said, "By
Allah, this is something good." `Umar kept on urging me
(to accept his proposal) until Allah opened my heart to 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 have a great deal of confidence
in you. You used to write down the Revelation for
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him). So you should seek out the Qur'aan [i.e.,
the fragments on which it is written] and collect it (in
one book).' By Allaah, if they had ordered me to move one
of the mountains, it would not have been harder for me
than this command to collect the Qur'aan. I said (to Abu
Bakr), `How can you do something which the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did not do?' Abu Bakr said, `By Allaah, it is a good
thing.' Abu Bakr kept on urging me (to accept his proposal)
until Allah opened my heart to it as He had opened the
hearts of Abu Bakr and `Umar. So I started to look for
the Qur'aan and collected it from (the fragments on which
it was written of) palm-stalks, thin white stones and
the hearts of men (i.e., from men who knew it by heart),
until I found the last verse of Soorat al-Tawbah with
Abu Khuzaymah al-Ansaari, and I did not find it with
anybody other than him. The verse is :
`Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger
from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should
receive any injury or difficulty…'
[al-Tawbah 9:128 _ interpretation of the meaning]
… until the end of Soorat Baraa'ah (Soorat al-Tawbah).
These fragments remained with Abu Bakr until he
died, then with `Umar for the rest of his life, then with
Hafsah bint `Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both)."
Secondly:
With regard to al-Hajjaaj, it was not his idea to write
out the Mus-haf, rather he was commanded by an
intelligent man to do that. There follows the complete story:
Al-Zarqaani said:
It is known that the Mus-haf of `Uthmaan was
unpointed (i.e., it had no diacritical marks). Whatever the case
the addition of diacritical marks to the Mus-haf did
not happen, according to the well-established view, until
the era of `Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan, when he realized
that Islam had spread widely and the Arabs were mixing
with the non-Arabs, which was having an effect on the
Arabic language, so that there was much confusion about
the correct reading of the Mus-hafs and it was becoming
very difficult for people to tell the letters apart. By his
deep insight, he realized that he should do something to
solve the problem. So he commanded al-Hajjaaj to take care
of this important matter. In obedience to the caliph,
Al-Hajjaaj appointed two men to deal with this matter,
namely Nasr ibn `Aasim al-Laythi and Yahya ibn Ya'mar
al-`Adwaani, both of whom were qualified and able to
do the task required of them, because they were knowledgeable, righteous, pious and experts in
Arabic language and the various readings of the Qur'aan.
They had also both studied under Abu'l-Aswad al-Du'li.
May Allaah have mercy on these two shaykhs, for
they succeeded in their work and gave the Mus-haf
diacritical points for the first time. They added dots to all the
letters that look similar, not adding more than three dots to
any one letter. That became widespread among the people
and was very effective in dispelling confusion
concerning reading of the Mus-haf.
It was said that the first person to add diacritical marks
to the Mus-haf was Abu'l-Aswad al-Du'li, and that
Ibn Seereen had a Mus-haf to which diacritical marks
had been added by Yahya ibn Ya'mar. These opinions may
be reconciled by noting that Abu'l-Aswad was the first
one who added diacritical marks to the Mus-haf, but he
did that for his own individual use, then Ibn Seereen
followed him in that, and that `Abd al-Malik was the first one
to add diacritical marks to the Mus-haf in an official
and public manner that was spread widely among the
people in order to dispel any confusion with regard to
reading Qur'aan." Manaahil al-`Irfaan, 1/280, 281
Thirdly:
With regard to what is mentioned in the question,
quoting from al-Masaahif by Ibn Abi Dawood, there follows
the report concerning that and the ruling thereon:
It was narrated from `Abbaad ibn Suhayb from `Awf
ibn Abi Jameelah that al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf changed
eleven letters in the Mus-haf. He said that in Soorat
al-Baqarah 2:259 it said lam yatasanna
wa'nzur, with no ha', and he changed it to
lam yatasannah wa'nzur (they show no change, and look…)
In al-Maa'idah 5:48 it said sharee'atan wa
minhaajan, and he changed it to shir'atan wa
minhaajan (a law and a clear way)
In Yoonus 10:22 it said, Huwa alladhi
yunshirukum and he changed it to Huwa alladhi
yusayyirukum (He it is Who enables you to travel…)
In Yoosuf 12:45 it said Ana aateekum bi
ta'weelihi and he changed it to Ana unabbi'ukum bi
ta'weelihi (I will tell you its interpretation)
In al-Zukhruf 43:32 it said, Nahnu qasamnaa
baynahum ma'aayishahum and he changed it to
Nahnu qasamnaa baynahum ma'eeshatahum (It is We Who portion
out between them their livelihood)
In al-Takweer 81:24 it said Wa ma huwa `ala'l-ghaybi
bi zaneen and he changed it to Wa ma huwa `ala'l-ghaybi
bi daneen (and he withholds not a knowledge of the unseen)
Kitaab al-Masaahif by al-Sajistaani, p. 49.
This report is da'eef jiddan (very weak) or
mawdoo' (fabricated), because its isnaad includes `Abbaad
ibn Suhayb, whose hadeeth is to be rejected.
`Ali ibn al-Madeeni said: his hadeeth is no good.
Al-Bukhaari, al-Nasaa'i and others said: he is matrook
(to be rejected). Ibn Hibbaan said: he was a Qadari
who promoted his innovated ideas, and he narrated
things which a beginner in this field would realize
were fabricated if he heard them. Al-Dhahabi said: he is one
of those who are to be rejected.
See Meezaan al-I'tidaal, by al-Dhahabi, 4/28.
The text of the report is also false, because it dos
not make sense that these changes could be made in
the Qur'aan and then spread throughout the world. Even
some of the non-Muslims, such as the Raafidis (Shi'ah)
who think that the Qur'aan is incomplete, rejected this
and criticized its text.
Al-Kho'i, who is one of the Raafidis, said: "This claim
is like the hallucination of one who is suffering a fever,
or like the fairy tales of the insane or of children.
Al-Hajjaaj was one of the governors of the Umayyads, and he is
too incapable to do anything to the Qur'aan. He is
even incapable of changing any of the minor issues of
Islam, so how could he change the thing which is the
foundation of the religion and the basis of sharee'ah? Where
would he get the power to introduce this change throughout
the realm of Islam and beyond at the time when the
Qur'aan was well known throughout the Muslim world?
How come no historian has ever mentioned this disastrous
event even though it is so serious and they would have a lot
of motives to mention it? How come no one among
the Muslims of his time narrated it? How could the
Muslims have turned a blind eye to such an action after the
reign of al-Hajjaaj came to an end? Even if we assume that
he could have gathered all the copies of the Qur'aan
and that not one single copy escaped his grasp anywhere
in the far-flung regions of the Islamic world, how could
he have removed it from the hearts of the Muslims and
those who had memorized it, the number of whom at that
time is known only to Allaah."
(al-Bayaan fi Tafseer al-Qur'aan, p. 219)
What the questioner mentions about Imam
al-Sajistaani, and that he wrote a book called Ma Ghayyarahu
al-Hajjaaj fi Mus-haf `Uthmaan (What al-Hajjaaj
altered in the Mus-haf of `Uthmaan) is not true, rather it is
a blatant lie. All there is, is the commentary that
al-Sajistaani wrote concerning the words quoted above from
al-Hajjaaj, entitled Baab Ma Kataba al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf
fi'l-Mus-haf (Chapter on what al-Hajjaaj wrote in the
Mus-haf).
On this basis, we cannot rely upon this report under
any circumstances whatsoever. The fact that until now it
has not been proven that anyone has succeeded in his
attempt to change even one letter (of the Qur'aan) is sufficient
to prove that it is a lie. If what has been narrated is
true, then it would be possible to repeat it, especially at
the times when the Muslims were weak and their
enemies plotted against them. It is such specious arguments
that prove that these claims are false, and that our
enemies are incapable of refuting the evidence of the Qur'aan
or its clarity, so they resorted to attacking it.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
695: Can one celebrate completing the Qur'aan?
Question:
A young girl has finished reading the Qur'aan for the
first time, and wants to invite her friends for a celebration
on this occasion. What should she write on the
invitation cards?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This is a wonderful thing for such a young person
(11 years old) living in a non-Muslim country and
deviant society to accomplish. The fact that she has not given
her name is a sign of sincerity, in sha Allaah. I think that
this should only be announced for the purposes of
encouraging others to do the same. The affair should be limited to
a small gathering where some relatives or friends invite
a few of the girl's friends, tell them of her achievement
in completing the Qur'aan in order to encourage them -
not to show off or boast - and some of the mothers say a
few words about the greatness of the Qur'aan, the
importance of reading it and how the Muslim should treat the
Qur'aan. Or this girl could invite her friends to a meal to mark
the occasion and give thanks for this blessing. There is
nothing wrong with such activities, as long as one is careful
not to let it turn into a celebration.
It is clear from the above that celebrating a
person's completion of reciting or memorizing the
Qur'aan, inviting people and offering food, is an action in
which there is a risk of two fitnahs (temptations):
(1) that it might be an occasion for showing off
and boasting, and
(2) that it may constitute bid'ah, if people believe
that such celebrations are part of the religion and must be
held every time a person completes the reading of the
Qur'aan. The first danger may be avoided by striving within
oneself to be sincere towards Allaah, and the second by
restricting the invitees to a small number of family and friends.
We should not hold such gatherings regularly, lest
people think it is a part of the Sunnah I ask Allaah to
increase His blessings upon you and to give you the strength
to memorize Qur'aan and Sincerity in speech and deeds.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
2255: Entering the bathroom with a necklace
with Qur'aanic aayaat
Question:
Can my wife enter the bathroom with a neckless that
has words of the Qur'an on it?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not permitted to enter the bathroom with
anything that has aayat from the Qur'aan on it, because this
could lead to disrespect of the Word of Allaah, may He
be glorified and exalted. Therefore, your wife should
remove this necklace before entering the bathroom. Our advice
is that women should not wear any jewellery with aayaat
or du'aa's on it, because there are a number of
reservations about this practice, of which wearing it when
entering the bathroom is just one.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
3214: The order of Soorahs and Aayahs in the Qur'aan
Question:
Why are the sourates in Quran ordered are they are ?
(since the first sourate is the one which begins with "Iqraa")
Baraka Allah fikoum
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The fact there is scholarly consensus, and many
texts stating the order of aayahs in one soorah, that is very
well known. The consensus was reported by many
scholars, including Al-Zarkashi in
al-Burhaan and Abu Ja'far, who said: "The order of the aayahs in their soorahs came
about because this is how it was instituted by the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and there is
no dispute among the Muslims with regard to this matter."
The texts regarding this matter include the following:
The report narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood,
al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa'i, Ibn Hibbaan and al-Haakim from Ibn
`Abbaas, who said: "I said to `Uthmaan, `What made you put
al-Anfaal which is one of the
Mathaani, next to Baraa'ah
[al-Tawbah], which is one of the
Mi'een? Why did you not put the line Bismillaah ir-Rahmaan
ir-Raheem in between them when you put it at the beginning of the
rest of al-Sab' al-Tiwaal [the long seven soorahs]?"
`Uthmaan said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) used to receive revelation of
soorahs with many aayahs. When they were revealed, he
would call his scribes and tell them, `Put these aayahs in
the soorah where such-and-such is mentioned.'
Al-Anfaal was one of the first soorahs to be revealed in Madeenah,
and Baraa'ah (al-Tawbah) was one of the last parts of
the Qur'aan to be revealed. Its stories were similar to
the stories mentioned in al-Anfaal, so it was thought that
it was part of it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was taken [i.e.,
died] without explaining whether it was indeed part of it,
so they were put next to one another, and the line
Bismillaahi ir'Rahmaan ir'Raheem was not written between
them, and it [al-Tawbah] was put among the
Sab' al-Tiwaal [seven long soorahs]." (Al-Haakim said: its isnaad
is saheeh, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him.
Al-Mustadrak, 2/330)
Ahmad narrated in al-Musnad (4/218) with a hasan
isnaad from `Uthmaan ibn Abi'l-`Aas that he said: "I was
sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) when he fixed his gaze on
something, then lowered his gaze until he was almost looking at
the ground, then he gazed at something. He said,
`Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to me and told me to put
this aayah in this place in this soorah:
"Verily, Allâh enjoins Al-`Adl (i.e. justice and
worshipping none but Allâh Alone — Islâmic Monotheism) and
Al-Ihsân [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to
Allâh, totally for Allâh's sake and in accordance with the
Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet in a perfect manner],
and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allâh has
ordered you to give them, e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after
them, or any other kind of help), and forbids Al-Fahshâ'
(i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience
of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness,
to kill a life without right), and Al-Munkar (i.e. all that
is prohibited by Islâmic law: polytheism of every
kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and Al-Baghy
(i.e. all kinds of oppression). He admonishes you, that
you may take heed." [al-Nahl 16:90 _ interpretation of
the meaning].'"
Al-Bukhaari narrated in al-Saheeh (no. 4536) that Ibn
Abi Maleekah said: "Ibn al-Zubayr said: `I said to
`Uthmaan, "This aayah that is in
al-Baqarah (interpretation of the meaning),
`And those of you who die and leave wives behind them … And those of you who die and leave
behind wives should bequeath for their wives a
year's maintenance and residence without turning them out'
[al-Baqarah 2:234-240] has been abrogated by the other,
so why are you writing it down it down?" He said, "Leave
it as it is, my nephew, I will not change anything from
its place."'"
Muslim narrated (no. 1617) that `Umar said: "I did
not ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) about anything more than I asked him about
al-Kalaalah [those who die leaving neither ascendants
nor descendents as heirs], until he poked me in the chest
with his finger and said, "Is not aayat al-sayf [?] at the end
of Soorat al-Nisa' enough for you?"
There are also the ahaadeeth about the aayahs at the
end of Soorat al-Baqarah.
Muslim narrated (no. 809) from Abu al-Darda'
that whoever memorizes the first ten aayahs of Soorat
al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjaal; according to
another version, whoever recites the last ten verses will
be protected.
The Prophet's recitation of various soorahs in the
presence of his companions indicates that the order of their
aayahs is something that was instituted and commanded by
him, and that the Sahaabah did not put the aayahs in a
different order from that in which the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite them. The
reports to that effect reach the level of
Mutawaatir.
Al-Qaadi Abu Bakr said in al-Intisaar: "The order of
the aayahs is something that is obligatory and binding.
Jibreel used to say (to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)), `Put such and such an aayah in such
and such a place.'"
He also said: "What we think is that all of the
Qur'aan which Allaah revealed and commanded that it should
be written down, and which was not abrogated after
being revealed, is that which is contained between the
covers of the Mus-haf of `Uthmaan, and that there is
nothing lacking or added to it. Its order is the same as
that commanded by Allaah, may He be exalted, and
instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). Nobody has moved any aayah backwards or forwards. The Ummah learned from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the order of
the aayahs of each soorah properly, just as they learned
from him the correct pronunciation and recitation."
Al-Baghawi said in Sharh al-Sunnah: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to instruct his companions and teach them what
was revealed to him of the Qur'aan in the order in which
it appears in our Mus-hafs now, the order which
Jibreel taught him. When each aayah was revealed, Jibreel
would tell him, this aayah is to be written after such and such
an aayah in Soorah such and such. Thus it is clear that
the efforts of the Sahaabah were limited solely to
gathering the Qur'aan in one place, not to arranging its order.
The Qur'aan is written on al-Lawh
al-Mahfooz in this order, then Allaah sent it down in its entirety to the first
heaven, whence it was revealed in stages as it was needed,
and the order in which it was revealed is not the order in
which it is recited."
With regard to the order of Soorahs, was this also
instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), or was this the ijtihaad of the Sahaabah? With
regard to this question, there were differences among
the scholars. The majority of scholars, including Maalik
and al-Qaadi Abu Bakr, according to one of his two
opinions, favoured the second opinion.
Ibn Faaris said: "There were two aspects to
the compilation of the Qur'aan. One was putting the
soorahs in a certain order, such as putting al-Sab'
al-Tiwaal (the seven long soorahs) first, and following them with
the Mi'een, which is what the Sahaabah did. The
second aspect is the compilation of the aayahs within the
soorahs. This was instituted by the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), who recited them as he was
told to by Jibreel, on the command of his Lord. On this
basis the salaf differed as to the order in which the
soorahs should appear. Some of them put them in order
of revelation, which was the mus-haf of `Ali, which
started with Iqra' (al-`Alaq), then
al-Muddaththir, then Noon
(al-Qalam), then al-Muzzammil, and so on. The
Mus-haf of Ibn Mas'ood started with
al-Baqarah, then al-Nisa', then Aal
`Imraan, with other major differences. The
Mus-haf of Ubayy was similar."
Al-Karmaani said in al-Burhaan: the order of the
soorahs as it is now is the same as that in al-Lawh
al-Mahfooz which is with Allaah. This is the order in which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used
to review the soorahs of the Qur'aan he had received so
far with Jibreel each year. In the year in which he died,
he reviewed it with him twice, and the last aayahs to
be revealed were (interpretation of the meaning):
`And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back
to Allaah…' [al-Baqarah 2:281]. Jibreel commanded
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
to put this between the aayahs dealing with riba and
those dealing with loans."
Al-Zarkashi said in al-Burhaan: "The difference
between the two views is one of wording. Those who support
the second view say that it was taught to them so that
they could learn the reasons of Revelation and the
sequence of the words. Hence Maalik said that they compiled
the Qur'aan according to what they had heard from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
as well as saying that the order of the soorahs was the
product of their ijtihaad. He said that the dispute boils down
to one question which is: was this a verbal instruction of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
or were they merely referring to what he used to do,
which would give them room for ijtihaad."
Al-Bayhaqi said in al-Madkhil: "At the time of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the
soorahs and aayahs of the Qur'aan were in this order, except
for al-Anfaal and Baraa'ah
(al-Tawbah), as we see from the hadeeth of `Uthmaan referred to above."
Ibn `Atiyah said: "The order of many of the soorahs
was known during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as the seven
long soorahs, those that begin with
Ha'-Meem, and al-Mufassal. With regard to the others, it may be the
case that it was left for the Ummah to determine their
order after he died."
Abu Ja'far said: "The reports support most of what
Ibn `Atiyah said, and a little is left which is open to
debate, such as the hadeeth, `Recite the two shining ones,
al-Baqarah and Aal `Imraan.'" (Reported by Muslim,
no. 804).
Al-Bukhaari narrated (no. 4739) that `Abd-Allaah
ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"Bani Israa'eel (al-Israa'),
al-Kahf, Maryam, Ta-Ha and
al-Anbiya', these are among the earliest and most
beautiful soorahs and they are my treasures," (meaning, these
are among the earliest I recited).
Abu Ja'far al-Nahhaas al-Mukhtaar said that the
soorahs were compiled in this order from the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) because
of the hadeeth of Waathilah, "In place of the Tawraat I
was given the seven long soorahs." He said: "This
hadeeth indicates that the order of the Qur'aan was taken
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Ibn Hajar said, "the fact that the soorahs , or most of
them, are in a given order does not contradict the idea that
this was instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). What proves that this was
instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) is the report narrated by Ahmad and Abu
Dawood from Aws ibn Hudhayfah, who said: `We asked
the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the morning,
"How did you write down the Qur'aan in chapters?" They
said, "We wrote it down in chapters of six soorahs, five
soorahs, seven soorahs, nine soorahs, eleven soorahs and
thirteen soorahs, and the chapter of
al-Mufassal, from Qaaf until the end. This indicates that the order of the soorahs _ as
it appears in the Mus-haf now _ existed at the time of
the Messenger of Allaah, or it is possible that what was
known in order at that time was Hizb
al-Mufassal specifically, which is not the case with the rest."
See al-Itqaan fi `Uloom al-Qur'aan by al-Suyooti,
1/62-65).
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
8177: If a person looks at the Mus-haf without moving
his lips, will he be rewarded for that?
Question:
Some people pick up the Mus-haf and look at it
without moving their lips. Can this be called reading
Qur'aan? Or is it essential to pronounce the words audibly in
order to earn the reward for reading Qur'aan? Will a person
be rewarded for looking at the Mus-haf? Please advise
us, may Allaah reward you with good.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. There is nothing to prevent a
person looking at the Qur'aan without reciting it, in order
to ponder its meanings and understand it. But he is
not considered to be "reading" Qur'aan when he does
that, and he does not earn the reward for reading it unless
he pronounces (the words of) the Qur'aan, even if
those around him do not hear him. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Read the Qur'aan, for it will come on the Day
of Resurrection to intercede for its companions."
(Narrated by Muslim).
What he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) meant by its companions is those who act upon it, as
stated in other ahaadeeth. The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever reads one letter
of the Qur'aan will have one hasanah, and the hasanah
will be rewarded tenfold." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and
al-Daarimi with a saheeh isnaad). And one cannot be
counted as reading Qur'aan unless once actually pronounces it.
And Allaah is the source of strength.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), vol. 8, p. 363 (www.islam-qa.com)
10984: The times when it is permissible to recite Qur'aan
Question:
Can Suratul-Fatihah be recited at any time? I heard that
it can only be recited at certain times only, like salaat or
as prescribed by the Prophet (May Allaah's peace
and blessings be upon him) for specific needs. If it is the
latter, could you list the proper times to recite it?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is permissible for you to recite Qur'aan, or any
soorah from it, at any time and in any situation, except when
you are in a state of janaabah (impurity following
sexual activity), in which case it is haraam to recite
Qur'aan, because of the hadeeth of `Ali who said: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to recite Qur'aan to us in all situations so long as
he was not in a state of janaabah." (Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi, al-Tahaarah, 136. al-Tirmidhi said: this hadeeth of
`Ali is hasan saheeh). This was also the view of the
scholars among the companions of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the
Taabi'een. They said a man may recite Qur'aan without wudoo'
but he should not read from the Mus-haf unless he is
taahir (pure, i.e., has wudoo'). This was the view of Sufyaan
al-Thawri, al-Shaafa'i, Ahmad and Ishaaq.
See Da'eef Sunan al-Tirmidhi by al-Albaani, hadeeth
no. 22
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The imams are
agreed that it is haraam to recite Qur'aan when in a state
of janaabah.
It is not proper etiquette to recite Qur'aan when one is
in a state of janaabah because it is the words of Allaah
which must be respected and venerated, and kept away from
all unclean places and places where haraam things take
place, which could dishonour it and show disrespect
towards its sanctity. Moreover the person who is in a state
of janaabah can remove the impurity whenever he wants,
so he is not allowed to recite Qur'aan. But if you are
impure in the sense of minor impurity then it is permissible
for you to recite only, without touching the Mus-haf.
See question no. 10672. With regard to women when they
are menstruating or bleeding following childbirth,
see question no. 2564. And Allaah knows best.
See Tawdeeh Ahkaam al-Nisa', 1/309.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
21182: A soorah in which the name of Allaah is
mentioned in every aayah.
Question:
Is there a soorah in which the name of Allaah is
mentioned in every aayah?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This soorah is Soorat al-Mujaadilah (no. 58).
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
20100: It is permissible to accept payment for
teaching Qur'aan
Question:
Is it right to take/accept money for teaching Quran?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Standing Committee was asked about whether it
is permissible to accept payment for teaching Qur'aan.
They replied:
Yes, it is permissible to accept payment for
teaching Qur'aan according to the more correct of the two
scholarly views, because of the general meaning of the hadeeth:
"The thing for which you most deserve to take
payment is the Book of Allaah," (narrated by al-Bukhaari),
and because there is a real need for that. And Allaah is
the Source of strength. May Allah bless our
Prophet Muhammad.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, vol. 4, p. 91
(www.islam-qa.com)
8029: Ruling on reading Qur'aan in a house where there
is a dog
Question:
What is the ruling on reading Qur'aan in a house
where there is a dog?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with that, but you have to get
the dog out of the house and not keep it inside, unless it is
for one of three reasons, namely hunting, farming or
herding livestock. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Whoever keeps a dog, unless it is a
dog for hunting, herding or farming, his reward will
decrease by two qiraats (i.e., a large amount) every day."
(Agreed upon).
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), vol. 8, p. 362 (www.islam-qa.com)
Search Inside This Book At Google Book Search - (276 pages)
4607: Is it true that there is no evidence of a Qur'aan
being written in the 7th century?
Question:
I was womndering if it is true that there is no
evidence that there is no trace of a Qu'ran being written in the 7
th century
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This is a false and incorrect statement made by those
who try to find faults with Islam so as to put people off
this religion. It is sufficient to know that Allaah has
guaranteed to preserve the Qur'aan, as He says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr
(i.e. the Qur'aan) and surely, We will guard it
(from corruption)." [al-Hijr 15:9]
Moreover, the fact that the transmission of the
Qur'aan by memory and in writing was mutawaatir _ narrated
by groups to groups [to such an extent that so many
people could not conceivably have agreed upon a lie] _ is
well known to anyone who has the slightest acquaintance
with Islamic knowledge, especially knowledge of
recitations and reciters.
There are still many people nowadays who have
learned the Qur'aan orally, with isnaads directly going back
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
One of the miracles of Allaah's protection of the
Qur'aan is the fact that those who try to tamper with it are
always found out.
The point is, everything that was revealed to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
written down in front of him straight away, and some of
the Sahaabah had masaahif (written copies of the
Qur'aan). After the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), the first khaleefah, Abu Bakr
al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) gathered
the Qur'aan in written and kept it. Then the third
khaleefah, `Uthmaan ibn `Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with
him) compiled it in mus-hafs that were based on the
mus-haf compiled by Abu Bakr, in addition to what had
been memorized.
When we realize that the Qur'aan was written down
and compiled by the Sahaabah, and `Uthmaan sent copies
of the Mus-haf during his reign to all the main centres
of Islam, so that it would be a reference for them, and
there were no disputes concerning them, then how can we
say that there is no written trace of the Qur'aan in the
seventh century? Moreover, there are several ancient
manuscripts of the Qur'aan in libraries and museums which
bear visible testimony to the fact that nothing has been
changed in the Book of Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And verily, it is an honourable wellfortified
respected Book (because it is Allaah's Speech, and He has
protected it from corruption). Falsehood cannot come to it
from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the
AllWise, Worthy of all praise (Allaah)."
[Fussilat 41:41-42]
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
7198: Reciting Surahs and Aayahs in a different order
Question:
My question is regarding the order in which the
quran should be recited in a prayer, either outloud or quietely.
Should the wroshipper recite the surahs or ayahs in
the order that they are presented in the quran. For
example, is it permissible to recite surah Al-Nas in the first
rakah followed by surah Al-Kawthar in the second rakah,
or ayah 50-60 in surah al Baqara (for example), followed
by ayah 10-20 in the second rakah.
please clarify this and explain why so.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Reading later parts of the Qur'aan before earlier parts
is called Tankees (inversion). There are different types
of Tankees:
Tankees al-Huroof (inversion of letters)
Tankees al-Kalimaat (inversion of words)
Tankees al-Aayat (inversion of verses)
Tankees al-Suwar (inversion of Soorahs)
Tankees al-Huroof (inversion of letters) means putting
a later letter before a previous letter in one word,
for example, instead of "Rabb" one reads "Barr"
Undoubtedly this is haraam, and invalidates a
person's prayer, because it changes the Qur'aan from the way
in which it was spoken by Allaah, and usually alters
the meaning in a drastic manner.
(Al-Sharh al-Mumti' by Ibn `Uthaymeen, 3/110)
Tankees al-Kalimaat (inversion of words) means
putting a later word before a previous word, for example,
instead of "Qul huwa Allaahu ahad", one reads
"Ahad Allaah huwa qul"!
This also is undoubtedly haraam, because it changes
the Qur'aan from the way in which it was spoken by Allaah.
(Al-Sharh al-Mumti', 3/110)
Tankees al-Aayat (inversion of verses) means reciting
a later aayah before a previous aayah, for example,
reciting "min sharr il-waswaas
il-khannaas" before "ilaah
il-naas"!
Concerning this, al-Qaadi `Ayyaad (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said:
There is no dispute concerning the order of the aayahs
in each soorah. This is something which is
Tawqeefi, i.e., based on revelation [and is not open to ijtihaad], and
the order is that which now appears in the Mus-haf, and
this is how the ummah transmitted it from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
(Sharh al-Nawawi, 6/62. This was also the view of
Ibn al-`Arabi, as stated in al-Fath, 2/257).
Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen said:
Tankees al-aayaat (inverting verses) is also
haraam according to the most correct view, because the order
of the aayahs is tawqeefi (something which is based
on revelation [and not open to ijtihaad]). The meaning
of "tawqeefi" is that it was dictated by the order of
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
(al-Sharh al-Mumti', 3/110).
Tankees al-Suwar (inversion of Soorahs) means,
reciting later soorahs before earlier ones, for example,
reciting Aal `Imraan before
al-Baqarah.
The ruling on this:
Those scholars who say that the order of soorahs is
not tawqeefi do not see anything wrong with this.
Those who think that it is tawqeefi or that the
consensus of the Sahaabah on the order of soorahs is evidence,
do not think that it is permissible.
The correct view:
Is that the order of soorahs is not
tawqeefi; it is the result of ijtihaad on the part of some of the Sahaabah.
There was no ijmaa' (consensus) among the
Sahaabah on the order of soorahs; the order in the Mus-haf of
`Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood _ for example _ is different
from that in the Mushafs of others.
In the Sunnah there is evidence that supports the
view that it is permissible:
(A) Hudhayfah said: I prayed with the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) one night, and
he started to recite al-Baqarah. I thought, he will do
rukoo' when he reaches one hundred aayaat, but he kept going.
I thought, he will complete it in one rak'ah, but he
kept going. I thought, he will do rukoo' now, but he started
to recite al-Nisaa', and he recited all of it, then he started
to recite Aal `Imraan and recited all of it…
(Narrated by Muslim, 772).
The evidence in this hadeeth is that he recited
al-Nisaa' then Aal `Imraan.
Al-Nawawi said:
Al-Qaadi `Ayyaad said: this contains evidence for
those who say that the order of soorahs is the result of
ijtihaad on the part of the Muslims when they wrote down
the Mus-haf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) did not dictate the order of soorahs; he
entrusted this task to his ummah after his death. This is the view
of Maalik and the majority of the scholars, and was the
view favoured by al-Qaadi Abu Bakr al-Baaqillaani. Ibn
al-Baaqillaani said: it is the more correct of the two
views, although both are possible.
He said: what we say is that the order of soorahs is
not binding when writing, praying, studying, teaching
or learning. There is no report from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning that
which would make it forbidden to differ from it. Hence the
order of soorahs in the various Mus-hafs differed, before
the Mus-haf of `Uthmaan.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and the ummah after him in all ages regarded it
as permissible to differ from the order of soorahs in
prayer, and when studying and teaching.
He said: with regard to the view of those scholars
who say that (the order of soorahs) was set by the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and that
he put them in the same order as appears in the Mus-haf
of `Uthmaan _ and that the different orders came
about before they heard of his ruling and his final review of
the Qur'aan with Jibreel _ they interpret the fact that he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited
al-Nisaa' first and then Aal `Imraan as meaning that this
happened before the final ruling was dictated, and these two
soorahs appear in this order in the Mus-haf of Ubayy.
He said: there is no dispute concerning the fact that
a person who is praying may recite in the second rak'ah
a soorah which comes before the soorah which he
recited in the first rak'ah; but it is makrooh to do this in
one rak'ah, or when reciting Qur'aan outside of salaah.
He said: but some of them permitted this.
The prohibition of the Salaf against reading the
Qur'aan backwards is interpreted as referring to those who
read from the end of a soorah to the beginning.
He said: there is no dispute concerning the fact that
the order of aayaat in each soorah is based on revelation
from Allaah and is as it now appears in the Mus-haf and as
it was transmitted by the ummah from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
(End of the comments of al-Qaadi `Ayyaad). And
Allaah knows best.
(Sharh Muslim, 6/61, 62).
Al-Sindi said:
The phrase [in the hadeeth of Hudhayfah] "then he
started to recite Aal `Imraan" means that it is not obligatory
to follow the order of soorahs when reciting.
(Sharh al-Nisaa'i, 3/226).
(B) It was reported from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that a man from among the Ansaar
used to lead them in prayer in the mosque of Qubaa'.
Every time he led them in prayer, he would start his
recitation with "Qul huwa Allaahu ahad", then when he finished
it, he would recite another soorah. He did that in
every rak'ah. His companions spoke with him and said,
"You always start with this soorah, then you do not think it
is enough and you recite another. Either you should
recite this soorah alone, or you should leave it and
recite another." He said, "I am not going to stop reciting it.
If you like, I will lead you in prayer as I have been
doing, and if you do not like it, I will leave you." They felt
that he was one of the best of them, and they did not
want anyone else to lead them in prayer. When the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to
them, they told him about this. He said, "O So and so, what
is stopping you from doing what your companions tell
you? What makes you keep on reciting this soorah in
every rak'ah?" He said, "I love it." He said, "Your love for
it will grant you admittance to Paradise." (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari mu'allaqan, and by al-Tirmidhi with an
isnaad similar to that of al-Bukhaari, 2901).
The evidence in this report is the fact that the man
recited Soorat al-Ikhlaas in his prayer before any other
soorah that comes before it (in the Mus-haf), and the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved
of that.
(C) This is the action of `Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him).
Al-Imaam al-Bukhaari said:
Al-Ahnaf recited al-Kahf in the first rak'ah and
Yoosuf or Yoonus in the second, and he said that he had prayed
Fajr with `Umar and he had done the same.
(Baab al-Jam' bayna Sooratayn
fi'l-Rak'ah, in Kitaab al-Adhaan).
With regard to the latter part of your question, we say:
It is permissible to recite aayahs 50-60 of
al-Baqarah in the first rak'ah, then to recite aayahs 1-20 of
al-Baqarah in the second rak'ah, because then the meaning of
the passage will be complete.
But reciting aayahs 10-20 means that one is cutting
off the meaning, so it is better not to do this. Perhaps
you mentioned the numbers only by way of example and
you did not mean these particular aayaat. And Allaah
knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
1505: They get together and each person reads one
juz'; will this be considered as a khutmah (complete reading
of the Qur'aan) for all of them?
Question:
There are people who sit together to read the
Qur'aan quietly. Each individual reads one juz' (part) of
the Qur'aan, claiming that the entire Qur'aan will have
been read in this gathering. Is this permissible or is it
counted as being bid'ah (innovation)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
In my opinion the action mentioned is not
permissible, and I do not recall anything of this kind being
reported from the Salaf. A person will only be rewarded for
what he himself reads or listens to in order to benefit from
it. But if another person reads and he does not listen,
the reward for that will go to the person who read it.
These people are not considered to have completed the
whole Qur'aan; but if each person has read a juz' he will
be rewarded for that. But they should not do this; either
one person should read and the others listen, or each
person should read by himself without making a
connection between his reading and that of the others.
Al-Lu'lu' al-Makeen min Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn
Jibreen, p. 50
(www.islam-qa.com)
254: Ruling on hanging verses of the Qur'aan on walls
Question:
When visiting muslims, I noticed that many of them
put verses of the Qur'an on the walls or pictures with
the names Allah and Mohammed. I know a lot of
muslims think that it is good to do so because it will protect
them and their house. Personally, I consider it a form of
shirk or superstition. Is there any ruling on that subject?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Hanging plaques and cloths containing aayaat of
the Qur'aan in homes, schools, social clubs and places
of business, involves a number of reservations and prohibitions according to Islam, such as the following:
(1) In most cases, hanging such things on the wall is
done for purposes of decoration and adornment, as the
aayaat etc. are written in calligraphy and colourful brocade.
This is an inappropriate use of the Qur'aan, as it was
revealed to guide people and to be read regularly. The
Qur'aan was not revealed to decorate walls, but to guide mankind.
(2) Some people hang up such things for "blessing"
- which is a form of bid`ah. The blessing as described
in Islam comes from reading or reciting the Qur'aan,
not from hanging it up or placing it on shelves or turning
it into artwork and three-dimensional images.
(3) This is contrary to the practice of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the
Rightly-Guided Khaleefahs (al-Khulafaa'
al-Raashidoon), may Allaah be pleased with them, who never did such a
thing. The best way is to follow them, not to introduce
bid`ah. History tells us that in places such as Andalusia,
Turkey, etc., the adornment of houses and mosques with
ornate carvings of aayaat only happened at times when
the Muslims were weak and humiliated.
(4) Hanging up such pictures or plaques could lead
to shirk, because some people think that these things
are amulets that will protect the house and its people
from evil and disease. This is shirk and is haraam, because
the One Who really offers protection is Allaah, may He
be glorified, and one of the means of gaining His
protection is sincere recitation of the Qur'an and
du`aa's taught in the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
(5) There is the risk that the Qur'aan may be used,
in such cases, as a means of promoting one's business
or increasing one's earnings. The Qur'aan should
be protected from being used for such purposes. It is
well-known that the production and sale of these pictures
and plaques involves a great deal of extravagance and
wasting money.
(6) Many of these plaques are painted with real
gold, which makes using them and hanging them up even
more haraam.
(7) Many of these plaques involve a kind of
carelessness, because the letters are twisted into complex designs
that are of no benefit to anyone because they are barely
legible. Sometimes words are fashioned into the shape of a
bird or a man prostrating, and similarly forbidden pictures
of animate beings.
(8) Ayaat and soorahs of the Qur'aan are exposed
to misuse and abuse by this practice. For example,
when moving house, they are piled up with the rest of
the furniture and belongings, and other objects may be
placed on top of them. This also happens when they are
taken down so that the wall may be painted or cleaned.
(9) Some Muslims whose observance of Islam is
lacking put these plaques and pictures up so that they can
feel that they are doing something religious, in order to
reduce their feelings of guilt _ in spite of the fact that this
practice does not help them in any way.
All in all, we must close the doors of evil and follow
the leaders of guidance of the early centuries of Islam,
whose people the Prophet (peace be upon him) testified
were the best of the Muslims in faith and practice. If
someone were to say, "We are not going to abuse it or make it
a decoration or exaggerate about it, we only want to
remind people (about their religion) in our gatherings",
our response would be: if we look at real life, will we
find that this is what actually happens? Do people
really remember Allah? Do they even read these aayaat
when they raise their heads?
What really happens is the opposite: people go
against the words hanging over their heads, they still tell
lies, engage in gossip, make fun of others and do and say
evil things. Even if we assume that there are some who
do benefit from these plaques etc., the fact is that they
are very few, and this does not change the
hukm (Islamic ruling) on the matter.
The Muslims must turn to the Book of Allaah, read it
and recite it, and act in accordance with it. We ask Allaah
to make the Qur'aan a light of guidance for us, and a
means of removing our grief and anxiety. May Allaah bless
our Prophet Muhammad.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
3465: Which is better, to recite Qur'aan from the
Mushaf or from memory?
Question:
Is it better to recite from the Mushaf than from
memory? Please explain.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
If one is reciting Qur'aan in situations other than in
prayer, then reading from the Mushaf is better, because it is
more accurate and helps one to remember better. But if
reciting from memory is easier and helps one to concentrate
more and have better presence of mind (khushoo'), then
one should recite from memory.
In prayer, however, it is better to recite from
memory, because if a person recites from the Mushaf, he will
be doing repeated actions such as holding the Mushaf,
putting it down, turning its pages and looking at the letters.
By doing so he will miss out on putting his right hand
over his left hand on his chest when standing during the
prayer, or spreading out his arms during rukoo' and sujood, if
he puts the Mushaf under his arm. Hence we think that it
is preferable for a person who is praying to recite
from memory rather than from the Mushaf.
We see some people when they pray behind the
imaam, carrying the Mushaf and following the imaam's
recitation. This is something which should not be done, for
the reasons we have referred to above, and because they
do not need to do anything except follow the imaam.
However, if the imaam does not have such a good
memory, and he says to one of the members of the
congregation, "Pray behind me, and follow me (my recitation) in
the Mushaf, and if I make a mistake, correct me," then
there is nothing wrong with this.
From the fataawa of Shaykh ibn `Uthaymeen,
al-Fataawa al-Islamiyyah, 8/4). (www.islam-qa.com)
5368: Rulings of al-Madd in Qur'aan recitation
Question:
Would please tell me what the symbol "~" has effect
on the meaning of word or phrase of the holy Quran
If some one does not Prolong the sound of the letter
under "~" would that change the meanings ?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This symbol "~" is used to indicate places where a
Madd (elongation) that is longer than the regular elongation
is required. It is used in places where the Madd
is compulsory (Madd laazim), as in the word
"At-Taammah", where the elongation is six harakaat or
counts. One harakah is equal to the time taken to curl or
stretch one finger. This symbol is also used for al-Madd
al-Muttasal (where a long vowel is followed by a hamzah
in one word), such as "sawaa'un `alaynaa ", where the
Madd is between four and six harakaat. And it is used for
al-Madd al-Munfassal, (where one word ends with a
long vowel and is immediately followed by a word that
starts with a hamzah), as in the phrase "fee aadhaaninaa
waqar", where the Madd is four or five harakaat.
This symbol does not have any effect on the meanings
of the words; it is only used to indicate some kinds of
Madds or elongations, as explained above. The Madd which
is longer than the regular elongation (two harakaat)
does not change the meaning when you do it. But we have
to follow the Sunnah of recitation, and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
elongate some vowels in his recitation. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
5126: Verses in the Qur'aan where we should
perform Sujood al-Tilaawah
Question:
I would like to know the specific ayats in the
Qu'Ran where we should prostrate.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There are fifteen places in the Qur'aan where we
should perform sajdat al-tilaawah (prostration of recitation)
when reciting them. It was reported from `Amr ibn al-`Aas
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) recited to him fifteen verses in the
Qur'aan where one should prostrate, three of which are in
al-Mufassal and two in Soorat al-Hajj. It was reported
by Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah, al-Haakim and
al-Daaraqutni, and classed as hasan by al-Mundhiri and al-Nawawi.
The fifteen aayat are (interpretation of the meanings):
1 - "Surely those who are with your Lord (angels)
are never too proud to perform acts of worship to Him,
but they glorify His Praise and prostrate before Him."
[al-A'raaf 7:206]
2 - "And unto Allaah (Alone) falls in prostration
whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or
unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and in
the afternoons." [al-Ra'd 13:15]
3 _ "And to Allaah prostrate all that is in the heavens
and all that is in the earth, of the live moving creatures
and the angels, and they are not proud [i.e., they worship
their Lord (Allaah) with humility]." [al-Nahl 16:49]
4 _ "Say (O Muhammad): `Believe in it (the Qur'aan)
or do not believe (in it). Verily! Those who were
given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall
down on their faces in humble prostration." [al-Isra' 17:107]
5 _ "… When the Verses of the Most Beneficent
(Allaah) were recited unto them, they fell down prostrating
and weeping." [Maryam 19:58]
6 _ "See you not that to Allaah prostrates whoever is
in the heavens and whoever is one the earth, and the
sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and
the trees, and al-dawaab (moving living creatures,
beasts, etc.), and many of mankind? But there are many
(men) on whom the punishment is justified. And
whomsoever Allaah disgraces, none can honour him. Verily!
Allaah does what He wills." [al-Hajj 22:18]
7 _ "O you who believe! Bow down, and
prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord and do good that
you may be successful."
[al-Hajj 22:77]
8 _ "And when it is said to them: `Prostrate to the
Most Beneficent (Allaah)!' They say, `And what is the
Most Beneficent? Shall we fall down in prostration to that
which you (O Muhammad) command us?' And it increases
in them only aversion."
[al-Furqaan 25:60]
9 _ "[As Shaytaan has barred them from Allaah's
Way] so that they do not worship (prostrate before) Allaah,
Who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the
earth, and knows what you conceal and what you reveal."
[al-Naml 27:25]
10 _ "Only those believe in Our aayaat (verses,
signs, etc.) who, when they are reminded of them fall
down prostrate, and glorify the Praises of their Lord, and
they are not proud."
[al-Sajdah 32:15]
11 _ "… And Dawood guessed that We had tried him
and he sought forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell
down prostrate and turned (to Allaah) in repentance."
[Saad 38:24]
12 _ "And from among His Signs are the night and
the day, and the sun and the moon. Prostrate not to the
sun nor to the moon, but prostrate to Him Who created
them, if you (really) worship Him."
[Fussilat 41:37]
13 _ "So fall down in prostration to Allaah, and
worship Him (Alone)."
[al-Najm 53:62]
14 _ "And when the Qur'aan is recited to them, they
fall not prostrate."
[al-Inshiqaaq 84:21]
15 _ "… Fall prostrate and draw near to Allaah!"
[al-`Alaq 96:19]
Al-Albaani said, in Tamaam al-Minnah (296):
"On the contrary, the hadeeth is not hasan, because
it includes two majhool [unknown] narrators. Al-Haafiz
said in al-Talkhees, after quoting the opinion of
al-Mundhiri and al-Nawawi that it is hasan: `'Abd al-Haqq and
Ibn Qattaan classed it as da'eef [weak]. It includes
`Abd-Allaah ibn Munayn, who is majhool, and the one
who narrated from him is al-Haarith ibn Sa'eed al-`Atqi,
who is also unknown.' Ibn Maakoolaa said: ` He did not
narrate any hadeeth apart from this one."
Hence al-Tahhaawi was of the opinion that there is
no second sajdah in Soorat al-Hajj, towards the end of
the soorah. This is also the opinion of Ibn Hazm who said
in al-Muhalla:
"Because it is not narrated in any saheeh report that
this was the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there is no
scholarly consensus to this effect. But it was reported with a
saheeh isnaad that `Umar ibn al-Khattaab, the daughter of
`Abd-Allaah and Abu Darda' performed sajdah in (the
second verse quoted from Soorat al-Hajj)."
Then Ibn Hazm discussed whether the sajdahs for
the other aayaat quoted are prescribed in Islam. He
mentioned that the scholars are agreed upon the first ten,
that performing sujood when reciting these aayaat
is prescribed. Al-Tahhaawi also reported this consensus
in Sharh al-Ma'aani (1/211), but he said that the sajdah
in Soorat Fussilat was prescribed, instead of the sajdah
in Soorat Saad. Both scholars narrated ahaadeeth with
saheeh isnaads from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning the sajdahs in
Saad, al-Najm, al-Inshiqaaq and al-`Alaq. These last three
are from the Mufassal, which is referred to in the hadeeth
of `Amr mentioned above.
In conclusion, even though the isnaad of the hadeeth
is weak, it is supported by the consensus of the
ummah which supports most of it, and by saheeh ahaadeeth
which support the rest of it, except for the second sajdah in
Soorat al-Hajj, for which there is no evidence in the Sunnah
or in the consensus of the scholars. But some of the
Sahaabah used to prostrate when reciting it, which could be
taken as evidence, especially since no one is known to
have disputed with them in this regard.
To sum up, the prostration of recitation should
be performed when reciting the fifteen verses quoted
above. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
2915: What is the ruling on hanging up aayaat
for protection?
Question:
IS it proper to hang Quranic verses from the wall to
1. protect one from evil things
2. beautify the room with divine words
3. with the intention that it will gain me rewards
May allah rewad u.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The ruling on placing the Mus-haf (copy of the
Qur'aan) in cars to ward off the evil eye and for protection
from danger is a bid'ah. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them) never carried the Mus-haf to ward off
danger or the evil eye. If it is bid'ah, then we should
remember that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Every bid'ah is a going-astray and every
going-astray will lead to Hell." (Telephone conversation
with Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen)
(al-Bida' wa'l-Muhdathaat wa maa laa aslun
lahu, p. 259).
Shaykh `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have
mercy on him) was also asked the following question:
"Some people hang up aayaat of the Qur'aan and ahaadeeth
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) in the rooms of their homes or in restaurants or offices.
In some hospitals and doctors' offices they hang the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "And when I am ill, it
is He Who cures me" [al-Shu'ara' 26:80], and so on.
Is this considered to be the use of amulets which is
forbidden in sharee'ah, knowing that the intention behind it is
to seek blessings and ward off the shayaateen, or to
remind the forgetful and warn the negligent? Is it like
using amulets to put the Mus-haf in one's car in order to
seek blessings?"
His Eminence replied as follows:
"If the intention is as described, to remind people
and teach them something beneficial, then there is no harm
in that. But if they believe that it is a protection against
the shayaateen or jinn, then I know of no basis for this.
By the same token, there is no basis for putting the
Mus-haf in one's car to protect it, and doing so is not allowed,
but if a person puts it in his car so that he can read it
sometimes or so that some of his passengers can read it, then this
is good and there is nothing wrong with it. And Allaah
is the Source of strength.
(Fatawa Islamiyyah, 4/29). (Shaykh Ibn Baaz may
Allah have mercy on him) .
(www.islam-qa.com)
4039: Ruling on reciting the Qur'aan collectively
Question:
What is the ruling on reciting the Qur'aan collectively
in the mosque?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The question is somewhat vague. If what is meant is
that they recite it all together, in unison, pausing and
stopping at the same time, then this is not prescribed in Islam
and at the very least it is makrooh (disliked), because it is
not reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) or his Companions (may Allaah be
pleased with them) did any such thing. But if this is done for
the purpose of teaching, we hope that there is nothing
wrong with it. If what is meant is that the people gather to
recite Qur'aan in order to memorize and learn it, and each
one recites whilst the others listen, or each one reads to
himself _ not in unison with the others _ then this is
permissible because it was reported that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"No group of people gathers in one of the houses of Allaah
to recite the Book of Allaah and study it together,
but tranquillity descends upon them, the angels
surround them, mercy comes down upon them, and Allaah
mentions them to those who are with Him." (Reported by Muslim).
Fataawaa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (from the Fatwas of
the Standing Committee).
(www.islam-qa.com)
4040: Will a person be rewarded for reading Qur'aan
even if he does not know the meaning of what he reads?
Question:
I always read Qur'aan but I do not understand
the meanings… will I be rewarded by Allaah for that?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Holy Qur'aan is blessed, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"(This is) a Book (the Qur'aan) which We have sent
down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over
its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember."[Saad 38:29]
A man will be rewarded for reading it whether
he understands its meanings or not… But the believer
should not read the Qur'aan without understanding at the
time when he is responsible for his actions. If a person
wants to learn medicine, for example, and studies medical
books, he cannot learn anything from them unless he
understands what they mean and it is explained to him. Indeed,
he would very keen to understand what they say so that
he can put it into practice. So how about the Book of
Allaah which is healing for what is in people's hearts
and exhortation for all people? What about a person who
reads it and does not understand or ponder its meanings?
The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) would
not go beyond ten aayaat until they had learnt them
and understood the knowledge therein and how to act
upon it. A person will be rewarded for reading Qur'aan
whether or not he understands it, but he should try his best to
find out what it means and to seek this knowledge
from scholars who can be trusted. If he cannot easily find
a scholar from whom he can learn, he should refer to
reliable books of Tafseer such as Tafseer Ibn Jareer, Tafseer
Ibn Katheer, and others. And Allaah knows best.
From the Fataawaa of Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen. (www.islam-qa.com)
2297: Listening to Qur'aan on car stereo speakers that
are by the feet of the passengers
Question:
In some cars the speakers of the car's tape deck are at
the level of passengers' feet, and they can put their feet
and shoes on the speakers. If a person plays a tape of
Qur'aan recitation in such a case, would it be considered
as disrespect towards the Book of Allaah?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
If the speakers are as you describe, under the feet
and shoes of passengers, then tapes of Qur'aan should not
be played, because the fact that Qur'aan is being heard
from beneath people's feet or shoes is undoubtedly a kind
of disrespect towards the Qur'aan. If a person really
must listen to Qur'aan, let him lift the speakers up so that
they are not at the same level as people's feet.
Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh by Ibn `Uthaymeen,
165. (www.islam-qa.com)
2273: The Ten Commandments
Question:
i'm trying to determine if there is anything in the
Quran similar to the Ten Commandents in the Old
Testament, particularly the line "thou shalt not kill." i have been
using search functions on several Quran translation sites to
no avail. thank you very much
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Thank you for your question, which shows an interest
in the Qu'ran. We are happy to answer your question here.
There are in the Qur'an certain aayaat (verses) which
some scholars call the verses of the Ten
Commandments, because they include ten important commandments
given by Allaah to mankind. These aayaat are to be found
in two passages of the Qur'an.
The first is in Soorat al-An'aam, where Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: `Come, I will recite what your Lord has
prohibited you from: Join not anything in worship with him; be
good and dutiful to your parents; kill not your children
because of poverty _ We provide sustenance for you and for
them; come not near to al-fawaahish (shameful sins,
illegal sexual intercourse, etc.), whether committed openly
or secretly; and kill not anyone whom Allaah has
forbidden, except for a just cause (according to Islamic law).
This He has commanded you that you may understand.
And come not near to the orphan's property, except
to improve it, until he (or she) attains the age of full
strength; and give full measure and full weight with justice.
We burden not any person, but that which he can bear.
And whenever you give your word (i.e., judge between
men or give evidence, etc.), say the truth even if a near
relative is concerned, and fulfil the Covenant of Allaah. This
He commands you, that you may remember.
And, verily, this (i.e., Allaah's commandments
mentioned in the above two verses) is my Straight Path, so follow
it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate
you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you
that you may become al-muttaqoon (the pious)."
[al-An'aam 6:151-153]
The second passage occurs in Soorat al-Israa', and
may be considered as a commentary on the passage
quoted above. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none
but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one
or them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not
to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them, but
address them in terms of honour.
And lower unto them the wing of submission and
humility through mercy, and say: `My Lord! Bestow on them
Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.'
Your Lord knows best what is in your inner-selves. If
you are righteous, then, verily, He is ever Most-Forgiving
to those who turn unto Him again and again in
obedience, and in repentance.
And give to the kindred his due and to the poor and to
the wayfarer. But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in
the manner of a spendthrift.
Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the shayaateen
(devils), and the Shaytaan (Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord.
And if you turn away from them (kindred, poor,
wayfarers, etc. whom We have ordered you to give their rights,
but if you have no money at the time they ask you for it)
and you are awaiting a mercy from your Lord for which
you hope, then, speak unto them a soft kind word (i.e.,
Allaah will give to me and I will give to you).
And let not your hand be tied (like a miser) to your
neck, not stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a
spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe poverty.
Truly, your Lord enlarges the provision for whom He
wills and straitens (for whom He wills). Verily, He is Ever
All-Knower, All-Seer of His slaves.
And kill not your children for fear of poverty. We
provide for them and for you. Surely the killing of them is a
great sin.
And come not near to unlawful sexual intercourse.
Verily, it is a faahishah [i.e., anything that transgresses its
limits (a great sin)], and an evil way (that leads one to Hell
unless Allaah forgives him).
And do not kill anyone which Allaah has forbidden,
except for a just cause. And whoever is killed (intentionally
with hostility and aggression and not by mistake), We
have given his heir the authority [to demand qisaas _ Law
of Equality in punishment _ or to forgive, or to take
Diya (blood money)]. But let him not exceed limits in the
matter of taking life (i.e., he should not kill except the
killer only). Verily, he is helped (by the Islamic law).
And come not near to the orphan's property except
to improve it, until he attains the age of full strength.
And fulfil (every) covenant. Verily! The covenant will
be questioned about.
And give full measure when you measure, and weigh
with a balance that is straight. That is good
(advantageous) and better in the end.
And follow not (O man, i.e., say not, or do not or
witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge.
Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of
those you will be questioned by Allaah.
And walk not on the earth with conceit and
arrogance. Verily, you can neither rend nor penetrate the earth,
nor can you attain a stature like that of the mountains in height.
All the bad aspects of these (the above mentioned
things) are hateful to your Lord.
This is part of al-hikmah (wisdom, good manners
and high character, etc.) which your Lord has inspired to
you (O Muhammad). And set not up with Allaah any
other ilaah (god) lest you should be thrown into
Hell, blameworthy and rejected (from Allaah's mercy)."
[al-Israa' 17:23-39]
Perhaps after enjoying reading these verses, you will
have a better idea of the Qur'aan than before, and this will
be the beginning of a fundamental change in your life,
the start of your way to Islam. May Allaah guide and
help you always. Peace be upon those who follow
true guidance.. Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
2428: Warning about Internet sites that distort
the Qur'aan
Question:
Salam o Aleikum,
A friend of mine brought to my attention this Web
site where the guy changed the verses of the Qoran and
says it is the Qoran.
This is the site: XXXXXXX
What can we do to stop this?
I have a question if anybody can answer. I have a
christain friend who wants me to go to her wedding where I
know they will say "the three" and "son of god" during
the ceremony. What does a muslim do in that situation,
does he go to the ceremony or just the party afterwards.
Also what if somebody converts to Islam and her sister
is getting married (who is still christain) does that
person attend the ceremony?
Thank you very much and please cite your sources.
Answer:
Praise be to Allah.
Before answering this question, we should advise you
of the importance of wisdom in denouncing evil, and of
being careful not to inadvertantly promote anti-Islamic
websites so that everyone will go and read them, because this
will indirectly contribute to the promotion of these
worthless people who claim to imitate the Qur'aan.
Producing anything like the Qur'aan is
impossible, because Allaah challenged anyone to do this.
This challenge was issued to the most brilliant and
eloquent Arab poets at the time when the Qur'aan was
revealed, which was also the time when Arabic eloquence was
at its peak. Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"Let them then produce a recital like unto it (the Qur'aan)
if they are truthful." [al-Tur 52:34]
When they could not do this, Allaah challenged them
to produce ten soorahs like its soorahs: "Or they say:
`He (Muhammad) forged it (the Qur'aan).' Say: `Bring
you then ten forged soorahs (chapters) like unto it, and
call whomsoever you can, other than Allah (to your help),
if you speak the truth!'" [Hud 11:13 _ interpretation of
the meaning].
When they could not do this, Allah challenged them
to produce just one soorah that contained the same
eloquence and wisdom as the Qur'aan. He said (interpretation
of the meaning): "Or do they say: `He (Muhammad)
has forged it'? Say: `Bring then a soorah (chapter) like
unto it, and call upon whomsoever you like, besides Allah,
if you are truthful!" [Yoonus 10:38]
Allah called on them to seek help from whoever
they wanted, and to accept the challenge. He said (interpretation of the meaning):
"And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, Christians) are in doubt concerning that which
We have sent down to Our slave (Muhammad), then
produce a soorah of the like thereof and call your
witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allah, if you
are truthful." [al-Baqarah 2:23]
When they were unable to do this, Allah informed
them that they would never be able to do it, no matter who
they called upon to help them. He said (interpretation of
the meaning): "Say: `If mankind and jinn were together
to produce the like of this Qur'aan, they could not
produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another.'"
[al-Isra' 17:88]
There is no one except Allah who can produce the like
of the Qur'aan, because the Qur'aan, as He says, is
"a Book, the Verses whereof are perfected and then explained
in detail from One Who is All-Wise and
Well-Acquainted (with all things)." [Hud 11:1 _ interpretation of
the meaning].
When some liars did try to imitate the Qur'aan they
came up with ridicualous nonsense that would make
children laugh, let alone mature and intelligent adults. For
example, the liar Musaylimah said: "O frog, daughter of two
frogs, croak as much as you want, your upper part is in the
water and your lower part is in the mud." This is an example
of the kind of thing said by him and other pretenders
to Prophethood. (See Sayd al-Khaatir by Ibn al-Jawzi,
p. 404).
Some forms of falsehood may deceive some of the
people because of their ignorance and lack of understanding
of the rules of grammar and accepted styles of eloquence
in Arabic. But anyone who has intelligence and
common sense should at least be able to see the difference
and realize that these made-up words cannot possibly
be Qur'aan. If we look at the Website referred to in
the question, we see that kufr is quite clearly mentioned
in these fabricated soorahs, such as the statement that
the Messiah is the son of God or is God, and the
promotion of the evil madhhab of Raafidah (a kind of Shi'ah),
and other such nonsense. There are also some weird contradictions, for example, these liars say in the
so-called sixth aayah of the so-called "soorah al-tajassud":
"Exalted be He above taking any of His creation as a son,"
but then we find in the so-called ninth aayah of the
so-called "soorah al-eemaan" the words: "You are he, the son
of God, truly; in you we believe." But verily Allah has
spoken the truth when He said (interpretation of the
meaning): "Do they not then consider the Qur'aan carefully?
Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely
have found therein much contradictions." [al-Nisaa' 4:82]
You also find other silly comments in these
made-up soorahs, such as the claim that Allah permitted His
Prophet to change whatever he wanted in the Qur'aan, as in
the so-called sixth aayah of the so-called "soorah
al-wasaaya": "Abrogate whatever you want to abrogate of
the commands that We have given you, for We permit you
to make changes to Our decisions"!
Every Muslim will realize the extent of the lies
contained in these words that come from this mind that is driven
by ulterior motives. Have you ever seen anything
more foolish than these words? Allah has told us to adhere
to His Book and put it into practice, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning): "And this is a blessed Book which
We have sent down, so follow it and fear Allah, that you
may receive mercy." [al-An'aam 6:155]
He commanded His Messenger to adhere to the
Qur'aan, saying (interpretation of the meaning):
"So hold you (Muhammad) to that which is inspired in you. Verily,
you are on a Straight Path." [al-Zukhruf 43:43].
Allah warned His Messenger not to fail in conveying
the message complete and unaltered, as He said
(interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, they were about to tempt
you away from that which We have revealed unto you
(O Muhammad), to fabricate something other than it
against Us, and then they would certainly have taken you for
a friend! And had We not made you stand firm, you
would nearly have inclined to them a little. In that case, We
would have made you taste a double portion (of punishment)
in this life and a double portion (of punishment) after
death. And then you would have found none to help you
against Us" [al-Isra' 17:73-75] and "… if he (Muhammad)
had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allah), We
surely should have seized him by his right hand (or with
power and might), and then certainly should have cut off his
life artery (aorta)" [al-Haaqqah 69:44-46]. Having said
all this, how can there be any so-called soorah that says
the messenger has the right to abrogate whatever he wants
in the Qur'aan and that he has the authority to change
or omit whatever rules he wants??
The only One Who can abrogate whatever He wants
of the Qur'aan is the One Who revealed it, may He
be glorified, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning): "Allah blots out what He wills and confirms (what
He wills). And with Him is the Mother of the Book"
[al-Ra'd 13:39];
"Whatever a Verse (revelation) We abrogate or cause
to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it.
Know you not that Allah is able to do all things?"
[al-Baqarah 2:106].
We, like our Messenger, are obliged to understand
and implement the Qur'aan without distorting, omitting
or changing anything. Allah said (interpretation of
the meaning): "(This is) a Book which We have sent down
to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its
Verses, and that men of understanding may remember."
[Saad 38:29].
We have seen in the false soorahs quoted on that
Internet website a real example of what is referred to in the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "And verily, among
them is a party who distort the Book with their tongues
(as they read), so that you may think it is from the Book,
but it is not from the Book, and they say: `This is from
Allah,' but it is not from Allah; and they speak a lie against
Allah while they know it." [Aal `Imraan 3:78].
We ask Allah to make His Religion and His Book
prevail and to make His friends victorious, as We ask Him
to defeat and humiliate His enemies and cause them to
fail. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
839: Abrogation of the verse ordering the confinement
of an adulteress in a house
Question:
I would like to know more about the meaning of this
part of Surah al-Nisa':
"If any of your women are guilty of lewdness . . .
confine them to houses until death do claim them, or Allah
ordain for them some (other) way." [al-Nisaa' 4:15]
Does this mean to punish a woman who has
committed adultery by death, or does it mean to imprison her for
the remainder of her life? Also what does "or Allah
make some way for them" mean?
Thank you for you time, I look forward to your
response so that I may better understand Islam through
the explanation of Muslims as opposed to those of
non-Muslims.
Answer:
Praise be to Allah.
Allah says: "If any of your women are guilty of
lewdness, take the evidence of four (reliable) witnesses
from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine
them to houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain
for them some (other) way." [al-Nisa' 4:15]
Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy on him, said in
his Tafseer (explanation) of this aayah:
"At the beginning of Islam, the ruling concerning a
woman who was proven guilty of adultery was that she was to
be detained in a house and not allowed to come out until
she died. So the phrase `If any of your women are guilty
of lewdness' refers to adultery. `Take the evidence of
four (reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them;
and if they testify, confine them to houses until death do
claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way' -
the `other way' that Allah made for them was the
abrogation of this. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: `This was the ruling until Allah revealed Surat
al-Nur, then this punishment was abrogated and replaced
with whipping or stoning.' Something similar was
reported from `Ikrimah, Sa`id ibn Jubayr, al-Hasan, `Ataa'
al-Khurasani, Abu Saalih, Qutaadah, Zayd ibn Aslam
and al-Dahhak, stating that this is abrogated, and this is
agreed upon. Imam Ahmad said: `Muhammad ibn Ja`far told
us that Sa`id told us from Qutaadah from al-Hasan
from Hattaan ibn `Abdullah al-Raqaashi from `Ubaadah
ibn al-Saamit who said: Whenever the wahy
(revelation) descended upon the Messenger of Allah (Peace
& Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), it affected him,
the stress showed on him and his face would change.
Allah sent a revelation to him one day, and when it was over,
he said: " Listen to me, Allah has made another way for
them. (When) a married man (commits adultery) with a
married woman, and an unmarried man with an unmarried
woman, then in the case of married (persons) there is
(a punishment) of one hundred lashes and then stoning
(to death), and in the case of unmarried persons,
(the punishment) is one hundred lashes and exile for one
year."' It was reported by Muslim and other narrators of
Sunan via Qutaadah from al-Hasan from al-Hattan
from `Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit from the Prophet (Peace
& Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) with the
wording: `Receive (teaching) from me, receive (teaching) from
me. Allah has made another way for those (women).
When an unmarried man commits adultery with an
unmarried woman, (they should receive) one hundred lashes,
and banishment for one year. In the case of a married
male committing adultery with a married female, they
should receive one hundred lashes and be stoned to death.'
Al-Tirmidhi said: This is a saheeh hasan hadeeth."
Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in
his tafseer of this aayah:
"This [confinement] was the first punishment for
adultery, at the beginning of Islam. Ibn `Abbas and al-Hasan
said: Ibn Zayd added: They would not be allowed to
marry, until they died, as a punishment for them when they
asked to marry someone else. This ruling applied for a
while, then the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be
upon Him) said, according to the hadeeth narrated by
`Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit: "Receive (teaching) from me,
receive (teaching) from me. Allah has made another way for
those (women). When an unmarried man commits adultery
with an unmarried woman, (they should receive) one
hundred lashes, and banishment for one year. In the case of
a married male committing adultery with a married
female, they should receive one hundred lashes and be stoned
to death." Some of the scholars said: the idea of
punishment and shame was still there with the lashing, because
there is no contradiction, and they are applied to one
person. As for confinement, this is abrogated, by the
consensus of the scholars. And Allah knows best.
To complete the benefit of what has been said, it
is appropriate to learn the tafseer of the next aayah in
Surat al-Nisaa':
"If two men among you are guilty of lewdness,
punish them both. If they repent and amend, leave them
alone; for Allah is Oft Returning, Most Merciful."
[al-Nisaa' 4:16]
Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy on him, said in
his Tafseer of this aayah:
"`If two men among you are guilty of lewdness'
means two who commit an immoral act, so they should
be punished. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with
him, Sa`eed ibn Jubayr and others said: i.e., by putting them
to public shame and hitting them with shoes. This was
the ruling until Allah abrogated it and replaced it with
lashing and stoning. `Ikrimah, `Ataa', al-Hasan and
`Abdullah ibn Katheer said: `This was revealed concerning a
man and a woman who commit adultery. The phrase `if
they repent and amend' means if they give up what they
were doing and mend their ways. `Leave them alone'
means not to keep rebuking them with ugly words after
that, because the one who has repented from his sin is like
one who never sinned at all. `Allah is Oft Returning,
Most Merciful' - it was proven in the two Saheehs: `If the
slave woman of one of you commits adultery, apply
the punishment of lashing, and do not blame her (after
that)' - i.e., do not blame her for what she did after
the punishment has been given, because the punishment
is an expiation for her deed.'"
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
768: Arguing against the Qur'aan using archaeology
Question:
would you please answer the following question,
asked by my none-Muslim coworker.
On top of this, the Egyptians had a fairly
standardized code of punishment, which was generally followed.
The punishment for treachery was to have the tongue cut
off, blasphemy was one hundred beatings. If a crime
was committed, it was formally charged and punished, it
was not a heat of the moment thing.
To me this is a problem of logical inconsistency in
the Qur'an. Could someone please rationally explain this
for me.
David "
I really need the answer to his question ASAP please,
Answer:
al-hamdu lillaah.
The problem lies in that your friend is a kafir
(non-believer) who believes in what the archeologists say
more than in what Allaah the Most Exalted says. The
only solution is that this friend of yours realizes and
believes that the One who created Moses, the magicians,
the Pharaohs, and the Persians, knows them better, and
knows every minute detail in their lives and all the events
that occurred to them, than anyone else. And tell this
friend of yours, who claims that he has read the story of
Moses and the Pharaoh: Doesn't Allah the Most Exalted say
in the Qur'aan, with regards to the dialogue that took
place between Moses and the Pharaoh (interpretation of
the meaning): Fir'aun (Pharaoh) said: " What about
the generations of old (previous generations)? Musa
(Moses) said : " The knowledge thereof is with my Lord, in
a Record. My Lord is neither unaware nor does He
forget" Verses # 51-52, surat Ta-ha.
We ask Allah to guide your friend to the truth and to
reward you for trying to call him to Islam.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
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