1. TAFSIR AL-Q_URTUBIClassical Commentary of the Holy OJ!!'anTRANSLATED BYAISHA BEWLEYVOLUMEIOAR AL-TAQ_WA

2. Dar AI Taqwa Ltd. 2003ISBN 1-870582-22-5All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, storedin a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without theprior permission of the publishers.The Qur'an translation is taken from The Noble Qur'an:A NewRendering of its Meaning in English, by Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley,and the copyright of that translation is held by them.Translation: Aisha BewleyEditor: Abdalhaqq Bewley andPrinted and Bound by The Bath PressProduction: Bookwork, NorwichCover design by Sohail NakhoodaFloral ornament by Ibrahim BatchelderPublished by:Dar Al Taqwa Ltd.7 A Melcombe StreetBaker StreetLondon NW I 6AE 3. In the name of God, most Gracious, most Merciful 4. The publisher of lmam Al-Qurtubi inspiring book, Tafseer AlQurtubiare deeply grateful to the Professor Jibril Aminu, for hisgenerosity in making the publication of the book possible.HADIYYATDISTRIBUTED FEE SABEELILLAH BYPROFESSOR JIBRIL AMINUNIGERIA 5. FOREWORDI am delighted to have this opportunity to contribute in some wayto the publication of al-Qurtubi's Tafsir, which represents alandmark in the history of commentaries on the Holy Qur'an in theEnglish language. The appearance of this translation will giveEnglish-speaking readers access to one of the great classicalcommentaries and the wealth of knowledge that it contains.Authoritative exposition of the meanings of the Qur' anic textrequires consideration of many different aspects including thespiritual, linguistic, legal and historical ones. Imam al-Qurtubi'sTafsir is remarkable in many ways, but he was especially interestedin the legal interpretation of the Scripture. This is clear from theoriginal title of his work, which is al-Jami 'li-ankam al-Qur'an("The Compendium of Qur' anic Decrees"). I congratulate thepublishers of this work, Dar al-Taqwa, and the translators on theirinitiative in making available a major classic of Islamic literature.May Allah Most High accept their efforts, and may this workinspire the ambitions and aid the efforts of many students andscholars in their research on the meaning of the Glorious Qur' an.Professor Jibril Amino.Nigeria.ix 6. Table of ContentsPreface xvIntroduction 1The General Virtues of the Qur'anand encouragement to study it 4How to recite the Book of Allah and what isdisliked and forbidden in it 10Cautioning the people of the Qur'an and scholarsagainst showing off 18What the one who knows the Qur'an must doand not neglect to do 21The syntax of the Qur'an, learning it and studyingit and the reward for the one who recites theQur'an with proper inflections 24What is reported about the excellence of tajsfrof the Qur'an and those who do it 27What is reported about the one who is a bearerof the Qur'an, who he is and those who arehostile to him 28The respect and esteem for the Qur'an which ismandatory for someone who recites andbears the Qur'an 28What is reported regarding threats againstengaging in tajsfr of the Qur'an by meansof opinion (ra 'y) or being bold in that, andthe ranks of the commentators 34The Book being explained by the Sunna, andwhat has been transmitted about that 40How to learn and understand the Book of AllahXl 7. Contents xuand the Sunna of His Prophet. It is reportedthat it used to be easier to act by it than tomemorise it 42The meaning of the words of the Prophet,"The Qur'an was revealed in sevenal:zruf (dialects/modes)." 43Section on the seven readings 47Section: The J:tadith of 'Umar and Hisham 48The collection of the Qur'an and the reason'Uthman had copies of the Qur'an copiedout and burned rest. The memorisation ofthe Qur'an by the Companions in the timeof the Prophet 51What has come about the order of the suras andiiyatsof the Qur'an, its vowelling and dots, itsJ:tizbs and tens, the number of its letters,juz's,words and iiyats 58The meaning of the words sura, iiyat, kalima(word) and J:taif(letter) 64Does the Qur'an contain words which arenot Arabic? 66Points about the inimitability of the Qur'an,preconditions of the miracle and its reality 67Information about aJ:tiid!th forged about theexcellence of the suras of the Qur'anand other matters 71What has come on the refutation of those whoattack the Qur'an and oppose the text of'Uthman by adding to it or removing some of it 73Seeking Refuge with Allah from Shaytan 74TheBasmala 781 Siirat al-Fiiti!Ja 93Its Virtues 94Its Names 97Its Revelation 100 8. xiii ContentsIts Judgements 103Saying Amzn 109The meaning of the Fiiti/:ta and its variousreadings 1122 Siirat al-Baqara 129Glossary 769Index 783 9. PrefaceThere is a marked dearth in the English language of translationsof classical tafsir literature and the overriding intention of thetranslators in undertaking this abridged translation of al-Jami' liA/:lkam al-Qur'an (The Comprehensive Legal Rulings of theQur'an) by AbU 'Abdullah Mul;lammad ibn Al;lmad al-An~fui alQuqubi(d. 67111273) has been to give access to English speakingreaders of the Qur'an to one of the great classical commentaries ofthe Qur'an and to the enormous wealth of traditional understandingof the Qur' anic ayats which it contains.The explanation of the meaning of Allah's words to mankind inHis final Revelation requires many different facets to be taken intoconsideration - linguistic, spiritual, historical, legal, etc. - and thegreat commentators, while, of course, covering all of these aspectsin general, tended to concentrate on one in particular. As his titlemakes clear, the special interest of al-Ququbi was legal, and hiscommentary looks in depth at all the legal implications containedin the ayats of the Qur'an. Elucidation of this aspect of theRevelation is, of course, essential to understanding those passageswith direct legal significance, as well as providing an extremelyilluminating insight to other ayats whose legal import is not immediatelyobvious, and the approach also shows vividly how theQur'an impinges on and should be applied to our daily lives.However, in his desire to clarify the details of every legaljudgement which can be extrapolated from the Qur' anic ayats, theauthor tends to digress into the examination of every possiblebranch of the matter concerned in a way that goes considerablybeyond what is necessary for the complete understanding of theayat under discussion. After than simply concentrating on the particularlegal ruling derived from the ayat, he will provide a detailedexplanation of the entire fiqh of the area concerned, including allXV 10. Preface XVlthe differing opinions of different fuqaha', and the weight of theirrespective arguments. Since the primary object of presenting thiswork was to provide a tool to enable English speakers to gain agreater understanding of the meaning of the Qur'an rather than toproduce a manual of Islamic law of which there are many available,in their abridgement the translators have cut out the passageswhich go into extraneous legal detail, aiming to leave only thatlegal material which serves to really contribute to the understandingof the liyat in question. This is one of the ways in which theoriginal work has been abridged.Further abridgement has taken place through the omission ofnumerous grammatical and philological points which only relate tothe original Arabic and have no bearing when the meaning hasbeen transposed into English.There are several occasions when a l:zadith, which the authorhas quoted to assist in the explanation a particular liyat, has beenfollowed by other versions of the same l:zad!th, often only differingone from the other in the smallest of details. In these instancesusually only the first version has been included. The isnlids of thea/:llid!th have also been curtailed to avoid excessive lists of names,as have discussions about the comparative strengths of the differentisnlids when that has no bearing on the eventual use of thel:zad!th involved. Certain other al:zlid!th have been omitted whenthey are quoted to demonstrate the linguistic use of a certain word,rather than the subject of the liyat itself.Another thing which has been cut out is several poems whichwere included in the original, together with the complex discussionon the linguistic usages involved in them, whose translation doesnot add to the general understanding of the liyats when translatedinto English.One other point worth mentioning is that both the Arabic textof the Qur'an used and also the English rendering of the liyats,which throughout is from the Noble Qur'an published byBookwork and is also the work of the present translators, employthe Warsh reading, which is doubly appropriate in this instancesince it was undoubtedly the reading which al-Quftubi originally 11. xvii Prefacestudied and the one which was most widespread in the area inwhich this famous work was originally published. This means thatreaders may notice a few slight differences between this and otherversions with which they may be familiar. It also means that theiiyat numbering will not be exactly the same as that used in textsand translations based on the l:laf~ reading. It should be noted inthis regard that there is, in fact, no particular numbering of theiiyats which absolutely definitive, and even varies in differentprintings of the Warsh version, as readers will discover when theyread al-Ququbfs introduction.Anyone not familiar with Warsh may wonder about the heavyblack dots inserted under or over some letters in the Arabic text.These are used to indicate various points of pronunciation dependingon where they are situated. Some mark an imiila which meansthat the pronunciation of the vowel concerned is narrowed and notso open as it would otherwise be. At other times it marks wherethe hamza would be if the reciter were beginning with word concernedrather than eliding it with the word before. The point is thatthe unfamiliar reader should realise that this is the normal way inwhich the Warsh text is written and not an aberration of some kind.In conclusion, it is important to reiterate that this translationnever set out to be a work of dry scholarship, intended to give anexact and literal translation of the original text, but rather is intendedto give modern readers access to the immense learning of Imamal-Ququbi in such a way that it will illuminate for them the meaningof Allah's words in the Qur'an and open to them through hiswisdom depths of understanding which have not previously beenopen to them.We ask Allah to accept this from us and to forgive its manyshortcomings and to make it a means to the greater understandingof His Noble Book.Abdalhaqq and Aisha BewleyNorwich 12. IntroductionIn the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, Most MercifulWe seek His help and may Allah bless our master MuQ.ammadand his family and Companions and grant them abundant peace.Praise belongs to Allah who began by praising Himself beforeany praiser praised Him! I testify that there is no god but Allahalone with no partner, the Lord who is One and Self-Sustaining,the Living, Self-Subsistent who does not die, the Master ofMajesty and Nobility and immense gifts, He who has spoken theQur'an, He who created the human being and blessed him withfaith and sent His Messenger MuQ.ammad, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, with the clarification. He sent him with theClear Book which distinguishes between doubt and certaintywhich eloquent men cannot oppose and intelligent men cannotcontradict. They cannot bring its like, even if they help one another.He made its examples lessons for those who reflect on themand His commands guidance for those who study them. In it Heexplains the obligatory judgements and differentiates the lawfuland unlawful. In it He repeats admonitions and stories for understandingand different types of metaphors and reports about mattersof the Unseen.The Almighty says, "We have not omitted anything from theBook." (6:38) He addresses it to His friends and they understand,and He explains to them what He means in it and they know it. Sothose who recite the Qur'an bear a concealed secret of Allah andguard His preserved knowledge. They are the khalifs of HisProphets and His trustees, who are His people, elite and chosenones. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, "Allah has placed two kinds of people among us."1 13. IntroductionThey asked, "Who are they, Messenger of Allah?" He replied,"They are the people of the Qur'an, the people of Allah and Hiselite." (Ibn Majah and Abu Bakr al-Bazzar)Anyone who knows the Book of Allah and remembers what hasbeen explained to him in it should be restrained by its prohibitionsand fear Allah, be mindful of Him and be ashamed before Him. Hehas taken on the burdens of the Messengers and has become a witnessin the Rising against the opponents among the people of otherreligions. Allah Almighty said, "In this way We have made you amiddlemost community, so that you may act as witnesses againstmankind." (2: 143) The argument is against the one who knows itand neglects it, more than against the one who is lacking in it andignorant of it. If someone is given knowledge of the Qur'an anddoes not benefit from it, is not constrained by its prohibitions andis not deterred by it and commits ugly sins and vile crimes, theQur'an is an argument against him. The Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Qur'an is an argumentfor you or against you." (Muslim)Therefore it is obligatory for anyone chosen by Allah to memoriseHis Book to have proper respect for it, reflect on the truth ofits words, understand its marvels and clarify what is unusual in it.The Almighty says, "It is a Book We have sent down to you, full ofblessings, so let people of intelligence ponder its Signs" (38:29)and "Will they not then ponder the Qur'an or are there locks upontheir hearts?" (47:24) May Allah make us among those whorespect it properly, reflect on it deeply, implement its justice, fulfilits conditions and do not seek guidance elsewhere. May He guideus to its outward signs and radiant definitive judgements and by itcombine for us the best of this world and the Next! He is worthy tobe feared and entitled to forgive.Then He gave to His Messenger clarification of what wasunspecified, explanation of what was difficult, and determinationof what was probable, so that, as well as conveying the Message,he showed his special competence in the Revelation which wasentrusted to him. Allah says, "And We have sent down theReminder to you so that you can make clear to mankind what has2 14. Introductionbeen sent down to them." (16:44) Then, after the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the scholars wereappointed to extract the meanings which it indicates and to pointout its principles in order that through ijtihad they may reach theknowledge of what is meant. By that they were distinguished fromothers and they are singled out for reward on account of theirefforts. Allah Almighty says, "Allah will raise in rank those of youwho believe and those who have been given knowledge." (58:11)So the Book became the basis and the Sunna its clarification andthe deduction of the scholars its exposition and elucidation. Praisebe to Allah who has made our breasts the vessels of His Book, ourears the springs of the Sunna of His Prophet, and our aspirationsdirected to learning the Qur'an and investigating its meanings andunusual words, and by that seeking to please the Lord of theworlds and, by it, to rise to knowledge of the dln.The Book of Allah is the source of all the sciences of theSharl'a which convey the Sunna and the obligatory. It was broughtdown by the Trustworthy One of heaven to the Trustworthy One ofthe earth. I thought that I should devote myself to it for my entirelife and devote my strength to that cause by writing a brief commentaryon it containing some points of tafszr, linguistics, grammar,and recitations, refutation of the people of deviation and misguidanceas well as several af:ladith which attest to what we mentionregarding judgements and the revelation of ayats, therebycombining the meanings of both and explaining what is abstruse inthem using the statements of the Salaf and those who followedthem. I have done this to remind myself and as a security for theday when I am buried and as a righteous action after my death.Allah says, "On that Day man will be told what he did and failedto do" (75: 13) and "Each self will know what it has sent aheadand left behind." (82:5) The Prophet, peace be upon him, said,"When a man dies, his actions are cut off except for three - an ongoing!fadaqa and knowledge which brought benefit and a virtuouschild who makes supplication for him."I intend in this book to attribute statements to their speakersand af:lad!th to their compilers. It is said that part of the blessing of3 15. Introductionknowledge is to ascribe a statement to its speaker. Many af:ziidithare reported in books of tafsir and fiqh unattributed and so the onewho reads them does not know who transmitted them. Thereforesomeone without information about that remains confused anddoes not know the sound from the weak. It is a vast science.Therefore he does not accept it as evidence until he knows towhom it is ascribed among the famous imams and reliable scholarsof Islam. We have indicated some of that in this book. Allah is theone who grants success. I have only used those stories of commentatorsand reports of historians which are necessary for clarification.Its title is: The General Judgements of the Qur'iin andClarification of what it contains of the Sunna and Ayats ofDiscrimination. May Allah make it sincerely for His sake andgrant me and my parents the benefit of it. He hears the supplicationand is quick to respond. Amen.The General Virtues of the Qur'an and encouragementto study it. The excellence of the one who seeks it,recites it, listens to it and acts by it.This topic is vast and scholars have written many books on it.We will mention some points which point out the excellence of theQur'an and what Allah has prepared for its people when they aresincere for His sake and act by it. The first aspect of the excellenceof the Qur'an that the believer should be aware of is that it is fromthe Lord of the worlds and is uncreated. It consists of unparalleledwords and has a quality which has no equivalent or like. It comesfrom the light of Allah's Essence. Recitation is the voices of thereciters and their tunes. It is their acquisition, and they are commandedto do it as an obligation in certain acts of worship and it isrecommended at many times. They are forbidden to recite it whenthey are in a state of major impurity, and are rewarded for doing itand punished for abandoning it. This is part of what the Muslims,4 16. Introductionthe people of the Truth, agree on. Traditions state that and wellknownreports prove it.Reward and punishment are only connected to what is part ofwhat people earn, as will be explained. Were it not that Allah hadplaced in the hearts of His slaves the strength to bear it so that theycan reflect on it, study it and remember what it contains of Hisobedience, worship and performing His duties and obligations,they would be too weak and would collapse under its weight orperish. How could they bear it when Allah says, "Had We sentdown this Qur'an onto a mountain, you would have seen it humbled,crushed to pieces out of fear of Allah" (59:21)? What is thestrength of hearts compared to that of the mountains? But Allahprovided His slaves with the strength to bear what He wishes as afavour and mercy from Him.As for traditions about this topic, the first is what at-Tirmidhitransmitted from Abii Sa 'Id that the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The blessed and exaltedLord said, 'If anyone is distracted from asking Me by theQur'an and remembering Me, I will give him better than what Igive the askers.'" He also said, "The excellence of the words ofAllah over all other words is like the excellence of Allah over Hiscreation." (f:tasan gharlb f:tadfth) As-Samarqandi reported in hisMusnad that 'Abdullah said, "The seven long suras are like theTorah. The [suras with] a hundred iiyats are like the Gospel. andthe Mathiinf is like the Zabur. The rest of the Qur'an is excellent."In at-Tirmidhi, 'All reported, "I heard the Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'There will be trialslike patches of dark night.' I asked, 'Messenger of Allah, how canone escape them?' He replied, 'The Book of Allah, Blessed andExalted, contains your history, information about what camebefore you, news about what will come after you and correctjudgement between you. It is decisive, not a jest. Allah will crushany tyrant who abandons it and Allah will misguide whoever seeksguidance from other than it. It is the Firm Rope of Allah, His ClearLight and the Wise Reminder. It is the Straight Path. Passions arenot misguided by it, the tongues do not become sated with it, and5 17. Introductionthe godfearing do not become bored by it. It does not wear outwhen it is recited a lot and its wonders do not cease. It is thatwhich the }inn did not leave once they had heard it. They said, "Weheard a wondeiful Qur'an which guides to right guidance." (72: 1-2) Whoever knows it has knowledge which takes precedence.Whoever utters it speaks the truth. Whoever judges by it is just.Whoever acts by it is rewarded. Whoever calls to it is guided to astraight path. Take it, one-eyed. "'IAl-Anbari says in his book, The Refutation of the One whoOpposes the Recension of 'Uthman, transmitting from 'Abdullahibn Mas 'ild, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "This Qur'an is the Banquet of Allah. Learnas much as you can from His banquet. This Qur'an is the Rope ofAllah, and it is the Clear Light and Useful Healing. It is a protectionfor the one who clings to it and a rescue for the one who followsit. It is not crooked and so puts things straight. It does notdeviate so as to be blamed. Its wonders do not cease. It does notwear out with much repetition. So recite it. Allah will reward youwith ten good deeds for every letter of its recitation. I do not saythat Alif-Uim-Mim is a letter nor two alifs, one placing its foot onthe other. You should not stop reciting Surat al-Baqara. Shaytanflees from a house in which Surat al-Baqara is recited. The housemost devoid of good is a house empty of the Book of Allah." InGharib Abil 'Ubayd quotes 'Abdullah (ibn Mas'ild): "This Qur'anis the Banquet of Allah. Whoever enters it is safe." He said, "Theinterpretation of the ftadith is that it is a metaphor. The Qur'an islikened to something Allah has prepared for people. They havegood and benefits in it. Then He invited them to it."Al-Bukhari transmits from 'Uthman ibn 'Affan that theProphet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The bestof you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it." Muslimtransmitted from Abil Milsa that the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The metaphor of abeliever who recites the Qur'an is that of a citron - its scent is fragrantand its taste is good. The metaphor of a believer who does1. This is Ibrahlm an-Nakhii 'I, who had one eye (a 'war).6 18. Introductionnot recite the Qur'an is that of a date - it has no scent but its tasteis sweet. The metaphor of a hypocrite who recites the Qur'an isthat of basil - its scent is fragrant but its taste is bitter. Themetaphor of a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is that ofcolocynth- it has no scent and its taste is bitter."Abii Bakr al-Anbfui mentioned that when someone finished theQur'an, Abii 'Abdu'r-RaJ:tman as-Sulami would sit him before himand put his hand on his head and say to him, "You! Fear Allah! Ido not know of anyone better than you if you act by what youknow." Ad-Darimi reported that Wahb ad-Dhimari said, "If Allahgives someone the Qur'an and he stands reciting it at the ends ofthe night and the ends of the day and acts by what is in it and diesin obedience, on the Day of Rising Allah will raise him up withthe angels and Prophets."Muslim related that 'A'isha reported that the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Someonewho recites the Qur'an and is fluent in it is with the noble piousangels. Someone who recites the Qur'an and stammers in it hastwo rewards as it is difficult for him." He will have one reward forthe recitation and one reward for the difficulty. The levels of thefluent reciter are all above that because the Qur'an was difficult forhim and then he rose beyond that to be like the angels. Allahknows best.At-Tirmidhi reports from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'iid that theMessengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,"Whoever recites a letter of the Book of Allah earns a good deed,and each good deed is worth ten like it. I do not say that 'Alif-lammlm'is one letter, but that alif is a letter, lam is a letter, and mlm isa letter." (basan ~ablb gharlb)Muslim reported that 'Uqba ibn 'Amir said, "The Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out to uswhile we were in the $u./fa and asked, 'Which of you would like togo every day to Butlfan or to al-'Aqiq and bring two large-humpedshe-camels from it without wrongdoing?' We said, 'Messenger ofAllah, all of us would like that!' He said, 'Does not one of you goto the mosque and teach or recite two ayats from the Book of7 19. IntroductionAllah? That is better for him than two camels, and three verses arebetter for him than three camels, four verses are better than fourcamels, and so on regarding the number of camels."'Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah will relieve anyonewho relieves a believer of one of the afflictions of this world ofone of the afflictions of the Day of Rising. Allah will give ease inthis world and the Next to anyone who eases the hardship ofanother. Allah will veil anyone who veils another Muslim in thisworld and the Next. Allah will help His slave as long as His slaveis helping his brother. Whoever travels a path on which he seeksknowledge, Allah will make the path to the Garden easy for him.People do not meet in one of the houses of Allah to recite theBook of Allah and study it together without tranquillity descendingon them, mercy covering them, angels encircling them andAllah mentioning them to those who are with Him."Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, ad-Darim1, and at-Tirmidhi reportedthat 'Uqba ibn 'Amir heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, say, "The one who recites the Qur'an publicly islike the person who gives his !fadaqa publicly. The one who recitesthe Qur'an secretly is like the person who conceals his !fadaqa."(f:tasan ghar1b) At-Tirmidhi reported from Abu Hurayra that theProphet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "TheQur'an will come on the Day of Rising and say, '0 Lord, robehim!' and He will put on him the crown of nobility.' It will say, '0Lord, more!' and He will put on him the robe of honour. Then itwill say, '0 Lord, be pleased with him!' and He will be pleasedwith him. It will be said, 'Recite and ascend,' and he will beincreased with a good deed for every ayat." (!faf:t1/:t)Abu Dawud reported from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr that theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,said, "Those who know the Qur'an will be told, 'Recite andascend. Recite slowly as you did in the world below. Your stationwill be at the last verse you recite."' Ibn Majah transmitted thatAbu Sa'id al-Khudr1 reported that the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The one who knows8 20. Introductionthe Qur'an will be told, 'Recite and ascend.' He will recite and risea degree by every iiyat until he reaches the last thing he has."Al-Anbar1 transmitted from Umm Umama al-I:Iim~1 that theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,said, "Whoever is given a third of the Qur'an has been given athird of Prophethood. Whoever is given two-thirds of the Qur'anhas been given two-thirds of Prophethood. Whoever recites all ofthe Qur'an has been given all of Prophethood although he has notreceived any revelation. On the Day of Rising he will be told,'Recite and ascend.' He will recite an iiyat and rise a degree untilhe finishes what he knows of the Qur'an. Then he will be told,'Take,' and he will take. Then he will be asked, 'Do you knowwhat is in your hands? Eternity is in your right hand and bliss inyour left."'Al-Marwaz1 reported from 'AH that the Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If someone readsthe Qur'an, recites it and memorises it, Allah will admit him to theGarden and let him intercede for all the people of his family forwhom the Fire is mandatory." Umm ad-Darda' said, "I visited'A'isha and asked her, 'What is the excellence of the one whorecites the Qur'an over the one who does not recite it among thosewho enter the Garden?' 'A'isha replied, 'The number of the iiyatsof the Qur'an is according to the number of degrees of the Garden.No one will enter the Garden better than the one who recites theQur'an."' Abil Mul:lammad Makk1 mentioned it. Ibn 'Abbas said,"If anyone recites the Qur'an and follows what is in it, Allah hasguided him from misguidance and will protect him on the Day ofRising from an evil reckoning. That is because Allah says, 'Allthose who follow My guidance will not go astray and will not bemiserable.' (20: 123)" Ibn 'Abbas said, "Allah has guaranteed thatthe one who follows the Qur'an will not go astray in this world norbe wretched in the Next." Makk1 also mentioned that. Al-Laythsaid, "It was said that mercy does not come quicker to anyone thanto the one who listens to the Qur'an according to the words of theAlmighty, 'When the Qur'iin is recited, listen to it and be silent so9 21. Introductionthat hopefully you will gain mercy.' (7:204)" The word "hopefully"makes it mandatory for Allah.In the Musnad of Abii Dawiid at-Tayalis!, it is reported from'Abdullah ibn 'Amr that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who stands [in prayer] forten ayats will not be written among the heedless. Anyone whostands for a hundred ayats will be written among the obedient.Anyone who stands for a thousand ayats will be written amongthose with heaps [qintars] of reward." There are many traditionsabout this, and what we have mentioned is adequate. Allah is theOne who grants success.How to recite the Book of Allah and what is dislikedand forbidden in it, and people's disagreement aboutthat.Al-Bukhar! transmitted that Qatada said, "I asked Anas aboutthe recitation of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, and he said, 'He would lengthen syllables whenhe recited, "In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, Most Merciful."He would extend the name "Alliih ",extend "ar-Ralpniin" (theAll-Merciful) and extend "ar-Raf:tim" (the Most Merciful).""At-Tirmidhi reported that Umm Salama said, "The Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to putstops in his recitation. He would say, 'Praise be to Allah, the Lordof the worlds,' and stop, 'the All-Merciful, Most Merciful,' andstop. Then he would recite, 'Master of the Day of Repayment. "'(gharib, Abii Dawiid transmitted a similar f:tadith.)It is related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "The person with the best voice is the one that Isee fears Allah Almighty when he recites." It is related that Ziyadan-Numayr! came with the reciters to Anas ibn Malik and was toldto recite. He raised his voice and intoned. He had a loud voice andAnas uncovered his face, as he had a black cloth over it, and said,10 22. Recitation"You! what is this you are doing?" When he saw something heobjected to, he would remove the cloth from his face.It is related that Qays ibn 'Ubbad said, "The Companions of theMessenger of Allah used to dislike raising the voice in dhikr."Those who disliked raising the voice in recitation of the Qur'anincluded Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, Sa'Id ibn Jubayr, al-Qasim ibnMui:tammad, al-I:Iasan, Ibn S1r1n, an-Nakha'1 and others. Malik ibnAnas and AI:tmad ibn I:Ianbal also disliked it. All of them dislikedraising the voice with the Qur'an and intoning it. It is related thatSa'1d ibn al-Musayyab heard 'Umar ibn 'Abdu'l-'Aziz leading thepeople and he intoned in his recitation. Sa 'id sent a message tohim saying, "May Allah put you right! Imams should not recitelike that." So 'Umar stopped singing. Al-Qasim ibn Mui:tammadsaid, "A man recited in the mosque of the Prophet and intoned andal-Qasim objected to that. He said, Allah Almighty says, 'Truly itis a Mighty Book. Falsehood cannot reach it from before it orbehind it.' (41:41-42)" Malik related that he was asked about nabr(raising the voice) when reciting the Qur'an in the prayer and hedisliked that strongly and objected to the raising of the voice inrecitation. Ibn al-Qasim related from him that he was asked aboutmelody in the prayer and he said, "I do not like it." He said, "It is akind of singing which they do and for which they are paid money."One group permit raising the voice in the Qur'an and intoningit. That is because, when someone beautifies his voice in it, it settlesmore deeply in the selves and the hearts listen more to it. Theyfind evidence in the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, "Adorn the Qur'an with your voices." AlBara'ibn 'Azib transmitted it as did Abil Dawild and an-Nasa'l.The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Hewho does not sing the Qur'an is not one of us." (Muslim). There isalso what Abil Milsa told the Prophet: "If I had known that you listenedto my recitation, I would have beautified it for you."'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal said, "In a journey in the year of theConquest, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, recited Surat al-Fat/:t on his mount and he used a quaveringtone in his recitation." Some of those who believed this11 23. Introductionwere Abii I:Ianifa and his people, ash-Shafi '1, Ibn al-Mubarak andan-Na-J uf""':. u..~ u ..../"(il ~ --' 'L~ ~