SUMMARY OF THE FORTY AHAADITH
The purpose of describing the beauties and virtues of the Qur-aan Shareef in the previous pages is to promote love for it. Love for the Qur-aan Shareef is needed for developing a love for Allah Ta’ala and vice versa. Love for one leads to the love for the other.
The purpose of creation of man in this world is that he recognises Allah Ta’ala, and all other creation are created for the service of man. As a Persian poet says:
Poetic Translation: The clouds, the winds, the moon, the sun and the sky are constantly at work, So that you earn your living and do not eat in forgetfulness, The whole creation is involved in working for you in obedience,
The law of justice will not be fulfilled if you fail to obey (Allah Ta’ala).
So man should learn a lesson from their punctuality and obedience in their functions of rendering service to Him.
Temporary changes are sometimes caused in their functions by Allah Ta’ala as a warning and reminder. There is no rain when it should rain; no wind blows when it should blow; similar changes are seen in the moon and the sun through their eclipses. In short, everything is subject to some change, to caution and warn those who do not fulfil their duty to their Creator. How surprising indeed that all these things are made obedient to fulfil man’s needs, yet their obedience does not lead man to his own submission to the Creator. Love alone provides the best help for obedience and submission to Allah Ta’ala.
Translation: Verily, the lover submits to his beloved.
Translation: When a person falls in love with someone, submission and obedience to the beloved becomes his habit and a second nature. Disobedience to the beloved becomes difficult, just as being obedient to someone whom one does not love.
Translation: One way of developing love for someone is to look at his beauty and excellence. Looking at his beauty may be through physically seeing him or pondering over his beauty. If a look at a beautiful face can lead to natural love, then a sweet heart-captivating voice can also sometimes produce a magnetic effect. A Persian poet says:
Poetic Translation: Looks alone do not inspire love, Often this wealth is attained through charming words.
Sometimes it is the sweetness of the voice which draws the heart unconsciously and sometimes it is the beauty and wisdom of speech or words which causes one to fall in love. Experienced men have suggested that in order to develop love, one should think about the fine qualities of the beloved and none other than the beloved should find a place in one’s heart. It is true even in the case of earthly love that the sight of a beautiful face or a hand urges one to see the other parts of the body of the beloved, so that love may increase and the yearning of the heart may be satisfied, but that stage of satisfaction is never reached.
As an Urdu poet says:
Translation: The disease worsened as the treatment progressed.
Translation: If after sowing the seeds in a field, one does not care to water it, no crop will grow there. Similarly, after falling in love unintentionally, if one does not pay attention to the beloved, this love will disappear in time to come. But if one keeps on thinking about and imagining the charming features, the built as well as the habits, behaviour and the manner of speaking of the beloved, love will go on increasing every moment.
Poetic Translation: Unusual are the ways in the school of love, One who learns his lesson gets no leave.
If you forget the lesson of love, you will be left out at once by the beloved. But the more you learn it, the more you are caught up in it.
In the same way, if a man wants to develop love with someone worthy of love, he should find out the excellence, the charms and the valued qualities of the beloved and should not be satisfied with what he knows, but should always be eager to know more about them.
When, even in the case of a human, the lover is not satisfied with a partial view of the beloved, and is always on the lookout for more chances to see as much of the beloved as he can, then Allah Ta’ala, the Pure and Blessed, Who is the source of all beauty and elegance, (and in fact there is no beauty in this world except His) is certainly such a beloved Whose loveliness and perception knows no bounds and is limitless. One of the ways He shows His beauty and excellence is through the Qur-aan Shareef, which is the Word of Allah Ta’ala Himself. What greater pleasure can there be for a Aashiq (lover of Allah Ta’ala), than the fact that the Qur-aan is Allah Ta’ala’s own Revelation. A poet says:
Poetic Translation: O, flower! How pleased am I with you, you have the smell of someone (beloved).
Even if we leave aside the consideration that the Qur-aan Shareef was revealed by Allah Ta’ala and it is His word, the relationship that the Qur-aan Shareef has with Rasulullah ﷺ is enough for a Muslim to adore it. Study of the Qur-aan itself makes one realise that there is no excellence elsewhere that cannot be found in the Glorious Qur-aan. A poet says:
Poetic Translation: The limits of sight are narrow and the flowers of your beauty numerous; He who plucks the flowers of your spring complains of not being fully capable of his hold.
There is another verse to this effect:
Poetic Translation: How many of your graces can be adored; Your charms are innumerable and my restless heart is one.
It is evident to the careful reader of the above Ahaadith, that there is hardly any important thing of this world to which our attention has not been drawn. Whatever taste for love and beauty one may possess, its excellence and perfection will be found in the Qur-aan Shareef. Whatever enjoyment and beauty one enjoys from the entire or portion of the world can all be found in the Qur-aan Shareef. In the first Hadith, the excellence of the Qur-aan Shareef has been compared against all the beauty of the worldly things. Take any example of love. If a person has love for someone for any number of reasons then we should know that the Qur-aan Shareef has unlimited number of reasons to be loved.
The Qur-aan Shareef is superior to all other lovable things, taken individually or collectively in every respect. If one loves somebody because of obtaining a great number of benefits from him, Allah Ta’ala has promised (Hadith two) that He will give to the reader of the Qur-aan Shareef more than what was begged of Him by all other persons.
If somebody is adored for his personal greatness, attainment or excellence, Allah Ta’ala has said (in the same Hadith) that the superiority of the Qur-aan Shareef over all other books is like the superiority of Allah Ta’ala Himself over His creation, of the master over his slave and of the king over his subjects.
If anybody is fond of wealth, property, servants and animals, and loves to raise and breed animals of a particular kind, he is warned (in Hadith three) that the knowledge of the Qur-aan Shareef is far more valuable than any number of good animals acquired even without labour or crime.
If a Sufi seeks piety and fear of Allah Ta’ala, and works hard to acquire them, Rasulullah ﷺ has said (Hadith four) that those who become an expert in the study of the Qur-aan Shareef will be reckoned amongst the Malaaikah. The piety of the Malaaikah cannot be excelled by anybody, because they cannot pass even a moment in disobedience to Allah Ta’ala.
Also if anybody takes pride in getting double the reward or if he likes that his words should carry a double weight, he should consider how even the reader who falters in his recitation gets double the reward.
If any jealous person finds joy in evil conduct, and jealousy has become a part and parcel of his nature and he cannot give up this vice, he can be rightly jealous of a Haafiz whose excellence is worth being jealous of, as said by Rasulullah ﷺ (Hadith five).
Let one who enjoys fruit and cannot live without it, know that the Qur-aan Shareef is like a citron.
If anybody is fond of sweets, he should know that Qur-aan Shareef is sweeter than dates (Hadith six refers to this).
If anybody is desirous of honour and dignity and cannot resist being a member of some council, he should know that the Qur-aan Shareef raises the rank of its reader, both in this world as well as in the Aakhirah (This is mentioned in Hadith seven).
If anybody wants a sincere and dedicated companion, who should be ready to defend him in every dispute, he should know that the Qur-aan Shareef is ready to defend its devotee in the court of the Emperor of all emperors (as mentioned in Hadith eight).
If a person devotes his life to the in-depth study of the finer points of different subjects and appreciates these finer points, and it turns him away from the greatest pleasure of this world, then he should know that the contents of the Qur-aan Shareef is a treasure full of fine points (as described in Hadith eight).
If somebody attaches importance to discovering hidden secrets, and considers expertise in the criminal investigation department as an accomplishment and devotes his life to acquiring it, he should know that the body of the Qur-aan Shareef reveals those mysteries whose depths are boundless (which is referred to in Hadith eight).
If one likes the construction of lofty buildings and wants his special house to be on the 7th floor, then verily the Qur-aan Shareef raises its devotee to the 7000th floor in Jannah (as referred to in Hadith nine).
If anybody desires to do business which should bring maximum profit with a minimum amount of effort, he should know that the recitation of each letter of the Qur-aan Shareef will earn him ten blessings (as referred to in Hadith ten).
If anybody wants to be a king and desires the crown and a throne, and has to fight battles in this world to attain it, he should consider that the Qur-aan gets for the parents of those devoted to it, a crown whose brilliance cannot be compared to in this world (This is mentioned in Hadith eleven).
If there is any expert in acts of juggling who can catch a burning coal in his hand or can put a burning match-stick in his mouth, he should realise that the Qur-aan Shareef provides safety even against the fire of Jahannam (For this see Hadith twelve).
There are people who want to have good relations with government officers and take pride in relating how, as a result of their recommendation to an officer, an accused had not been punished but had been set free. For having contact with these officers, they spend their time and money in flattering and arranging dinners for them and so on. Those reciting the Qur-aan Shareef will intercede on behalf of ten people who had been condemned to Jahannam (This is mentioned in Hadith thirteen).
Now let us consider Hadith fourteen. If somebody is fond of flowers and gardens and loves sweet smells, he should realise that the Qur-aan Shareef has been compared to musk. If someone loves perfumes and wants to bathe in dried musk, then the example of the Qur-aan Shareef is like a musk vase. This is only as an example. In reality musk has no comparison with the fragance of the Qur-aan Shareef. The particles of this earth cannot be likened to the Heavenly ones. A Persian Poet says:
Poetic Translation: That sprinkling of musk is in fact the act of your looks; It is out of expediency that lovers accuse the Chinese deer (reported to yield musk).
A person who is often punished and only works because of the fear of receiving punishment, and encouraging him to do work is useless, will be benefited to know that one whose heart is empty of the Qur-aan, is like a ruined house (as mentioned in Hadith fifteen).
If a person is in search of the best form of all ibaadah and is careful to devote himself to that ibaadah which brings him the maximum reward, he should know that recitation of the Qur-aan Shareef is superior to all other forms of ibaadah, and it is specially mentioned in Hadith sixteen that it is superior to nafl Salaah, fasting, tasbeeh and tahleel (recitation of Kalimah Tayyibah).
Some people are deeply interested in pregnant animals, as they fetch more price than the ordinary ones. Rasulullah ﷺ has specifically said that the recitation of the Qur-aan Shareef is far more precious than such animals (see Hadith seventeen).
Many people are always worried about their health. They exercise by running or going for a walk in the morning and have a bath every day. There are others who suffer from worry and anxiety. Rasulullah ﷺ has said that Surah Fatihah provides treatment for every disease and the Qur-aan Shareef cures the sickness of the hearts.
People take pride in so many things that to list all is difficult, for example, some boast of their lineage or good habits, others of their popularity or foresight. Rasulullah ﷺ has said that the thing of real pride is the Qur-aan Shareef, which possesses all beauty and perfection. As a Persian verse says:
Poetic Translation: “What all the other beloveds possess collectively, You alone possess all that.” (For this see Hadith twenty)
Many people are fond of accumulating wealth. For this purpose, they practise miserliness in their food and dress, undergo many hardships and develop a craze that is not satisfied by any amount of wealth. Rasulullah ﷺ has advised us that the only thing that should be treasured as much as possible is the Qur-aan Shareef. No treasure of wealth is better than this (Hadith twenty-one refers to this).
Similarly, if anybody likes a bright environment and uses ten electric bulbs to light up his room, he should know that the Qur-aan Shareef provides the best of light. People have a desire to receive presents and they expect gifts from their friends every day. They try to get more friends only with this motive. If any of their friends does not send them their share of fruit from his garden, they complain about him. They should realise that the Qur-aan Shareef is the best giver of gifts. Peace descends on those who recite the Qur-aan Shareef. If you want someone to die due to him making demands on you, then the Qur-aan Shareef will take revenge on your behalf.
Some people flatter or praise the minister so that he may take their name in the court of the ruler and some flatter the workers of the minister so that they may praise him before the minister. Sometimes a person pleads with others so that they may mention his name in the presence of his beloved. Let all such people learn that through the Qur-aan Shareef, they may make themselves worthy of being mentioned by our beloved Allah Ta’ala Himself (see Hadith twenty-two).
If a person is always eager to know about the most favourite thing of the beloved and he is prepared to carry out even the most difficult task to get it, he should know that there is nothing more beloved to Allah Ta’ala than the Qur-aan Shareef. (We find this mentioned in Hadith twenty-three).
Some people want to have access to the court of the ruler, and with this object in mind, they plan and struggle all their lives. Through the Qur-aan Shareef we can become the special favourites of Allah Ta’ala, before Whom the greatest of kings is completely helpless. It is strange that in order to become a member of some council, or to join the hunting party of some man in authority, people make sacrifices of time, money and comfort. They use all sorts of tactics for approaching them and thereby spoil their Deeni as well as their worldly efforts, only for the sake of gaining some false honour. Is it then not necessary to make some effort to win the real honour by seeking it from Allah Ta’ala only? If they can spend their whole life in attaining the false honour of this world, we must spend at least a part of our lives in pleasing the Being Who gave us this life (see Hadith twenty-four).
If you are fond of ‘Chistiyyat’ (one of the four branches of Sufism) and do not find comfort except in their Majlis (gatherings), you should know that gatherings for recitation of the Qur-aan are far more attracting to the heart and it also attracts the ears of the most unmindful person.
If you want to attract the attention of our Great Master, you must devote yourself to the recitation of the Qur-aan Shareef (This is discussed in Ahaadith twenty-five and twenty-six).
If we declare ourselves to be Muslims and also feel proud of Islam, then we should know that it is the command of Rasulullah ﷺ that the Qur-aan Shareef should be recited in a suitable manner. If our Islam is not just lip service and it has really something to do with obedience to Allah Ta’ala and His Rasul ﷺ , then we should realise that Allah Ta’ala and Rasulullah ﷺ have commanded us to recite the Qur-aan Shareef.
If you are a staunch nationalist and love a Turkish hat because you consider it to be a part of your Islamic dress, or if you are interested in national culture and promoting it by all possible means, and if you write articles in the newspapers for this purpose and pass resolutions in public meetings, then you should know that Rasulullah ﷺ has commanded us to do our best to propagate the Qur-aan Shareef (see Hadith twenty-seven).
At this stage, it will not be out of place to express disappointment about the attitude of our national leaders in respect of the Qur-aan Shareef. They do not assist in its propagation but rather help in obstructing it. Learning the Qur-aan Shareef is looked upon by them as useless and a waste of time and effort. It is also considered an act whereby one uses his mind and physical effort in some useless work. It may be that some of them are not in favour of this attitude, but when a group of people are engaged in anti-Qur-aanic propaganda, silence on the part of our national leaders is just like helping them in the crime.
An Urdu poet says:
Poetic Translation: We admit, you will not disregard us, but We will be reduced to dust, before you become aware.
There are many who claim that the Madrasah where the Qur-aan Shareef is taught is only promoted by the Ulama for earning their sustenance. This is a serious attack on the intentions of all such teachers and Ulama. Those who make such accusations are responsible for this slander, which they will have to prove in the Aakhirah. Such people are humbly requested to consider the results of the efforts of these so-called ‘selfish teachers’ and also what the results of their own unselfish ideas would be. Rasulullah ﷺ has commanded us to teach and propagate the Qur-aan Shareef. They should judge for themselves how far they have personally contributed in carrying out the command of Rasulullah ﷺ .
Their attention is drawn to another misunderstanding. Some people might think that they are not a party to this anti-Quranic propaganda and therefore remain unconcerned, but this cannot save them from the anger of Allah Ta’ala. The Sahaabah رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمْ said to Rasulullah ﷺ ;
Translation: “Shall we be destroyed while there are righteous people amongst us.”
Rasulullah ﷺ replied, “Yes (it will be so), when evil shall become widespread.” There is another Hadith to the same effect where; “Allah Ta’ala ordered that a certain village should be overturned. Jibraa’eel عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ submitted that in that village there was a person who had never committed any sin. Allah Ta’ala said that it was true, however, in spite of him witnessing so much disobedience to Me (around him), there never appeared a frown on his face (in its disapproval).” In fact, it is because of these Ahaadith that the Ulama do not hesitate to point out the wrong when they see any disobedience to Allah Ta’ala being committed. It is unacceptable that some of our so-called intelligent people consider it to be narrow mindedness on the part of Ulama. This so-called broad-mindedness on the part of such people does not free them of their responsibility. They should understand that it is not the duty of the Ulama alone to check disobedience to the Commandments of Allah Ta’ala, but rather it is the duty of every Muslim who sees disobedience being committed and has the power to stop it.
Bilaal bin Sa’d رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ has said; “If evil deeds are committed secretly, only the evil-doers suffer for it, but if they are committed openly and nobody stops them, then all the people are punished.”
There are some who are fond of history and they travel to consult old books of history wherever they may find them. Such people should rather devote themselves to the study of the Qur-aan Shareef, in which they will find information that will compare to all the books put together that are the most authentic on history. (Hadith twenty-eight refers to this).
If you want to acquire a high position that even the Ambiyaa عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ are asked to sit in your company and participate in your gathering, you can do so through the Qur-aan (Hadith twenty-nine refers to this).
If you are so lazy that you cannot do hard work, even then you can earn an honourable position without any hard work by means of the Qur-aan Shareef. You should sit down and keep listening silently to children reciting the Qur-aan Shareef in a Madrasah. Thereby you shall earn a lot of reward without any hard work on your part (This is referred to in Hadith Thirty).
If you are fond of variety, you can find it in the various ideas and different subjects of the Qur-aan Shareef, some dealing with mercy, others with punishment, some relating to different stories and others to various commandments and so on. You can also change your mode of recitation, low at times and loud at others (see Hadith thirty-one).
If your sins have exeeded all limits and you believe that you will die one day, Ahaadith thirty-two to thirty-four will encourage you to lose no time and start the recitation of the Qur-aan, because you can never find such an influential intercessor, whose intercession is certain to be accepted.
On the other hand, if you are very respectful and your sense of respect and honour makes you avoid disputes with quarrelsome people, even at the cost of your valuable rights, you should try to avoid dispute with the Qur-aan on the Day of Qiyaamah, when it will be the strongest complainant, whose argument will be upheld and there will be nobody to defend you.
If you are in need of a guide who would lead you to the house of your beloved, and you would pay him any price for leading you, you should resort to the recitation of the Qur-aan Shareef. Again if you want to safeguard yourself against imprisonment, you have no way out except the recitation of the Qur-aan Shareef. (Hadith 34)
If you want to acquire the knowledge of the Ambiyaa عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ and you are keen about its knowledge, Hadith thirty-five shows that you can specialise in it through study of the Qur-aan Shareef. Similarly, if you are keen to develop the best of character, you can do so through the recitation of the Qur-aan Shareef. (Hadith 35)
If you are very fond of mountainous areas and they alone provide you with the best recreation and satisfaction, you should know that the Qur-aan Shareef will provide recreation for you on mounds of musk on the Day of Qiyaamah, when the entire creation will be in a state of terror (Hadith thirty-six refers to this).
If you want to excel in the worship of Allah Ta’ala by remaining busy in Nafl Salaah day and night, you should know that teaching and learning the Qur-aan Shareef is a better means of doing so (See Hadith 37-39).
If you want to keep yourself away from all troubles and save yourself from all worries, you can do so simply by devoting yourself to the Qur-aan Shareef (This is pointed out in Hadith Forty).