The Excellent Qualities of the Qur'an

Anas said a man told God's messenger that he liked the <i>sūra</i> “Say, He is God, One,” to which he replied, “Your love of it will bring you into paradise.” Tirmidhī transmitted it and Bukhārī transmitted some­thing to the same effect.

‘Uqba b. ‘Āmir reported God’s messenger as saying, “What won­derful verses have been sent down to-night! The like of them has never been seen. They are ‘Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn’ and ‘Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of men.’” (Qur’ān, 113 and 114). Muslim transmitted it.

‘Ā’isha said that every night when the Prophet (ﷺ) went to his bed he joined his hands and breathed into them, reciting into them, ‘Say, He is God, One’; ‘Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn’; and ‘Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of men.’ Then he would wipe as much of his body as he could with his hands, beginning with his head, his face and the front of his body, doing that three times. (Bukhārī and Muslim)

Ibn Mas'ūd’s tradition, “When God’s messenger was taken up to heaven ...” will be mentioned in the chapter on the <i>Mi'rāj</i>, if God most high will. <i>Mi'rāj</i>, Book 25, ch. 23, second last tradition in I. ‘Abd ar-Rahmān b. ‘Auf reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “Three things will be under the Throne on the day of resurrection:

the Qur’ān which will contend with men, having an exoteric and an esoteric mean­ing; the trust;* and ties of relationship which will say, ‘God join those who joined me and sever those who severed me’!” *Cf. Qur’ān, 33:72 It is transmitted in <i>Sharh as-sunna</i>

‘Abdallāh b. ‘Amr reported God’s messenger as saying, “The one who was devoted to the Qur’ān will be told to recite, ascend and recite carefully as he recited carefully when he was in the world, for he will reach his abode when he comes to the last verse he recites.” Ahmad, Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd and Nasā’ī transmitted it.

Ibn 'Abbas reported God’s messenger as saying, “Anyone who has nothing of the Qur’ān within him is like a ruined house.” Tirmidhī and Dārimī transmitted it, and Tirmidhī said this is a <i>sahīh</i> tradition.

Abū Sa'id reported God’s messenger as stating, “God who is blessed and exalted says, ‘To him who is so occupied with the Qur’ān as to neglect making mention of me and making request of me I will give the most excellent things I give to those who ask.’ The superiority of God’s words over all other words is like God’s superiority over His creatures.” Tirmidhī, Dārimī, and Baihaqī, in <i>Shu’ab al-īmān</i>, transmitted it, and Tirmidhī said this is a <i>hasan gharīb</i> tradition.

Ibn Mas'ūd reported God’s messenger as saying:

“If anyone recites a letter of God’s Book he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward (Al-Qur’ān, 6:160). I do not say that <i>A.L.M</i> are one letter*, but <i>alif</i> is a letter, <i>lām</i> is a letter and <i>mīm</i> is a letter.” *These letters occur at the beginning of <i>sūras</i> 2, 3, 29, 30, 31 and 32. No satisfactory explanation of their meaning has been given. A brief discussion of them is given by Abdullāh Yūsuf Ali in <i>The Holy Qur’ān, Text, Translation & Commentary</i> (Lahore, 1934 and later editions), note 25. Sea also pp. 118-120. Tirmidhī and Dārimī transmitted it, Tirmidhī saying this is a <i>hasan sahīh</i> tradition whose <i>isnad</i> is <i>gharīb</i>.

Al-Hārith al-A‘war said:

While passing in the mosque I found the people engrossed in talk, so I went to visit ‘Alī and told him. He asked if that was really so, and when I assured him that it was, he said he had heard God’s messenger say, “Dissension will certainly come,” and asked him how it could be avoided, to which he replied, “God’s Book is the way, for it contains information of what has happened before you, news of what will happen after you, and a decision regarding matters which occur among you (This is explained as a reference to such matters as unbelief and faith, obedience and dis-obedience, what is lawful and what is forbidden, etc.). It is the distinguisher and is not jesting, (Qur’ān, 86:13). If any overweening person abandons it God will break him, and if anyone seeks guidance elsewhere God will lead him astray. It is God’s strong cord, it is the wise reminder, it is the straight path, it is that by which the desires do not swerve nor the tongues become confused, and the learned cannot grasp it completely.* It does not become worn out by repetition and its wonders do not come to an end. It is that of which the <i>jinn</i> did not hesitate to say when they heard it, ‘We have heard a wonderful recital which guides to what is right, and we believe in it,’ (Qur’ān, 72). He who utters it speaks the truth, he who acts according to it is rewarded, he who pronounces judgment according to it is just, and he who invites people to it guides to a straight path.” *The verb used is one ordinarily meaning 'to be satisfied'. Here it is used to indicate that the learned can never learn all there is to be known about the teaching and meaning of the Qur’ān, so that they should be satisfied and feel no need to continue their study of it. Tirmidhī and Dārimī transmit­ted it, Tirmidhī saying this is a tradition whose <i>isnād</i> is unknown, and al-Hārith is adversely criticised.

Mu'ādh al-Juhani reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone recites the Qur’ān and acts according to its contents, on the day of resurrection his parents will be given to wear a crown whose light is better than the light of the sun in the dwellings of this world if it were among you. So what do you think of him who acts according to this?” Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd transmitted it.

‘Uqba b. ‘Amir said he heard God's messenger say, “If the Qur’ān were put in a skin and thrown into the fire it would not burn.” Dārimī transmitted it.

‘Alī reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone recites the Qur’ān, learns it by heart, declares what is lawful in it to be lawful and what is unlawful in it to be unlawful, God will bring him into paradise and make him intercessor for ten of his family all of whom have deserved hell.” Ahmad, Tirmidhī, Ibn Majah and Dārimī transmitted it, Tirmidhī saying that this is a <i>gharīb</i> tradition, and that Hafs b. Sulaīmān the transmitter is not strong, but is declared to be a weak traditionist.

Abū Huraira said:

When God’s Messenger once asked Ubayy b. Ka'b how he recited in the course of the prayer and he recited <i>Umm al- Qur’ān</i> (Al-Qur’ān 1) , he said, “By Him in whose hand my soul is, nothing like it has been sent down in the Torah, the Injīl, the Zabūr, or the Qur’ān, and it is seven of the oft-repeated verses and the mighty Qur’ān (Qur’ān, 15:87) which I have been given.” Tirmidhī transmitted it, and Dārimī transmitted from “nothing like it has been sent down,” but he did not mention Ubayy b. Ka‘b. Tirmidhī said this is a <i>hasan sahīh</i> tradition.

He reported God's messenger as saying, “Learn and recite the Qur’ān, for to one who learns, recites and uses it in prayer at night it is like a bag filled with musk whose fragrance diffuses itself everywhere; and he who learns it and goes to sleep having it within him is like a bag with musk tied up in it.” Tirmidhī, Nasā’ī and Ibn Mājah transmitted it.

He reported God's Messenger as saying:

“If anyone recites in the morning <i>Hā Mīm al-Mu’min</i> (Al-Qur’ān, 40:1-3) to ‘to Him is the final goal’ and the Throne Verse (Al-Qur’ān, 2:255) he will be guarded by them till the evening, and if anyone recites them in the evening he will be guarded by them till the morning.” Tirmidhī and Dārimī transmitted it, Tirmidhī saying this is a <i>gharīb</i> tradition.

An-Nu‘mān b. Bashīr reported God’s messenger as saying:

“Two thousand years before creating the heavens and the earth God inscribed a book of which He sent down two verses with which He concluded <i>Sūrat al-Baqara</i>. The devil will not come near a house in which they are recited three nights.” Tirmidhī and Dārimī transmitted it, Tirmidhī saying this is a <i>gharīb</i> tradition.

Abūd Dardā’ reported God’s messenger as saying, “He who recites three verses at the beginning of <i>al-Kahf</i> will be protected from the trial of the <i>dajjāl</i>.” Tirmidhī transmitted it, saying this is a <i>hasan sahīh</i> tradition.

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “Everything has a heart, and the heart of the Qur’ān is <i>Yā Sīn</i> (Qur’ān, 36). God will record anyone who recites <i>Yā Sīn</i> as having recited the Qur’ān ten times.” Tirmidhī and Dārimī transmitted it, Tirmidhī saying this is a <i>gharīb</i> tradition.

Abū Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “A thousand years before creating the heavens and the earth God recited <i>Tā’ Hā’</i> (Qur’ān, 20) and <i>Yā’ Sīn</i>, and when the angels heard the recitation they said, ‘Happy are a people to whom this comes down, happy are the minds which carry this, and happy are the tongues which utter this’.” Dārimī transmitted it.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “If someone recites <i>Hā’ Mīm ad-Dukhān</i> (Qur’ān, 44) any night, seventy thousand angels will ask forgiveness for him in the morning.” Tirmidhī transmitted it, saying that this is a <i>gharīb</i> tradition and that ‘Umar b. Abū Khath'am the transmitter is declared to be weak. Muhammad, i.e. Bukhārī, said his traditions were rejected.