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The Merits of Memorizing the Glorious Qur’an
We see many Muslims memorize the Glorious Qur’an although they do not know Arabic. This includes Muslims from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Senegal, and other countries in Asia and Africa. I tested the memorization of some non-Arab Muslims in Qatar and witnessed their accuracy in memorizing the Glorious Qur’an. However, when I asked any of them about his name, no one could reply, as they did not know Arabic.
This is, obviously, the fulfillment of the Divine Promise, We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and we will assuredly guard it (from corruption).
(Al-Hijr: 9)
Allah, Most High, has promised to preserve His book and consequently He prepares those who memorize it through consecutive generations. I memorized the Glorious Qur’an before the age of ten. In Bangladesh, I saw a nine-year-age child who had memorized the Glorious Qur’an. In Egypt, many children memorize the Glorious Qur’an at the age of seven according to the competitions that are held among them in this regard. One of those children visited Qatar where the minister of Education honored him a few years ago. In Shibin Al-Kum, a village near my village in Egypt, I saw a child of the same age memorize the Glorious Qur’an and recite it in the correct way according to the rules of recitation (Tajwid).
Recently, some educationalists criticize the memorization of the Qur’an at an early age without understanding its meaning, claiming that people should not memorize what they do not understand.
However, this contemporary attitude should not be applied to the Glorious Quran. There is no harm on the child to memorize the Glorious Qur’an while young and understand it when he becomes older. Memorization at an early age, according to a saying of wise people, is like carving on stones. By Allah’s grace, I memorized the Glorious Quran in my early childhood And benefited from it in my old age.
As mentioned above, the Glorious Qur’an distinguished by its simplicity and easiness to be memorized, and so everyone, young or aged, educated or unlettered, can understand it to some extent.
In the Kitttab,[1] I came to understand the general meaning of the Qur’anic stories and admonitions although I was a mere child. Once, I was reciting Surat As-Safat before sheikh Hamid (may Allah have mercy on him), when I read the following Qur’anic verses:
(So also was Lat among those sent (by Us). Behold, we delivered him. And his adherents, all, except an old woman who was among those who lagged behind. Then we destroyed the rest. Verily, ye pass by their (sites), by day and by night: will ye not understand)
(As-Safat: 133-138)
According to the division of the verses in the Mus-haf ,[2] the verse No. 137 ends with (…ye pass their (sites), by day}; and the verse No. 138 begins with (…and by night…) but when I read The two verses I did not stop at the end of the former verse and continued reading until the word “night” in the latter verse. Thereupon, my sheikh said, “May Allah bless you!” That is because he understood that 1 continued reading until the word “night” to complete the meaning of the sentence ye pass by their (sites}, by day and by night”. Although it is known in the science of Tajwid that the reader of the Qur’an is recommended to stop at the end of each verse.
Some Christians, furthermore, try to memorize the Glorious Qur’an or at least some parts of it and then teach it to their children. ln this connection, we remember Dr. Nazmi Luke, the Christian writer, who spoke about this in the introduction of his “Mnharnrnad: Ar-Risalah war-Rasul” (Muhammad: The Mission and the Messenger). ln his book, Dr. Nazmi said that his father sent him to a Muslim sheikh in Suez in order to teach him the Glorious Qur’an.
Makram `Ibeid, the well-known Christian politician, memorized many parts of the Glorious Qur’an and used to quote them in his speeches and writings. The Qur’anic words, in fact, added sweetness and strength to his speeches and writings.
Memorizing the Glorious Quran at an early age has many outstanding benefits, such as maintaining correct pronunciation of and compliance with the grammar of the Arabic language.
[1] Kittab is an office that teaches the Glorious Quran to children. These kinds of offices are widespread throughout Egypt, particularly in the villages. (Trans.)
[2] Mus-haf is the book containing the Ever-G1orious Qur’an.
Merits of Memorizing the Glorious Qur’an
The Prophet (peace be upon him) highlighted the merits of memorizing the Glorious Qur’an in numerous hadiths[1]. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), for instance, reported a hadith that reads,
“The one who does riot memorize some of the Glorious Qur’an is like a desolate house. “[2]
Also, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to honor and revere the people who had memorized the Glorious Quran. In this context, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent some of his Companions to some places. He asked each one of them what he had memorized of the Glorious Qur’an. Meanwhile, he asked a young man amongst them, the same question. When the latter said that he memorized such and such suras including surat Al-Baqarah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) exclaimed, “Have you memorized siirat Al-Baqarahf” “Yes,” the man replied. “Go and you are the leader of the people,” the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) declared. A noble man then said,
“By Allah! Nothing prevented me from memorizing sitrat Al-Baqarah except my fear of not abiding by its instructions.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commented,
“Learn the Qur’an and recite it. The similitude of the Qur’an and the one who learns and recites it is as a sack filled with mask spreading its fragrance everywhere, and the one who learns it and sleeps (ie., neither recites nor acts according to its instructions) is like a sack that is filled with mask but tied (to the extent that its fragrance does not reach anyone). “[3]
Those who memorize the Glorious Quran are honored and held superior over others by the Prophet (peace be upon him) even after their death. It is known that in the Battle of Uhud (3 AH), the Prophet (peace be upon him) buried those who had memorized the Glorious Quran in front of those who had not.
Likewise, it was usual practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to send some persons who had memorized the Glorious Quran, from amongst his Companions, to tribes in order to teach them about Islam. Examples of those were the seventy men whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent to the people of Ril, Dhakwan, `Usiya and Bani Lihyan but the unbelievers betrayed and murdered them at a place called Bi’r Ma`unah.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as having said,
“On the Day of Judgment, the man who has memorized the Quran will come to where the Qur’an will say, ‘O Lord! Adorn him.’ Therefore, he will be adorned with the crown of Honor. Then the Qur’an will say, ‘O Lord! Increase hint (in adornment).’ Therefore, he will be clothed with the dress of Dignity. Again, the Qur’an will say, ‘O Lord! Be pleased with him Therefore, Allah will he pleased with him and it will be said to him, ‘Read (the Quran) and occupy higher degrees} Each ( Qur’anic ) verse, moreover will add a reward for him. “[4]
On the Day of Judgment, Allah’s reward is not restricted to the people of the Qur’an. Rather, its blessings will be extended to their parents. In this connection, Buraydah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
“Whoever reads the Qur’an and learns and acts according to it, will he adorned on the Day of Judgment with a crown of Light whose gleam is like that of the sun, and his parents will he dressed in two garments that the world can never he equal to. Thereupon, they will question, ‘For what reason are we dressed in these garments?’ lt will be said, ‘This is by virtue of your son who memorized the Qur’an. “[5]
Parents, in fact, are granted this Divine honor because they play an essential role in guiding their children to memorize the Glorious Qur’an from an early age. These merits are meant to encourage parents to raise their children on memorization of the Glorious Qur`an.
Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The most desolate house is that in which there is no (recitation of the) Qur’an.”[6]
In At-Targhib wa At-Tarhib, another narration of the above hadith reads, “The smallest house is that in which there is no Qur’an.”
[1] Hadith; this word refers to any of the traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which contain his sayings and practicies. lt also refers to the science concerned with these traditions; this is always used with initial capital (Hadith). (Trans.)
[2] Reported by At-Tirmidhi.
[3] Reported by At-Tirmidhi.
[4] Reported by At-Tirmidhi.
[5] Reported by Al-Hakim.
[6] Reported by Al-Hakim.
The Companions Who Memorized the Glorious Qur’an
Qatadah asked Anas ibn Malik, “Who memorized the Qur’an at the time of the Prophet?” He replied, “Four, all of whom were from the Ansar[1] .Ubayy ibn Ka`b, Mu`adh ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thabit and Abu Zayd.”[2]
In another narration, Anas said, “When the Prophet died, no one had memorized the Quran except four people: Abu Ad-Darda’, Mu`adh ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thabit and Abu Zayd.”[3]
Apparently, the latter narration differs with the former in two things: (l) It signifies that only four persons amongst the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) completed the memorization of the Qur’an during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and (2) it mentioned Abu Ad-Darda’ in the place of Ubayy ibn Ka`b.
Muslim scholars do not accept that only four from amongst the Companions memorized the Quran in the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him`), basing their opinion on the view that Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said this according to his own knowledge. Moreover, `Abdullah ibn `Amr said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say,
‘Learn the Quran from (any of these) four individuals: Abdullah ibn Mas`ud, Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, Ubbay ibn ka’b, and mu’adh ibn jabal. [4]
The above hadith refers to the merits of those four Companions but does not confine the number of those who memorized the Qur`an to these four. lt is known that there were other Companions who had memorized the Glorious Qur’an such as the seventy men whom the disbelievers treacherously murdered at Bi’r Ma`unah.
Al-Qurtubi commented on the above saying of Anas, explaining, “At the Battle of Yamamah seventy men from amongst the Qurra”[5]were murdered and on the day of Bi’r Ma`unah a similar number of the Qurra’ were murdered. Anas, however, stated the above mentioned four Companions either because he loved them or because he remembered those four only.”
The Hafiz [6]ibn Hajar said that what was referred to by Anas was the people of Al-Khazraj not Al-Aws [7]as ibn Jarir narrated, “Once the two tribes of Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj boasted of their own remarkable traits. The people of Al-Aws said, ‘From us are a man to him the Throne of the Most Merciful trembled, Sa`d ibn Mu`adh, a man whose witness equaled that of two men, Khuzaymah ibn Thabit, a man whom the Angels washed after his death, Hanzalah ibn Abu `Amir, and a man whom the hornets defended, `Asim ibn Abi Thabit.’ Thereupon, the people of Al-Khazraj said, `from us are four men who, when the Prophet died, none had memorized the Qur’an except for them: Abu Ad-Dardaâ, Mu`adh ibn J abal, Zayd ibn Thabit, and Abu Zayd.”[8]
The Hafiz As-Suyuti, furthermore, referred to a woman – Umm Waraqah bint `Abdullah ibn Al-Harith who memorized the Glorious Qur’an. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to visit her, called her the martyr, and bade her to lead her family in Prayer. She had a special muezzin. During the reign of `Umar ibn Al-Khattab, she was killed and fell a martyr at the hands of both her maid-servant and boy-servant. Then, `Umar commented on her martyrdom, saying, “Surely, the Messenger of Allah told the truth.” And, he used to say to his Companions, “Let us visit the (female) martyr.”
lbn Hajar confirmed that Abu Bakr, according to some hadiths, learned the Glorious Qur’an by heart in the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). It is reported in the Sahih, for example, that Abu Bakr built a mosque in the courtyard of his house wherein he used to recite the Glorious Qur’an. This is assured by the fact that Abu Bakr accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to the extent that `A’ishah said that her father, Abu Bakr, used to visit them in the morning and the evening. In this context, we may recall the lmdith that reads, “Let him who is more versed in the Bock 0f Allah lead the people in Prayer.”[9] lt is known, according to the books of Sirah (the Prophet’s biography), that Abu Bakr was appointed by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to lead the (people in Prayer during the Prophet’s period of illness. pp. 199-201.
Accordingly, Abu Bakr was more versed in the Book of Allah than anybody else. to the extent that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) appointed him to lead the people in Prayer.
As-Suyuti said that Ibn Kathir has confirmed this trait of Abu Bakr before Ibn Hajar.[10]
Ibn Abu Dawud reported on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ka`b Al-Qirzi that in the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) five men from the Ansar had memorized the Glorious Qur’an: Mu`adh ibn Jabal, `Ubadah ibn As-Samit, Ubayy ibn Ka`b, Abu Ad-Darda’, and Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari. Here, `Ubadah and Abu Ayyub were added to the aforementioned four in the narration of Anas.
In his Al-Qira’at, Abu `Ubayd mentioned the Qurra’ from amongst the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him`). From the Muhajirun[11], he stated: The four Rightly-guided Caliphs, Talhah, Sa`d, ibn Mas`ud, Hudhayfah, Salim, Abu Hurayrah, `Abdullah ibn Asâ-Sa’ib, `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, `Abdullah ibn `Umar, `Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr, `Abdullah ibn `Amr ibn Al-`As, `A’ishah, Hafsah, and Umm Salamah. Also, he stated from the Ansar: `Ubadah ibn As-Samit, Mu`adh who was called Abu Halimah, Majma` ibn Jariyah, Fudalah ibn `Ubayd, and Maslamah ibn Mikhlad. Abu `Ubayd, however, disclosed the fact that some of them completed the memorization of the Glorious Qur’an after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
As-Suyuti said. “Abu Dawud stated that amongst the Companions who had memorized the Glorious Quran were Tamim
Ad-Dari and `Uqbah ibn `Amir. According to Abu `Amr Ad-Dani, Abu Musa Al-Ash` ari memorized the Glorious Qur’an also.”[12]
No doubt, the number of the Companions who memorized the Glorious Qur’an is not equal to the number of those who memorize it today, for the Companions used to learn and apply the Qur’an in their lives besides memorizing it. In this connection, ibn `Umar said, “We used to revere the man who memorizes surat Al-Baqarah and surat Al `Imran.” When `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) completed the memorization of surat Al-Baqarah, he sacrificed a camel to Allah expressing his gratitude to Him, Most High.
At our early age, we used to call surat Al-Baqarah Al-Khatrnah As-Sughra (the minor end of the Qur’an) and the whole Qur’an Al-Khatniah Al-Kubra (the major end of the Qur’an).
lt is no wonder that surat Al-Baqarah enjoys these great merits. In this context, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
“Don’t turn your houses graves. Verily, devils do not enter a house wherein Surat Al-Baqarah is recited. “[13]
Abu Umamah Al·Bahli (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say,
‘Recite surat Al-Baqarah, for to take recourse to it is a blessing and to give it up is a cause of grief and the magicians cannot confront it. ‘”[14]
Ibn Mas`ud said, “This Qur’an is the banquet of Allah. So, whoever could learn anything from it, should do so. The most desolate house is that in which there is no (recitation of the) Qur’an… Satan goes out from the house in which sum! Al-Baqarah is recited.”[15](” Once more, he said, “Everything has a hump; and the hump of the Qur’an is sumt Al-Baqarah.”[16]
[1] Ansari (pl. Ansar) means the people of Madinah who supported and helped the Messenger of
Allah (pbuh) and his Companions after the Hijra. (Trans.)
[2] Reported by Al-Bukhari.
[3] Reported by Al-Bukhari.
[4] Reported by Al-Bukhari.
[5] The Arabic word Qarf (pl. Qurra’) refers to the person who learns the Glorious Quran
by heart And recites it in the correct way. (Trans.)
[6] Hafiz is a title given to anyone who memorizes one thousand hadiths and upward.
[7] Al-Khazraj and Al-Aws were the two main tribes that inhabited Madinah before the
advent of islam. After the Hijra of the Prophet (peace be upon him`) no Madinah.
these tribes Intermingled with the coming Muslims from Makkah. (Trans.)
[8] as-suyuti.al-itqan vol.1 pp. 199-201.
[9] Reported by Muslim.
[10] As-Suyuti.A!-Irqarr. vol. l. p. 20l.
[11] Mulzqjmm, as an lslamic term. refers to the persons who migrated with the Prophet (pbuh) from Makkah to Madinah. (Trans.)
[12] As-Suyuti. Al-ltqan. vol. l, pp. 202-202.
[13] Reported by At-Tirmidhi.
[14] Reported by Muslim.
[15] Reported by At-Tabarani.
[16] Reported by Al-Hakim.