بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
One of the easiest door to Paradise is the door of recitation of Quran. It is a door that once you enter it you yourself will enjoy it. It will not become an act of mundance worship but an act of spiritually pleasing to you. It is one of the most invigorating acts of worship and that is the pure blessed reciting act of reciting the Quran for the sake of Allah.
When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was building the Ka'aba for the first time, he made a du'a to Allah to send among his progeny a messenger who will recite the verses to them and teach them the Book.
رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴿١٢٩
Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise." [Quran, Al Baqarah 2:169]
Of course it was the fulfillment of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam coming with the Quran.
لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّـهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿١٦٤﴾
Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error. [Quran, AleImran 4:164]
The Quran is the biggest blessing that Allah has been given to us.
الرَّحْمَـٰنُ ﴿١﴾ عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ ﴿٢﴾ خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ ﴿٣﴾ عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ ﴿٤
The Most Merciful (1) Taught the Qur'an, (2) Created man, (3) [And] taught him eloquence. (4) [Quran, Ar-Rahman 55:1-4]
Notice the order of the verses. The Quran is mentioned first, then man. The Quran is a bigger blessing than the creation of mankind. Our existence is predicated upon the existence of the Quran. There would be no point to create us if there would be no Quran. Allah already revealed the Quran before man was created.
Allah reminds us in the Quran that He is worthy of being praised because He has revealed the Quran to us. He is worthy of being worshipped and one of the reasons why we worship Allah is because He has revealed the Quran to us.
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَابَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُ عِوَجًا ۜ ﴿١
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance.
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا ﴿١
Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant that he may be to the worlds a warner - [Quran, Al Furqan 25:1]
Allah praises the Quran. He has revealed the best of all speeches. It is the Book that is complementary, a Book that each part supports the other parts.
اللَّـهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُّتَشَابِهًا مَّثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى اللَّـهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّـهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ ﴿٢٣﴾
Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allah leaves astray - for him there is no guide. [Quran, Az-Zumar 39:23]
Allah describes the Quran as guidance and the source of cure and healing for mankind and mercy for the believers.
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا ﴿٨٢
And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss. [Quran, Al Isra' 17:82]
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٥٧﴾ قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللَّـهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ ﴿٥٨
O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers. Say, "In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate." [Quran, Yunus 10:57-58]
We should be happy for ِِِِِِAllah's revelation of the Quran. Of the signs of the believers are that they rejoice in the recitation of the Quran.
The Prophet sallallahu layhi wasallam commanded us to be happy at the existence of the Quran because one part of it is in your hands and another part of it is in the hands of Allah. So as long as you hold on to it you shall never go astray after it. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is telling us that the Quran is a direct link between us and Allah.
The Quran is the spiritual food of mankind. By reading the Quran our Iman is reinvigorated. The Quran is Light that takes away the darkness of shirk, dhulm, prejudice, and ignorance. It guides us to the Light of Tauhid and the Light of Islam.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُم بُرْهَانٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُورًا مُّبِينًا ﴿١٧٤
O mankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light. [Quran, An-Nisa 4:174]
The Quran has been described as a clear light. That is why reciting the Quran increases our own light and takes away our own doubts. Nothing brings peace to the heart like the recitation of the Quran. Nothing reinvigorates our iman like opening up the Book of Allah and constantly reciting it.
This why the command to recite the Quran occurs in many verses and many hadiths. Reciting the Quran is one of the best actions of worship.
There are Ten Rewards for Every Letter Recited from the Quran
“Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah, he will have a reward, and this reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that 'Alif, Lam, Meem' (a combination of letters frequently mentioned in the Holy Quran) is a letter, rather I am saying that ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Lam’ is a letter and ‘Meem’ is a letter.” [At-Tirmithi] So increase your recitation of the Quran to gain these merits, as well as the following ones.
The Reciters of the Quran Will Be in the Company of the Noble and Obedient Angels
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her related that the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wasallam said: “Indeed the one who recites the Quran beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. As for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have twice that reward.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The People of the Quran are from Best of People
‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him said that the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wasallam said: “The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it to others.” [Al-Bukhari]
The Quran will intercede for us on the Day of Judgment
Abu Umamah may Allah be pleased with him related that the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wasallam said: “Read the Quran, for indeed it will come on the Day of Standing (Judgment) as an intercessor for its companions.” [Muslim]
The Quran Raises One's Status in this Life and the next.
In Saheeh Muslim, we find a wonderful story about how a man from the people of Paradise, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab may Allah be pleased with him understood this principle. The story is that once, some men came to question him during his reign as caliph regarding the leadership of Makkah. The men asked: “Who do you use to govern Makkah?” He said: “Ibn Abzaa.” They asked: “And who is Ibn Abzaa?” ‘Umar replied: “A freed slave from those we freed.” They remarked: “You left a freed slave in command of the People of the Valley (the noble tribes of the Quraysh)?” He replied: “Indeed he is a reciter of the Book of Allah and is knowledgeable about the obligations of the Muslims. Haven’t you heard the statement of your Messenger sallallaahu alayhi wasallam: “Verily Allah raises some people by this Book and lowers others by it””?
One’s Position and Rank in Paradise is Determined by the Amount of Quran He Memorised in this Life
‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘Aas may Allah be pleased with him heard the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wasallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) saying: “It will be said to the companion of the Quran: 'Read and elevate (through the levels of Paradise) and beautify your voice as you did when you were in the worldly life! For verily, your position in Paradise will be at the last verse you recite!’” [Abu Dawood and At-Tirmithi]
The Quran Leads to Paradise
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says,
إِنَّ هَـٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيرًا ﴿٩
Indeed, this Quran guides to that which is most suitable and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward. [Quran, Al Isra' 17:9]
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam said: “The Quran is an intercessor - something given permission to intercede, and it is rightfully believed in. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever puts it behind him, it will steer him to the Hellfire.” [At-Tabarani]
The Book of Allah is unlike any other; it is the timeless Speech of Allah, and not a created thing. It is the study guide for life, death, and what follows. Therefore, it deserves a far more careful study than anyone else’s speech.
To reflect upon the verses of Allah is a form of worship; it is something that will draw one close to Allah, Most High. This reflection is not a reckless and wandering one, rather, it includes a study of the classical Tafseer (exegesis) of the verses being pondered over. Allah, Most High, says in the Quran,
أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّـهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا ﴿٨٢
Then do they not reflect upon the Quran? If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction. [Quran, An-Nisa' 4:82]
Reading and Reflecting Over the Quran Fulfils an Islamic Duty
The Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wasallam summarised this religion with his statement: “The religion (of Islam) is naseehah (offering sincere advice)!” Tameem bin Aws, may Allah be pleased with him said: “We asked, ‘To whom?’” He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) replied: “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the people, and to their subjects.” [Muslim]
The sincerity that is due to the Book of Allah includes its regular recitation, learning the rules of Tajweed (the recitation of the Quran, according to specified rules) and reciting it beautifully, learning about its Tafseer and the reasons for its revelation, affirming that it is the truth, the perfect Speech of Allah and not part of the creation, honouring it and defending it, abiding by the orders and prohibitions found in it, and teaching it and calling to it.
Make the Quran a regular routine of your life and increase the knowledge of it.
Learn how to recite the Quran with Tajweed. Find a Quran teacher because you will enjoy learning the rules of tajweed and learning to implement them. Listen to good recitation of the Quran. Increase reciting the Quran and listening to the Quran are two seperate good deeds. Each one of them has their own reward.
Let no day goes by except that you recite the Quran and begin memorize the Quran bit by bit and reflect upon the verses. Each one of this is a blessing in of itself. Each one these are different act of worship but interconnected because once you start one of them, automatically you will be going to increase on all of them.
Let us be of the people of Quran whom Allah loves.
May Allah make us of the people of the Quran and be amongst the people of the Quran. Aameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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