CHAPTER 8
MAKING THE HOLY QUR’AN A SOURCE
OF LIVELIHOOD
Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) as
saying : “Recite the Holy Qur’an to seek the pleasure of Allah before a people will come into existence who
will observe formalities in the recitation of Qur’an, make haste and do not recite properly with a pause.”
Abu Dawud transmitted it.
A similar tradition is reported on the authority Sahl bin Sa’d in Sunan of Abu Dawud. He (Sahl Sa’d) said :
Once ‘Imran (Allah be pleased with him) happened to pass by a preacher who recited the Holy Qur’an and
then begged of the people. ‘Imran (Allah be pleased with him) grieved to see this painful sight and recited
Inna lillahe wa inna alaihe ‘Raji’un (verily we belong to Allah and to Him do we return) and then told that
he had heard Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying, “When anyone recite
the Holy Qur’an let him ask a reward for it from Allah, for shortly a people will arise who will recite the
Qur’an and ask a reward for it from men.” Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.
CHAPTER9
FAITHLESSNESS TO THE HOLY QUR’AN
A lengthy and marfu’ hadith is reported on the authority of Samura b. Jundub (Allah be pleased with him).
He reported Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying: Last night I saw two
men who came to me, took me by the hand and brought me out to a holy land. So we went on till we came
to a man who was lying on his back over whom a man was standing with a stone of the size of his hand, or
a rock, with which he was pounding his head. When he struck him the stone rolled away and he went after
it to get it, and did not return to this man till his head was healed and restored to its former position. He
then went back to him and struck him. I asked what this was and they told me that this was a man whom
Allah had taught the Holy Qur’an but who had slept at night and neglected it and had not acted according to
its teachings in the daytime, so what I had seen would be done to him till the Day of Resurrection.
In another version it is reported: One who obtains the knowledge of the Qur’an and afterwards neglects it;
one who passes away the timings of obligatory Prayers in sleep, he will meet the same fate. Bukhari
transmitted if.
In Sahih Muslim a tradition is reported on the authority of Abu Musa Ash’ari (Allah be pleased with him)
who said to the learned men of Basra: Recite the Holy Qur’an but do not expect too much of it otherwise
your hearts will become rusty like the rusty hearts of your predecessors.
‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reported: When Bani Isra’il began to make great
expectations, their hearts became rusty. They invented themselves an agreeable book. The truth became a
bone of contention between them and their desires. At last they neglected the Book of Allah.
CHAPTER 10 THE FATE OF THOSE WHO SEEK
GUIDANCE FROM OTHER THAN THE HOLY QUR’AN
The Holy Qur’an says :
“And he whose sight is dim to the remembrance of the Beneficent, We assign unto him a devil.” (43 :36)
In another Verse the Almighty Allah says:
“And We reveal the Scripture unto thee as an exposition of all things.” (16 : 89)
Zaid b. Arqam (Allah be pleased with him) told that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) got up among them one day at a watering-place called Khumm to address them. He (the Holy
Prophet) praised and extolled Allah, gave a warning and a reminder, and then said, “To proceed: You
people must understand that I am just human. My Lord’s messenger will soon come for me and I shall
answer his summons, but I am leaving among you the two important things, the first of which is Allah’s
Book which contains guidance and light, so study it and follow its commands closely. Then when he had
urged attention to Allah Book and commended it he said, “Also my family. I remind you of your duty to
Allah to care for my family.”
In another version the words are: Allah’s Book is Allah’s rope; he who follows it has guidance and he who
abandons it is in error.” Muslim transmitted it.
Sahih Muslim transmitted a tradition on the Authority of Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) who said:
Whenever Allah’s Apostle used to deliver a sermon he always started it with the following words :
“The best book is Allah’s Book and the beat practice is the Sunnah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allah he upon him). The worst affairs are innovations and every innovation is misleading.”
Sa’id Ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Holy Qur’an was revealed to the Apostle of
Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he (the Holy Prophet) recited it regularly for a long
time. The Companions requested Allah’s Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to tell them
about it whereupon the Almighty Allah revealed the following Verse :
“Alif Lam Ra. These are Verses of the Scripture that maketh plain.” (12: 1)
Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) recited it for a period.
Ibn Abi Hatim reported on the authority of Mas’udi who on the authority of Qasim reported: When the
Companions (Allah be pleased with them) felt boredom they requested the Apostle of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) to say something. Whereupon the following Verse was revealed :
“Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent.” (39 : 23)
When the Companions again felt weariness they made a similar request to the Holy Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him). The Almighty Allah revealed the following verse :
“Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to Allah’s reminder.” (57:16)
‘Ubaid transmitted it on the authority of certain Tabi’in (the followers of the Companions of the Holy
Prophet). It proves that whenever the Companions (Allah be pleased with them) sought guidance from
Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) through his tradition, he (the Holy Prophet)
guided them by the Verses of the Holy Qur’an.
Mu’adh Ibn Jabal (Allah be pleased with him) used to tell the people sharing his company daily: Allah is
the Best Judge. The incredulous people were destroyed. Many mischiefs will arise after you. Wealth will be
in affluence. The Holy Qur’an will be opened. Believers, hypocrites, women and children will recite It. It is
just possible that someone of them might say : “I read the Holy Qur’an.” I think that they will not believe
me unless and until I innovate a new thing. Avoid innovations because every innovation is misleading.
Protect ourselves from the erroneous attitude of the wise. Sometimes even a hypocrite speaks the truth.
Accept the right thing wherever you find it. The truth is a beacon light. Abu Dawud transmitted it.
Baihaqi reported on the authority of ‘Urwa Ibn Zubair that Hadrat ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him)
decided to record ahadith. The Companions (Allah be pleased With them) objected to it because it was a
period of revelation of the Qur’an. Then Hadrat ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) observed Istikhara for a
month and afterwards said : “I remember a people before you who wrote books and depended upon them.
They neglected the Book of Allah. I will not intermingle Allah’s Book with any thing.
To be continued In shaa Allah