The Quran: A Divine Gift and Guiding Light

Indeed, Allāh has greatly favoured the Ummah of Muḥammad ﷺ by revealing the Noble Qurʾān to them. It is His honoured book, His strong rope, and His wise reminder. The Qurʾān serves as a beacon of guidance and mercy for all of mankind, offering a cure for what troubles the hearts of believers.

As Allāh states

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَآءٌ لِّمَا فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

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.

Surah Yūnus ¹

Following the Qurʾān is divine guidance and light, while abandoning it leads to misguidance and darkness.

Allāh says

يَهْدِى بِهِ ٱللَّهُ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ رِضْوَٰنَهُۥ سُبُلَ ٱلسَّلَٰمِ وَيُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِۦ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

By which Allāh guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path.

Surah Al-Ma'idah ²

The Qurʾān contains news of what came before you, what comes after you, and it is the decisive judgment between you.

إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ وَمَا هُوَ بِٱلْهَزْلِ

Indeed, the Qur'an is a decisive statement, And it is not amusement.

Surah At-Tariq ³

The Rewards of Reciting and Reflecting on the Qurʾān

Allāh praises those who strive and make an effort in reciting, memorizing, understanding, and implementing His words. He has promised them great rewards and immense blessings. Allāh describes the recitation of the Qurʾān as the unfailing trade of the people of Iman (faith).

He says

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ كِتَٰبَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَنفَقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَٰهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً يَرْجُونَ تِجَٰرَةً لَّن تَبُورَ

Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allāh and establish prayer and spend [in His cause] out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, [can] expect a profit that will never perish

Surah Fatir ⁴

Tranquility and Elevated Ranks

Whoever seeks peace of mind, tranquility in their life, and serenity in their heart, let them recite the Book of Allāh.

Allāh says

ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ

those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allāh. Surely in the remembrance of Allāh do hearts find comfort.

Surah Ar-Ra'd ⁵

This means that if you seek comfort in anything other than the words of Allāh , you will only find misery.

Therefore, by reciting and studying the Qurʾān, worries are removed, sorrows disappear, and tranquility descends. The mercy of Allāh envelops those who engage with His book.

The Prophet ﷺ said

مَا اجْتَمَعَ قَوْمٌ فِي بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِ اللَّهِ يَتْلُونَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَيَتَدَارَسُونَهُ بَيْنَهُمْ إِلاَّ نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ وَحَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِيمَنْ عِنْدَهُ

Those persons who assemble in the house among the houses of Allāh (mosques) and recite the Book of Allāh and they learn and teach the Qur'an (among themselves) there would descend upon them the tranquillity and mercy would cover them and the angels would surround them and Allāh makes a mention of them in the presence of those near Him.

Sahih Muslim ⁶

The people of the Qurʾān are those who study it, memorize it, understand it, and implement it in their lives. Allāh has promised such people His love and chosen them as His own.

The Prophet ﷺ said

إِنَّ لِلَّهِ أَهْلِينَ مِنَ النَّاسِ . قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ هُمْ قَالَ هُمْ أَهْلُ الْقُرْآنِ أَهْلُ اللَّهِ وَخَاصَّتُهُ

"Indeed Allāh has His own people among mankind." And when asked who these are, he replied: "They are the people of the Qurʾān; they are the people of Allāh and His chosen ones."

Sunan Ibn Majah ⁷

The Qurʾān: An Intercessor and Means to Higher Ranks

Allāh elevates some people through the Qurʾān, those who memorize, study, learn, and implement it with sincerity. He debases others through the Qurʾān, those who neglect and abandon it.

The Prophet ﷺ said

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْفَعُ بِهَذَا الْكِتَابِ أَقْوَامًا وَيَضَعُ بِهِ آخَرِينَ

Verily, Allāh elevates some people with this Qur'an and abases others.

Sahih Muslim ⁸

Whoever desires the Qurʾān to come as an intercessor for them on the Day of Judgment, a day when every intercession will be sorely needed due to its hardships, should be among those who recite the Qurʾān day and night. How much time have we wasted, and how many good deeds have we neglected when it comes to the Qurʾān?

The Prophet ﷺ said

اقْرَءُوا الْقُرْآنَ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ شَفِيعًا لأَصْحَابِهِ

Recite the Qur'an, for on the Day of Resurrection it will come as an intercessor for those who recite It.

Sahih Muslim ⁹

The Qurʾān will also be a means to elevate your rank in Jannah (Paradise). If Allāh wills that you are among the people of Jannah, it will raise your rank.

Prophet ﷺ said

يُقَالُ لِصَاحِبِ الْقُرْآنِ اقْرَأْ وَارْتَقِ وَرَتِّلْ كَمَا كُنْتَ تُرَتِّلُ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّ مَنْزِلَكَ عِنْدَ آخِرِ آيَةٍ تَقْرَؤُهَا

One who was devoted to the Qur'an 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.

Sunan Abu Dawood ¹⁰

Therefore, do not deprive yourself from reciting even a small portion of the Book of Allāh every single day.

This shows the immense bounty and generosity of Allāh. There is no reason for you not to pick up the Book of Allāh. Allāh has placed so many blessings and so much reward in reciting the Qurʾān, yet some people still abandon it. Look how generous Allāh is:

Prophet ﷺ said

مَنْ قَرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ بِهِ حَسَنَةٌ وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا لاَ أَقُولُ الم حَرْفٌ وَلَكِنْ أَلِفٌ حَرْفٌ وَلاَمٌ حَرْفٌ وَمِيمٌ حَرْفٌ

Whoever recites a letter from Allāh's Book, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it. I do not say that Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.

Jami' at-Tirmidhi ¹¹

And with every good deed, there are ten rewards. Imagine how much reward you get if you just read one page of the Book of Allāh!

Warning Against Abandoning the Qurʾān

Knowing these generous rewards that Allāh offers, it is obligatory upon us to be among the people of the Qurʾān. We must accustom ourselves to reciting it, dedicating time for its recitation, understanding it, and implementing it. Let it be the spring of our hearts, the light of our chests, and the removal of our sorrows and worries.

We ask Allāh to make the Qurʾān an excuse for us on the Day of Judgment and not an excuse against us. We ask our Lord to make us from the people of the Qurʾān, those who are His people and His chosen ones.

We should be very cautious and very wary of abandoning the Book of Allāh, of turning away from the Qurʾān. How many blessings have we lost, and how many blessings have been erased due to our negligence and turning away from the Book of Allāh? The hearts that are not filled with the remembrance of Allāh will be filled with the remembrance of Shaytan.

Allāh says

وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِى فَإِنَّ لَهُۥ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ أَعْمَىٰ

And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.

Surah Ta-Ha ¹²

Allāh has warned us against following the path of the polytheists, whom the Prophet ﷺ complained to Allāh about because they had abandoned the Qurʾān and turned away from it. They did not accept the Qurʾān out of enmity and hatred for it and for the Prophet ﷺ

Allāh says, recounting the Prophet's complaint

وَقَالَ ٱلرَّسُولُ يَٰرَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِى ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ مَهْجُورًا

And the Messenger has said, "O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur'an as [a thing] abandoned."

Surah Al-Furqan ¹³

Abandoning the Qurʾān can take many forms, and it is not something that only disbelievers do; some Muslims may also be among those who abandon the Qurʾān.

The great scholar, Ibn al-Qayyim , described some of the different categories of abandoning the Qurʾān. ¹⁴

He said

فَائِدَة هجر الْقُرْآن أَنْوَاع أَحدهَا هجر سَمَاعه وَالْإِيمَان بِهِ والإصغاء إِلَيْهِوَالثَّانِي هجر الْعَمَل بِهِ وَالْوُقُوف عِنْد حَلَاله وَحَرَامه وَإِن قَرَأَهُ وآمن بِهِ وَالثَّالِث هجر تحكيمه والتحاكم إِلَيْهِ فِي أصُول الدّين وفروعه واعتقاد أَنه لَا يُفِيد الْيَقِين وَأَن أدلته لفظية لَا تحصّل الْعلم وَالرَّابِع هجر تدبّره وتفهّمه وَمَعْرِفَة مَا أَرَادَ الْمُتَكَلّم بِهِ مِنْهُ وَالْخَامِس هجر الِاسْتِشْفَاء والتداوي بِهِ فِي جَمِيع أمراض الْقلب وأدوائها فيطلب شِفَاء دائه من غَيره ويهجر التَّدَاوِي بِهِ وكل هَذَا دَاخل فِي قَوْله {وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُوراً} وَإِن كَانَ بعض الهجر أَهْون من بعض

كتاب الفوائد لابن القيم - ط العلمية ¹⁵

Translation:

Here are the types of abandoning the Qurʾān, according to Ibn al-Qayyim:

• Abandoning listening to it, believing in it, and paying attention to it.
• Abandoning acting upon it and adhering to its lawful and unlawful matters, even if one reads it and believes in it.
• Abandoning seeking its judgment and referring to it in the fundamentals and branches of religion, and believing that it does not provide certainty. This also includes believing that its proofs are merely textual and do not yield true knowledge.
• Abandoning pondering over it, understanding it, and knowing what the Speaker (Allāh ) intended by it.
• Abandoning seeking healing and treatment with it for all diseases of the heart. This involves seeking a cure for one's ailment from other sources while abandoning treatment through the Qurʾān.

All of these are included in Allāh's statement:

وَقَالَ ٱلرَّسُولُ يَٰرَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِى ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ مَهْجُورًا

"And the Messenger has said, 'O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qurʾān as something abandoned.'" (Surah Al-Furqan 25:30)

And even if some forms of abandonment are lesser than others.

To summarise Ibn al-Qayyim’s points:

• Not listening or believing in it
• Not acting on its rulings
• Not referring to it for guidance
• Not reflecting on its meanings
• Not using it for healing

We seek refuge in Allāh from abandoning the Qurʾān, from forgetting the Qurʾān, from failing to reflect upon the Qurʾān, from neglecting its teachings, and from not acting upon it.

We ask Allāh to make the Qurʾān the spring of our hearts, the light of our chests, the removal of our sorrows, and the departure of our worries and griefs. We ask Allāh to make the Qurʾān an excuse for us on the Day of Judgment and not an excuse against us. We ask Him to make us from the people of the Qurʾān, those who are His people and His chosen ones.