Actually, the Noble Quran was not sent down from the heaven to the heart of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, so that it may be an amulet to be taken as protection or to be recited over graves and in funeral ceremonies, or to be written in lines or memorized in hearts, or to be learnt and preserved well while its morals are neglected, or to be preserved as words while its rulings are abandoned. Rather, it was sent down to guide humanity to all good and real happiness. In this regard, Allah, The Almighty, Says (what means): {O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book. By which Allah 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.} [Quran 5: 15-16]
Accordingly, the Noble Quran is not meant to be, as one of the righteous scholars said, recited only or just seeking blessings from for surely it is very blessed, but its great blessings lie in contemplating it, understanding its meanings and purposes and then apply them in the religious and worldly actions alike. Whoever does not do this and only stick to reciting it without contemplation or action, it is feared that the punishment that Imam Al-Bukhaari, may Allah have mercy upon him, reported may apply to him. It was reported that Huzayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "O the Group of Al-Qurra (i.e. reciters of the Noble Quran)! Follow the straight path, for then you have taken a great lead (and will be the leaders), but if you divert right or left, then you will go astray far away." (1).
Do we recite to understand or recite for just recitation?
Sheykh Al-Ghazaali, may Allah have mercy upon him, has a precious words that confirm this meaning. He said in his book 'Kayf Nata‘aamal ma‘ Al-Qur'aan (How we should deal with the Noble Quran)': "Circumstances of the Muslim individuals towards the Noble Quran call for deep study. That is because Muslims after the first (best) centuries dedicated all of their attention towards the Noble Quran to recitation and mastering the way of uttering letters and perfecting lengthening letters and the like of the matters related to the words of the Noble Quran and preserving its narration as it was reached us i.e. in relation to all the rulings of recitation. As for dealing with the Noble Quran, they did a new thing that nations before them did not do. When a normal person hears or utter the word Qara't (I have recited), it means that a message came to him or found a book and thus he looked at it and understood what is meant of it. Really, I found no separation between understanding and recitation, or between hearing and awareness.
As for the Islamic nation, I do not know why they separated between recitation and contemplation. Today, Muslim individual became recite the Noble Quran for just seeking blessings as if repeating its words without pondering over them or understanding their purposes is beneficial or it is what is meant of it.
When I try to get the ruling of this act, I found that it is something rejected according to Islam. That is because Allah, The Almighty, Says (what means): {[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.} [Quran 38: 29]
This refers to awareness, understanding, comprehension and contemplation. Then, where is contemplation? What is the type of the reminder that can be gained from such superficial recitation that has no feeling of the meaning or realizing the purpose?" (2).
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(1) Natharaat fi Kitaab Allah, p. 88 and the Hadeeth is reported by Al-Bukhaari, may Allah have mercy upon him.
(2) Kayf Nata‘aamal ma‘ Al-Qur'aan, p. 27.
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