Tag: Q n A

Praise be to Allah.Firstly :
you should note, may Allah bless you, that the Quran was revealed in one style at the beginning, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) kept asking Jibreel until he taught him seven styles, all of which were complete. The evidence for that is the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas who narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Jibreel taught me one style and I reviewed it until he taught me more, and I kept asking him for more and he gave me more until finally there were seven styles.”
(narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3047; Muslim, 819) 
Secondly, what is meant by styles (ahruf, sing. harf)? 
The best of the scholarly opinions concerning what is meant is that there are seven ways of reciting the Quran, where the wording may differ but the meaning is the same; if there is a different meaning then it is by way of variations on a theme, not opposing and contradiction. 
Thirdly: 
Some of the scholars said that what was meant by ahruf was the dialects of the Arabs, but this is far-fetched, because of the hadeeth of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab who said: “I heard Hishaam ibn Hakeem reciting Soorat al-Furqaan in a manner different from that in which I used to recite it and the way in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught me to recite it.  I was about to argue with him whilst he was praying, but I waited until he finished his prayer, and then I tied his garment around his neck and seized him by it and brought him to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I heard this man reciting Soorat-al-Furqaan in a way different to the way you taught it to me.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him, ‘Recite it,’ and he recited it as I had heard him recite it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘It was revealed like this.’ Then he said to me, ‘Recite it,’ so I recited it and he said, ‘It was revealed like this.’ This Qur’aan has been revealed in seven different ways, so recite it in the way that is easiest for you.’”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2287; Muslim, 818) 
It is known that Hishaam was Asadi Qurashi (i.e., from the clan of Bani Asad in Quraysh) and ‘Umar was ‘Adawi Qurashi (i.e., from the clan of Bani ‘Adiyy in Quraysh). Both of them were from Quraysh and Quraysh had only one dialect. If the difference in ahruf (styles) had been a difference in dialects, why would two men of Quraysh have been different? 
The scholars mentioned nearly forty different opinions concerning this matter! Perhaps the most correct is that which we have mentioned above. And Allah knows best. 
Fourthly: 
It seems that the seven styles were revealed with different wordings, as indicated by the hadeeth of ‘Umar, because ‘Umar’s objection was to the style, not the meaning. The differences between these styles are not the matter of contradiction and opposition, rather they are synonymous, as Ibn Mas’ood said: “It is like one of you saying halumma, aqbil or ta’aal (all different ways of saying ‘Come here’).” 
Fifthly: 
With regard to the seven recitations (al-qiraa’aat al-saba’), this number is not based on the Quran and Sunnah, rather it is the ijtihaad of Ibn Mujaahid (may Allah have mercy on him). People thought that al-ahruf al-saba’ (the seven styles) were al-qiraa’aat al-saba’ (the seven recitations) because they happened to be the same number. But this number may have come about coincidentally, or it may have been done deliberately by Ibn Mujaahid to match what was narrated about the number of styles (ahruf) being seven. Some people thought that the styles (ahruf) were the recitations, but this is a mistake. No such comment is known among the scholars. The seven recitations are one of the seven styles, and this is the style that ‘Uthmaan chose for all the Muslims.  
Sixthly: 
When ‘Uthmaan made copies of the Quran, he did so according to one style (harf), but he omitted the dots and vowel points so that some other styles could also be accommodated.  So the Mus-haf that was copied in his time could be read according to other styles, and whatever styles were accommodated by the Mus-haf of ‘Uthmaan remained in use, and the styles that could not be accommodated fell into disuse. The people had started to criticize one another for reciting differently, so ‘Uthmaan united them by giving them one style of the Quran. 
Seventhly: 
Your saying that Mujaahid’s different recitations meant the seven styles (ahruf) is not correct, as was said by Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah. (Majmoo’ah al-Fatawa, vol. 13, p. 210) 
Eighthly: 
The seven readers or reciters were: 
1-Naafi’ al-Madani
2-Ibn Katheer al-Makki
3-‘Aasim al-Kufi
4-Hamzah al-Zayaat al-Kufi
5-Al-Kisaa’i al-Kufi
6-Abu ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ala’ al-Basri
7-‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Aamir al-Shaami
The ones who have the strongest isnaad in recitation are Naafi’ and ‘Aasim. 
The most eloquent are Abu ‘Amr and al-Kisaa’i. 
Warsh and Qaaloon narrated from Naafi’.
Hafs and Shu’bah narrated from ‘Aasim. 
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.

When explaining the meanings of a verse of the Qur’an, the mufassir
(scholarly commentator on the meanings) follows one of two methods:

The
first method
is to see whether there is anything in the texts of the Qur’an or the
Prophet’s Sunnah, or in texts narrated from the righteous early generations,
that explains this verse. If there is an explanation of it in these sources,
he follows it and is content with it. This is what is called “tafseer on the
basis of narrated texts”; it is of several types: 

1.

Tafseer of the Qur’an by the Qur’an: as some parts of the
Qur’an explain other parts.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in
Muqaddimah fi Usool at-Tafseer (p. 93): 

If
someone were to ask: what are the soundest ways of interpreting the meanings
of the Qur’an? The answer is that the soundest way of doing that is to
interpret the Qur’an by the Qur’an, because sometimes it may refer to a
matter in brief, then explain it in more detail elsewhere, or it may state
something in a few words in one place, then expand upon it elsewhere. End
quote. 

Some
examples of that: 

Al-Bukhaari
(4236) narrated from ‘Alqamah (may Allah have mercy on him) that ‘Abdullah
ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the verse “…and
confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong)…” [al-An‘aam 6:82] was
revealed, his companions (i.e., the companions of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: Which of us has not done wrong? Then the
verse “Verily! Joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm
(wrong) indeed” [Luqmaan 31:13] was revealed. [From the latter verse it
is understood that the zulm referred to in the first verse is the zulm of
shirk (joining others in worship with Allah), and not any lesser
wrongdoing.] 

But
although interpreting the Qur’an by the Qur’an may sometimes be unambiguous
and clear, as in the example mentioned above, in which case it is binding
proof that must be followed and not opposed, sometimes it is based on the
mufassir’s own ijtihaad and understanding, when he is trying to put together
similar verses. Undoubtedly this is of a lesser status than the above,
because the one who engages in ijithaad may be wrong or right. 

2.

The tafseer of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), explaining the meanings of the Qur’an, because he (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) came to both convey and explain to us what is
said in the holy Qur’an. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning): “With clear signs and Books (We sent
the Messengers). And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) the reminder and the advice (the Quran),
that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they
may give thought” [an-Nahl

16:44]. 

An
example of that: 

Al-Bukhaari
(4510) narrated concerning the interpretation of the verse in which Allah,
may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “and eat and
drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from
the black thread (darkness of night)” [al-Baqarah 2:187]. 

It
was narrated that ‘Adiyy ibn Haatim (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I
said: O Messenger of Allah, what is the meaning of the white thread being
distinct from the black thread? Are they two threads? He said: “The back of
your heard must be very broad if you want to watch the two threads.” [‘Adiyy
was thinking in terms of threads in a literal sense, which he wanted to put
under his pillow and examine to see when they became distinct from one
another with the approach of dawn, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) pointed out that if he wanted to put the two threads –
which in fact refers to the light of dawn being distinct from the darkness
of night – under his pillow, then his pillow must be very big indeed, in
which case he must have a very large head! – Translator’s note]. Then he
said: “No; rather it is the darkness of the night and the light of the
day.” 

If an
explanation of a verse or a word in the Qur’an has reached us from the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), it is obligatory for us
to adhere to it and be content with it. 

The
interpretation of a verse may be understood from the Sunnah of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), from his actions and words, and
from the things that he approved of. 

The
Sunnah came to explain the Qur’an. Allah, may He be exalted, has instructed
us to pray, give zakaah, perform Hajj, carry out the hadd punishments and so
on, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), through his
Sunnah – his actions and words – has explained to us in detail what is meant
by these words. But if the mufassir cannot find any explanation for a verse
in the Sunnah, he should look at the sayings of the Sahaabah. 

3.

Tafseer based on reports from the Sahaabah (may Allah be
pleased with them):

Their
tafseer takes precedence over that of anyone else, because their tafseer is
likely to be based on what they learned from the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), as Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: One of us would learn ten verses then he would not move on (and learn
more) until he understood their meaning and put them into practice. Narrated
by at-Tabari in his Tafseer (1/80); its isnaad was classed as saheeh
by Shaykh Ahmad Shaakir (may Allah have mercy on him). 

In
some cases the tafseer of the Sahaabah was based on their own ijtihaad and
understanding, and their ijtihaad takes precedence over that of those who
came after them, because they accompanied the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) and were aware of the circumstances in which the
verses of the Qur’an were revealed, such as the reasons for revelation and
the place where revelation came down. They were contemporaries who were well
aware of the reality of the circumstances in which the Qur’an was revealed
and how people were at that time. Moreover, they had a greater understanding
than others of the language in which the Qur’an was revealed; they had
deeper knowledge, were less complicated (i.e., they were straightforward
people), and the furthest removed from misguidance and error in terms of
their knowledge and deeds. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in Muqaddimah fi Usool at-Tafseer
(p. 95): Then if you do not find the explanation of the meaning in either
the Qur’an or the Sunnah, you should refer to the words of the Sahaabah,
because they had greater knowledge of that, because of what they witnessed
of the Qur’an, and because of the advantages they had, and what they had of
perfect understanding and sound knowledge, especially the scholars and
leading figures among them… End quote. 

The
views of the Sahaabah concerning tafseer take precedence over the views of
anyone else, unless the Sahaabah differed concerning it, in which case the
mufassir must try to work out which view is most correct. 

4.

Tafseer based on reports from the Taabi‘een

If
the mufassir does not find anything in the words of the Sahaabah to explain
the meaning of the verse, then he should look at the tafseer of the
Taabi‘een, who acquired their knowledge from the companions of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon them), because in their circumstances,
words, deeds and time they were – naturally – closer to the Sahaabah and to
their teachings and were able to learn from them directly. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in
Muqaddimah fi Usool at-Tafseer (p. 102): if you do not find the
explanation of the meaning in either the Qur’an or the Sunnah, and you do
not find it in what is reported from the Sahaabah, in that case many of the
imams (leading scholars) turned to the views of the Taabi‘een… End quote. 

He
(may Allah have mercy on him) also said (p. 37): 

Among
the Taabi‘een are some who learned all their tafseer from the Sahaabah, as
Mujaahid said: I showed the Mushaf to Ibn ‘Abbaas, pausing at each verse and
asking him about it. Hence ath-Thawri said: If the interpretation of the
meaning of a verse comes to you from Mujaahid, it is sufficient for you.
Hence ash-Shaafa‘i, al-Bukhaari and other scholars relied on his (Mujaahid’s)
tafseer. End quote. 

If
the scholars of tafseer among the Taabi‘een are agreed upon a view
concerning the meaning of a verse, then undoubtedly it is obligatory to
follow it. But if they differed, the view of one of them is not necessarily
stronger than that of another and cannot be given precedence over another or
be regarded as the ultimate proof. Rather it must be examined and his proof
may be quoted or referred to, (but it is not binding proof). 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Undoubtedly the Taabi‘een differed, but those who learned tafseer from the
Sahaabah are not equal to those who did not do so. 

However, if they did not state that they learned it from a Sahaabi, then
their view is not proof against those who came after them, if they differed
in their views, because they are not of the same status as the Sahaabah, but
their views are more likely to be closer to the truth. The closer people are
to the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the
more likely they are to be correct than those who come after them. This is
very clear, because of the prevalence of whims and desires in subsequent
periods, and because of the presence of numerous intermediaries between them
and the time of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Undoubtedly this distance detracts from the value of their opinions; hence
we know that referring to the view of earlier generations is very important.

End
quote from Sharh Muqaddimat at-Tafseer, p. 140 

The
second method
is for the mufassir who has knowledge of tafseer to use his understanding to
interpret the meaning of the verse of the Qur’an, and his ijtihaad must be
based on the proper method, following the guidelines and principles of
tafseer. This is what is called tafseer on the basis of individual
understanding and ijtihaad. 

Az-Zarqaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book Manaahil al-‘Irfaan
fi ‘Uloom al-Qur’an (2/43): 

With
regard to the permissible type of tafseer on the basis of one’s
understanding, it is essential to be aware of what has been narrated from
the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his companions
that may give the mufassir some insight into how he should interpret the
meaning on the basis of his understanding. The one who does that must also
have extensive knowledge of the rules of the Arabic language and its styles
and manner of expression, as well as deep insight into the rules of
sharee‘ah, so that he will be able to interpret the words of Allah on the
basis of what is well established of the rules and regulations of His
sharee‘ah. End quote. 

Tafseer that is based on one’s individual understanding is blameworthy in
the following scenarios: 

1.

When the one who is seeking to interpret the meaning is not
qualified to do so, and he is trying to explain the words of Allah without
knowledge. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): ‘(But) the
things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (great evil sins,
every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or
secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in
worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things
about Allah of which you have no knowledge’” [al-A‘raaf 7:33]; “O mankind!
Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the
footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy” [al-Baqarah
2:168-169].

2.

When he is following his own whims and desires and his aim is
to support his bid‘ah (innovation) and opinion, even if that is by twisting
the meanings of the words or not paying attention to the proper way of
understanding, the ways in which the Arabs express different ideas in their
language, and the guidelines of sharee‘ah, as some innovators among the
Raafidis and others did, when they interpreted some verses in a manner that
is contrary to what is indicated by the guidelines of sharee‘ah and
knowledge of the Arabic language.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Interpretation of the Qur’an based on individual opinion: sometimes, in
order to be in harmony with his preconceived ideas, as the followers of
whims and desires do, a person may say that what is meant by a given word or
phrase is such and such – saying something that is in harmony with his
preconceived ideas. That includes some later scholars who interpreted the
Qur’an in such a manner as to be in harmony with the latest scientific
discoveries – whether astronomical or terrestrial – when the Qur’an does not
indicate that. In that case they are interpreting the Qur’an on the basis of
their own preconceived views, because the Qur’an does not indicate that,
either on the basis of the text or of what is indicated by the language.
This is their own opinion, and it is not right to interpret the Qur’an on
that basis. 

Similarly, if a person does not understand the linguistic meaning or the
shar‘i meaning indicated by the verse, if he then says something without
knowledge, he is sinning, such as if one of the common folk were to
interpret the verse of the holy Qur’an according to his understanding,
without basing it on proper understanding of the linguistic or shar‘i
guidelines, in which case it is haraam for him to do that, because the one
who interprets the meanings of the Qur’an is testifying that Allah meant
such and such. This is a very serious matter, because Allah has forbidden us
to say about Him that which we do not know.

“Say
(O Muhammad blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): ‘(But) the things
that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (great evil sins, every
kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or
secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in
worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things
about Allah of which you have no knowledge’” [al-A‘raaf 7:33]. 

Any
person who says about Allah that which he does not know about the meaning of
His words or any of His rulings has made a serious error.

End
quote from Muqaddimat at-Tafseer, p. 142 

And
Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) named some of the surahs of the Qur’an, such as al-Faatihah, al-Baqarah, Aal ‘Imraan and al-Kahf. 
The scholars differed as to whether the names of all the surahs of the Qur’an are proven to be from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), or are some of them proven to be based on the ijtihaad of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them)? 
The majority of scholars are of the view that the names of all of the surahs of the Qur’an are proven to be from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and are the matter of Tawqeef [i.e., they can only be known through divine Revelation and sound texts of hadeeth, with no room for ijtihad]. 
Imam Ibn Jareer at-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
The surahs of the Qur’an have names that were given to them by the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). End quote. 
Jaami‘ al-Bayaan (1/100) 
Az-Zarkashi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
We should discuss the issue of when a surah has more than one name: is this the matter of tawqeef, or does it have to do with the stories mentioned in the surah? 
If the latter is the case, then any smart man could derive from each surah many names based on its contents, and this is unlikely. End quote. 
Al-Burhaan fi ‘Uloom al-Qur’an (1/270) 
As-Suyooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
It is proven that all the names of the surahs are the matter of tawqeef, based on hadiths and reports. Were it not that I fear it would take too long, I would have explained that. End quote. 
Al-Itqaan (1/148) 
Shaykh Sulaymaan al-Bujayrami (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The names of the surahs are the matter of tawqeef and are narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), because the names of the surahs, the order in which they appear, and the order of the verses – each of these three things is the matter of tawqeef and is narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Jibreel (peace be upon him) told him that this is how they were in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz. End quote. 
Tuhfat al-Habeeb ‘ala Sharh al-Khateeb (2/163) 
Al-‘Allaamah at-Taahir ibn ‘Ashoor (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
With regard to the names of the surahs, they were given to them during the period of Revelation. The purpose of naming them is so as to make it easy to refer to them and discuss their meanings. End quote. 
At-Tahreer wa’t-Tanweer (1/88) 
This is the view favoured by a number of contemporary scholars who have written about the sciences of Qur’an, such as Dr. Fahd ar-Roomi in Diraasaat fi ‘Uloom al-Qur’an (p. 118), and Dr. Ibraaheem al-Huwaymil in his paper al-Mukhtasar fi Asma’ as-Suwar, in Majallat Jaami‘at al-Imam (issue no. 30, p. 135). 
Some of the scholars are of the view that some of the names of the surahs in the Holy Qur’an were given to them by the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and some of them were the result of the ijtihaad of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them). 
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (4/16): 
We do not know of any text from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to suggest that he named all of the surahs, but it is narrated in some saheeh hadiths that some of them were named by the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), such as al-Baqarah and Aal ‘Imraan. As for the other surahs, what appears to be the case is that they were named by the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them). End quote. 
This is what was deemed most likely to be correct by Dr. Muneerah as-Dawsari in her essay: Asma’ Suwar al-Qur’an al-Kareem wa Fadaa’iluha. 
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly: 
It is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that the Quran will intercede for its companions on the Day of Resurrection. Muslim (804) narrated that Abu Umaamah al-Baahili said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “Read the Qur’aan, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection interceding for its companions.” 
Imam Ahmad (6589) narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Fasting and the Quran will intercede for a person on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say: O Lord, I kept him from his food and desires during the day; let me intercede for him. And the Quran will say: I kept him from sleeping during the night; let me intercede for him. And they will be allowed to intercede.”
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 7329 
See also the answer to question no. 14035 
Secondly: 
Just as the Quran will intercede for its companions on the Day of Resurrection, it will also testify against those who went against it by neglecting it, ignoring its obligations and transgressing against the limits it set. 
Muslim (223) narrated that Abu Maalik al-Ash‘ari said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The Qur’aan is evidence for you or against you.” 
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
Either it will be for you, if you sought to draw close to Allah means of it, and you fulfilled the obligations towards the Holy Quran, namely believing its stories, obeying its commands, heeding its prohibitions and venerating and respecting the Holy Quran, in which case it will be proof for you, 
Or it will be the opposite, if you disrespected the Quran and neglected its words and meanings and failed to act upon it, and you did not fulfil the obligations towards it. In that case it will be a witness against you on the Day of Resurrection. 
End quote from Sharh Riyadh as-Saaliheen, p. 30 
Ibn Hibbaan narrated in his Saheeh (124) from Jaabir that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The Quran is an intercessor whose intercession will be accepted and an opponent whose testimony will be accepted. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise, and whoever puts it behind his back, it will drive him to Hell.” 
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Saheehah, 2019; ad-Daaraqutni mentioned it in al-‘Ilal, 5/102, where he said that it was mawqoof and its isnaad stopped at Ibn Mas‘ood. 
Ibn Hibbaan said, commenting on this hadith: 
This is a report from the wording of which one who does not have deep knowledge may think that the Quran is something created, but that is not the case. The Arabs may give the name of a thing to its cause and they may give the name of the cause to the thing. Because acting in accordance with the Quran will lead a person to Paradise, the name of that thing, which is acting in accordance with the Quran, is given to its cause, which is the Quran. It does not mean that the Quran is created. 
an-Nihaayah, 4/636 
an-Mannaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
It says in az-Zaahir: What is meant is that the one against whom the Quran testifies and says that he fell short and neglected it will be in Hell. And it is said: Do not make the Quran an opponent, i.e., to testify against you. 
End quote from Fayd al-Qadeer, 4/699 
It was narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (30667), Ibn Qutaybah in Ta’weel Mukhtalif al-hadith (p. 258), Ibn ad-Durays in Fadaa’il al-Quran (89), via Muhammad ibn Ishaaq, from ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb, from his father, that his grandfather said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say:
“The Quran will appear on the Day of Resurrection in the form of a man who will bring the man who learned it but went against its commands. It will appear as a disputant against him and will say: O Lord, You made him learn about me but what a bad learner he was; he transgressed my limits, neglected my obligations, disobeyed me and did not obey me. It will keep throwing accusations at him until it is said: Do what you like with him. Then it will take him by the hand and will not let him go until it throws him onto a rock in Hell. And it will bring a righteous man who learned it and adhered to its teachings. It will appear as a defendant and will say: O Lord, You made him learn about me and what a good learner he was; he respected my limits, did the obligatory duties, avoided the sins mentioned in me and obeyed my instructions. And it will keep presenting arguments in his favour until it is said: Do what you like with him. Then it will take him by the hand and will not let him go until it dresses him in brocade and puts on him the crown of a king.” 
This is a da‘eef (weak) isnaad, because Ibn Ishaaq is mudallis and used the word ‘an (narrating from, i.e., he did not state clearly that he heard it directly). But al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book Khalq Af‘aal al-‘Ibaad (474): 
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “The Quran will appear in the form of a man on the Day of Resurrection and will intercede for its companions.”
Zuhayr ibn Harb told me: Ya‘qoob ibn Ibraaheem told us: my father told me from Ibn Ishaaq, and ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr told me, from his father, from his grandfather: I heard this from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Abu ‘Abdullah (i.e., al-Bukhaari) said: “This is his earnings and his deeds.” End quote. 
So it is proven that Ibn Ishaaq heard the hadith from ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb, thus the hadith is proven. 
The words “The Quran will appear on the Day of Resurrection…” mean that his recitation of the Quran will appear to him. 
See the answer to question no. 91306
It was narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah (30676) and ad-Daarimi (3325) from ash-Sha‘bi, from Ibn Mas‘ood who said: “The Quran will come on the Day of Resurrection and will intercede for its companion, and it will lead him to Paradise, or it will testify against (a person) and will drive him to Hell. Ash-Sha‘bi did not hear from Ibn Mas‘ood, as it says in al-Maraaseel by Ibn Abi Haatim (p. 25). 
But there is a corroborating report that says: “The Quran is an intercessor whose intercession will be accepted and an opponent whose testimony will be accepted. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise, and whoever puts it behind his back, it will drive him to Hell.” 
This was narrated via a number of isnaads from Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him).See: Fadaa’il al-Quran  by al-Firyaabi (20); Fadaa’il al-Quran by Abu ‘Ubayd (44); Fadaa’il al-Quran by Ibn Durays (94); az-Zuhd by Imam Ahmad (p. 155); Shu‘ab al-Eemaan by al-Bayhaqi (2010); al-Mu‘jam al-Kabeer by at-Tabaraani (8655). 
From the above it is clear that just as the Quran will testify for its companions on the Date of Resurrection, it will also testify against those who went against it. 
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.In the answer to question no. 158204 we stated that if a person makes a mistake in reciting a soorah, or forgets something of it, whilst he is praying, then he should try to correct the mistake and remember what he forgot. If he is not able to do that, then he may skip that verse and move on to the next one, or he may stop reciting that soorah and start reciting a different one. 
But if he adds to the Qur’an something that is not part of it deliberately – whether that is during the prayer or otherwise, then this is emphatically forbidden and the scholars have stated that whoever omits a letter of the Qur’an or substitutes a different letter or adds a letter has committed an act of kufr. 
Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
The Muslims are unanimously that the Qur’an which is recited in all corners of the earth, and is written in the Mushaf between the two covers by the hands of the Muslims, from the beginning of Soorat al-Faatihah to the end of Soorat an-Naas is indeed the word of Allah and His Revelation that He sent down to His Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him); that everything in it is truth; and that anyone who deliberately omits a letter of it, or substitutes one letter for another, or adds to it a letter that is not included in the Mushaf on which there is consensus, and there is consensus that it is not part of the Qur’an, has committed an act of kufr.
End quote from ash-Shifa, 2/304-305; see also at-Taqreer wa’t-Tahbeer by Ibn Ameer al-Haaj, 2/215 
It says in al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 35/214: The Qur’an is the word of Allah, the miracle that was sent down to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and was transmitted by means of tawaatur (i.e., it was narrated from so many people by so many people that it is inconceivable that they could all have agreed upon a lie). It is haram to deliberately make mistakes in it, whether that changes the meaning or not, because its words and phrases are tawqeefi (i.e., to be accepted and recited as they were revealed, and they cannot be altered) and it was transmitted to us by means of tawaatur. It is not permissible to change any word of it by altering the vowels or changing the letters, replacing one letter with another. End quote. 
Based on that, it is not permissible for a student to write a word or a letter that he knows is not part of the Qur’an or that does not belong in this verse; rather he should either try hard to remember, or he should leave the parts that he has forgotten blank. He can also apologize for that by explaining that he forgot where this word goes and that he did not want to write something of which he was not certain in this case. 
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
Firstly: 

You should bear in mind these
two important matters, which are from the bounty of Allah that He has
bestowed upon His slaves. 

The first is that Allah, may He
be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “And We have indeed
made the Quran easy to understand and remember, then is there any that will
remember (or receive admonition)?” [al-Qamar 54:17]. 

The second is that the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The one who is skilled in
reciting Qur’an will be with the noble, honourable scribes and the one who
recites Qur’an and falters therein, and finds it difficult, will have a
double reward.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4937)
and Muslim (798). 

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy
on him) said: 

The one who falters is the one
who stumbles in his recitation because of his poor memorisation. He will
have a double reward: the reward for reciting and the reward for faltering
in his recitation and the difficulty he encounters. End quote. 

If we learn that the Qur’an is
easy to remember and understand, and we learn that the one for whom any of
that is difficult to learn, memorize or understand will have a double reward
– once this is established, it will be appropriate for the wise person to
strive his utmost to achieve that and to show patience in seeking to attain
this sublime goal. How often has Allah made it easy for non-Arabs who do not
speak Arabic well to memorize His Book in its entirety. To achieve this
great virtue it is worth spending a great deal of time and competing with
others. 

Secondly: 

One of the things that help one
to memorize the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, is listening to it often
on recordings. If it is easy for you to memorize it in this way, then you
will become one of those who have memorized the Book of Allah, attained that
goal and earned the reward and status of the hafiz, by Allah’s leave. The
individual’s precision in recitation, memorization and acting upon the Holy
Book and its rulings and teachings will determine his reward and his status
before Allah, if he is sincere in his intention and seeks reward with Him. 

However it is better to combine
two things in that regard: striving to recite it and to memorize whatever
you are able to whilst looking at the Mushaf, so as to attain the virtue of
reading it yourself and the virtue of looking in the Mushaf. Then by
listening to a recording of the Qur’an you will be able to do two things:
correct your recitation and make sure that you have got it right before
memorizing it, and then continue revising it and reminding yourself of what
you have memorized after that. 

Undoubtedly the one who listens
to the recitation by his shaykh or teacher directly will learn the Book of
Allah more precisely than the one who listens to it from a recording. The
Muslim cannot memorize properly unless he learns directly from a shaykh and
attends his classes whenever he can. 

But for the one who does not
have access to a shaykh but does have access to a recording, there is
nothing wrong with him listening to it and memorizing in that manner. 

For more information, please see
the answers to questions no. 112763 and
147816 

Thirdly: 

Competing and hastening to
reward is something that is open to everyone. The one who cannot compete in
memorizing and reciting Qur’an can compete in prayer, fasting, giving
charity, remembering Allah, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is
evil, doing good deeds, upholding ties of kinship, honouring parents or
other innumerable types of righteous deeds. 

All of the proven, prescribed
adhkaar bring a great reward, but there are some that bring a greater
reward. In the case of the Qur’an – which is the best dhikr – reciting
Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad (i.e., Soorat al-Ikhlaas 112) is equivalent to one
third of the Qur’an. Soorat al-Faatihah is the best soorah and Ayat al-Kursiy
(al-Baqarah 2:255) is the best verse. Whoever recites the last two verses of
Soorat al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice him. Memorizing these passages
and others is something that everyone can do, and in reciting them and
repeating them there is a great deal of reward. 

Other adhkaar include the
following: 

·That which was narrated by Muslim (2729) from Juwayriyah, who
said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
left her house one morning when he prayed Fajr, and she was in her
prayer-place, then he came back after the forenoon had come, and she was
still sitting there. He said: “Are you still as you were when I left you?”
She said: Yes. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
“After I left you I said four words three times, which if they were weighed
against what you have said today, they would outweigh it: ‘Subhan
Allah wa bi hamdih, ‘adada khalqihi, wa rida nafsihi, wazinata ‘arshihi, wa
midaada kalimatihi (Glory
and praise be to Allah, as much as the number of His creation, as much as
pleases Him, as much as the weight of His Throne and as much as the ink of
His words).”

·“Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi Subhaan Allaah il-‘Azeem
(Glory and praise be to Allaah, glory be to Allaah the Almighty).” al-Bukhaari
(6682) and Muslim (2694) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Two words that are
light on the tongue and heavy in the balance and beloved to the Most
Merciful: Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi Subhaan Allaah il-‘Azeem
(Glory and praise be to Allaah, glory be to Allaah the Almighty).”

·The best of prayers for forgiveness (sayyid al-istighfaar):
al-Bukhaari (6306) narrated from Shaddaad ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The
best of prayers for forgiveness is to say: “The best prayer for seeking
forgiveness is to say: ‘Allaahumma anta rabbi la ilaaha illa anta,
Khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduka wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’dika ma astata’t.
A’oodhu bika min sharri ma sana’tu, aboo’u laka bi ni’matika ‘alayya wa
aboo’u laka bi dhanbi, faghfir li fa innahu laa yaghfiru’l-dhunoob illaa
anta (O Allah, You are my Lord. None has the right to be worshipped but
You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant
and my promise (to You) as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all
the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have
bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to
forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You).’ Whoever says this
during the day, having faith in it and dies before the evening comes, will
be among the people of
Paradise, and whoever says it during the night, having faith in it, and dies
before the morning comes, will be among the people of Paradise.” 

Other kinds of dhikr, in
general, are the adkhaar to be recited in the morning or the evening, those
that are to be recited following the obligatory prayers and those that are
to be recited before going to sleep, for the one who regularly recites them
will have a great reward. 

Please see also the answer to
question no 174947

Fourthly: 

It is prescribed for the Muslims
to vary the adhkaar and all acts of worship. So sometimes he may read Qur’an,
sometimes he may remember Allah (dhikr), sometimes he may pray, sometimes he
may study books of knowledge, and sometimes he may relax by doing various
kinds of permissible leisure activities. He should not limit himself to one
specific type of worship, never doing anything else, because by doing that
he will miss out on the reward and virtue of the other types of worship that
he ignores, in addition to the fact that there is the fear that he may get
tired and bored.

 Please see also the answer to
question no. 195274

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.In Arabic linguistics, this action is called iqtibaas (lit. borrowing); this means referring to a verse or hadeeth when speaking, without attributing it to its source, whether one alters a word sometimes or quotes it as it is. The basic principle concerning this is that any such quotations or references should be within a proper context and implying an appropriate meaning. 
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
No one has the right to use the wording of the Qur’an for any purpose other than that for which Allah revealed it. This is how the scholars interpreted the hadeeth, “The Book of Allah should not be quoted” i.e., the Qur’an should not be referred to inappropriately.
An example of that is if one says to someone who has come to discuss a need, “Then you came here according to the fixed term which I ordained (for you), O Moosa” (cf. Ta-Ha 20:40); or if a person says when arguing: “When will this promise be fulfilled?”(cf. Yaa-Seen 36:48),or “Allah bears witness that they are certainly liars” (cf. at-Tawbah 9:107). 
Furthermore, if the person says that by way of belittling the Qur’an or making fun of it, this is tantamount to kufr (disbelief). 
However, if he recites the verse to support a ruling for which this verse was revealed, or in the context of discussing some ruling, this is acceptable. That includes what the fuqaha’ concluded of rulings on the basis of analogy, and what shaykhs and preachers quote to support to what they say. 
End quote from Mukhtasar al-Fataawa al-Misriyyah, 172 
As-Suyooti wrote an essay on this topic entitled Raf‘ al-Baas wa Kashf al-Iltibaas fi Darab al-Mathal min al-Qur’an wa’l-Iqtibaas, in the book al-Haawi li’l-Fataawa (1/305): on our website we have discussed this manner of speaking in detail; please see the following fatwas (in Arabic): 119673, 103923, 127745 and 150303.
From these fatwas we may conclude that it is haraam to refer to texts in the scenarios mentioned above; that is based on the following points: 
-1-
it seems, from the phrases quoted above, that they were referred to for the purpose of mocking and making fun of others; in this case the Holy Qur’an was used as a tool for mockery in one of the most abhorrent ways of dealing with this holy Book which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, sent down as a book of light and guidance, the words of which showed the way for mankind to follow, in the light of its teachings, and formed the foundation for much historical, linguistic, geographical and scientific research, as well as cultural and moral theories. If we bear all of that and more in mind, there will be no hesitation in regarding as abhorrent the words of one who says “But the Brothers bore it” instead of “But man bore it” (cf. al-Ahzaab 33:72), making fun of a group of Muslims. Is there anything more disrespectful towards the words and meanings of the Qur’an than this?
 -2-
we are very upset by much of what we have seen from some irresponsible media such as newspapers, magazines, satellite channels and so on, who take advantage of recent painful events in the Muslim world and use the Holy Qur’an in this manner, referring to its verses to address religious people and to mock some political Islamic groups and their predicament in some countries. It is as if the Holy Qur’an is not a Book for all Muslims, rather it is a book for some of them only. And it is as if the one who refers to it in this manner is trying to tell people, “We can come up with something like this Qur’an which you recite and venerate, in order to point out your faults!” For example, he may write “And those who were of the Brotherhood will be driven to Hell in groups” (cf. “And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups” [az-Zumar 39:51]); this poor man does not realise that the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, is of a sublime status and is not to be touched by any but those who are purified; those who are not purified with regard to religious commitment and manners are only exposing the darkness that resides in their hearts and the foolishness of their minds. They lose in worldly terms, let alone in terms of the Hereafter, by using this kind of mocking language, telling lies about Allah, distorting the meaning of His Book and, in fact, blatantly distorting the wording thereof. 
-3-
here we will quote the views of some scholars who forbade this kind of referring to the text if it is done in the context of mockery and disrespect. 
As-Suyooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
One kind of reprehensible referral to texts is quoting a verse in the context of a joke – we seek refuge with Allah from that – such as saying (in verse):
“She conveyed a message to her lovers with her eyes, ‘Far, very far is that which you are promised’ [cf. al-Mu’minoon 23:36];
Seek physical intimacy with her – ‘For the like of this let all strive, who wish to strive’ [cf. as-Saaffaat 37:61].” 
End quote from al-Itqaan fi ‘Uloom al-Qur’an, 1/387; as-Suyooti quoted this categorization (of ways of quoting or referring to Qur’an, into those which are acceptable and those which are not) from one of the scholars, and approved of this categorization. 
Then he (as-Suyooti – may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
I do not know of any difference of opinion among the scholars that this is permissible to refer to the Qur’an, provided that the context is not one of approving of promiscuity, immorality, mockery on the part of evildoers, drinking alcohol, promoting homosexuality, and so on.
End quote from Tanweer al-Hawaalik Sharh Muwatta’ Maalik, 1/312
Ibn ‘Aqeel al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
Referencing the Qur’an in the context of improper speech is not permissible. 
End quote from Ibn Muflih in al-Adaab ash-Shar‘iyyah, 2/289. 
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about some examples of referring to Qur’anic texts, such as when someone said, “Today we have seen Noon and what they know (noonwa ma ya ‘lamoon)”
(this is a rhyme which tries to sound like what is mentioned at the beginning of Soorat al-Qalam). 
He replied: 
As for the one who said that by way of mockery, this is a very serious matter; it may even be said that he has gone beyond the pale of Islam, because it is not permissible under any circumstances to quote the Qur’an by way of mockery, and the same applies to Islamic rulings. Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“The hypocrites fear lest a Soorah (chapter of the Quran) should be revealed about them, showing them what is in their hearts. Say: ‘(Go ahead and) mock! But certainly Allah will bring to light all that you fear.’
If you ask them (about this), they declare: ‘We were only talking idly and joking.’ Say: ‘Was it at Allah, and His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (SAW) that you were mocking?
‘Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you because they were Mujrimoon (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, criminals, etc.)’”
[at-Tawbah 9:64-66]. 
Hence the scholars (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Whoever utters a word of disbelief, even if that is jokingly, has become a disbeliever; he must repent and believe that he is repenting from apostasy, and he has to renew his Islam. The verses of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and the words of His Messenger are too great to be taken as a joke. 
However, in the case of one who quotes a verse in relation to some incident that occurs, there is nothing wrong with that. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) quoted verses in relation to incidents that occurred. He quoted the verse (interpretation of the meaning), “Your wealth and your children are only a trial” [at-Taghaabun 64:15], when [his grandsons] al-Hasan and al-Husayn came stumbling; he came down from the minbar and said: (interpretation of the meaning), “Your wealth and your children are only a trial” [at-Taghaabun 64:15]. So there is nothing wrong with quoting verses in relation to some incidents that occur. But to quote verses inappropriately, in ways that are not in accordance with that which was intended by Allah, especially if that is in the context of joking and mocking – this is a very serious matter.
End quote from Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh, 60/13 
Anyone wishing to know more may refer to the book al-Iqtibaas: Anwaa‘uhu wa Ahkaamuhu, by Dr. ‘Abd al-Muhsin ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez al-‘Askar. 
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
Firstly: 

The hadeeth referred to in the question is as follows: 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
“There is not a single Prophet who was not given signs so
that the people would believed in him because of them. What I have been
given is a Revelation that Allah has revealed to me, and I hope that I will
be the one with the most followers on the Day of Resurrection.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1044) and Muslim (152). 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: There
are several possible interpretations of the hadeeth: 

It was said that what is meant is that the miracles of the
Prophets have come to an end with the end of their time, and no one
witnessed them except those who were present, but the miracle of the Qur’an
is ongoing and will continue until the Day of Resurrection. It is
extraordinary in its style and eloquence, and in what it foretold of future
events of the unseen, so that no era passed except something appeared that
the Qur’an said would come to pass, which proves the truthfulness of its
claim. This is the strongest of the interpretations of the hadeeth. 

It was also said that what is meant is that the miracles of
the past were visible and could be seen with the eyes, such as the she-camel
of Saalih and the staff of Moosa, whereas the miracle of the Qur’an may be
comprehended with the intellect, so the number of those who followed the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) because of it
were more numerous, since that which can be seen with the eyes comes to an
end when the looking ends, whereas that which may be comprehended with the
intellect will continue to be understood by those who come after the first
generations. 

Fath al-Baari, 9/70 

Secondly: 

The answer to the question, How can the Qur’an be a miracle
for the unlettered non-Arabs who formed the majority of inhabitants of the
world at that time? is as follows:

it is known that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) was sent among the Arabs, who were distinguished by their great
eloquence and beautiful style in speech, so Allah, may He be exalted, made
the miracle or sign of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) of the same nature of that by which his people were distinguished, so
that the miracle and challenge would be more effective, just as the sign of
Moosa (peace be upon him) was his staff or stick, with which he overcame the
deceit of the sorcerers, and the sign of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) was the
healing of those who had been born blind and of the lepers, because
knowledge of medicine was widespread at his time. 

With regard to the non-Arabs, in the past and at present, and
how the Qur’an may be a miracle for them, and whether they were included in
its challenge, this may be explained from several angles: 

-1-

Not all Arabs have great knowledge of the Arabic language and
its style and eloquence, just as not all non-Arabs are ignorant of the
Arabic language. Hence it is known that the miracle and the challenge is
addressed to all those who know Arabic, whether they learned it from birth,
like the Arabs, or they learned it later on, like the non-Arabs. Thus it is
clear that the case of the non-Arabs is like that of Arabs who have no
knowledge of their language. 

Abu ‘Abdullah al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

If it is said: “With regard to reviving the dead, turning the
staff into a snake and other, similar miracles, they are very clear and no
one who observes that will have any doubt about it. It will be clear to all
rational people and no doubt will remain; rather they will all reach a
definitive conclusion after seeing that. But this is not the case with
regard to your Prophet’s claim of the miraculous nature of the Qur’an,
because not everyone will be able to understand its miraculous nature;
rather it is only you (Arabs) who can see that, and this applies only to
those Arabs who have a good command of the language, as you claim. As for
those who do not have a good command of the language, or non-Arabs who do
not understand Arabic, they will not understand its miraculous nature. If a
non-Arab is asked to speak a word of Arabic, he will not be able to do so,
so the fact that he is not able to do that, does not prove that what you are
challenging him with is true. Similarly, if an Arab who does not have a good
command of Arabic is asked to speak proper Arabic, he will not be able to do
so; therefore for him the Qur’an is not miraculous.” 

The answer to that is: 

We will explain, insha Allah, some aspects of its miraculous
nature, of which there are many, some of which can be understood by ordinary
people, town dwellers and desert dwellers alike, and these aspects are as
clear as turning the staff into a snake and raising the dead. If we assume,
for the sake of argument, that it is only miraculous with regard to its
eloquence and style, which is different to the style of the speech of
ordinary people, then we say that the miraculous nature of the Qur’an,
raising the dead and turning the staff into a snake are not going to be
understood equally or at the same time by rational people. Rather the one
who appreciates the miraculous nature of any miracle is the one who knows
how and why that thing is a miracle, as he knows that it is something that
cannot be achieved by human tricks and cannot be reached by discovering some
material with special characteristics. 

It may not be far-fetched to say that a specious argument may
be developed in the mind of one who is ignorant of medicine or magic, which
prevents him from seeing the miracle; therefore he may say: Perhaps Moosa
had some extra knowledge of magic that the sorcerers did not know and had
never learned, and by the same token, perhaps ‘Eesa had found some stones
with special qualities or some other material with special qualities by
means of which he was able to achieve what he achieved. Such a specious
argument can only develop in the mind of one who is ignorant of medicine and
magic. As for the one who has any knowledge of medicine or magic, no such
confusion will arise in his mind, because he realises, on the basis of his
knowledge and experience, that the miracle performed by a prophet is
something that cannot be achieved by means of professional tricks or finding
some materials with special characteristics; rather it is a miracle that
happens by the will of the Creator of the universe, by means of which He
intended to give proof of the authenticity of the one who called people to
Him. Thus we conclude that understanding of the miraculous nature of raising
the dead and turning the staff into a snake was first reached by the
sorcerers and magicians, and it may not have been understood by many of the
fools who were ignorant of medicine and magic. The same may be said of the
miraculous nature of the Qur’an, without any differences: understanding of
it came to those who had knowledge of the Arabic language and would see,
based on their knowledge of Arabic, the difference between the Qur’an and
regular Arabic speech. Thus they would conclude that it was not within the
ability of the Arabs to say things in the same style. If the eloquent Arabs
and those who were well versed in Arabic were unable to match it, then
others are more unlikely to be able to do so. As we say, if the doctors are
unable to raise the dead and heal those who were born blind and lepers,
people other than doctors are more unlikely to be able to do so; and if the
sorcerers were unable to turn a stick into a snake, then people other than
sorcerers are more unlikely to be able to do so. 

The statement that matching the Qur’an is something that the
Arabs are not able to do, and non-Arabs are not involved in this challenge,
is similar to saying that only doctors are unable to raise the dead, and
people other than doctors are not involved in this challenge, or saying that
only sorcerers are unable to turn a stick into a snake, and people other
than sorcerers are not involved in this challenge. As the challenge in the
other two cases (raising the dead and turning the stick into a snake) is
expected to be undertaken by those who have the relevant skills, the same
applies in the case of the Qur’an. Rather, in the case of the Qur’anic
miracle, it has aspects that we will discuss which everyone can understand,
whether he is a non-Arab or an Arab, a Magian or a Jew or Christian. We will
discuss it below, in sha Allah. 

So we may conclude from what we have said that Muhammad
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) brought the Qur’an, challenged
people with it and it is a miracle, and anyone who brings a miracle and
challenges others with it is truthful. Therefore the certain conclusion is
that Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is true. 

Al-I‘laam bima fi Deen an-Nasaarah min al-Fasaad
wa’l-Awhaam wa Izhaar Mahaasin al-Islam, p. 326 

-2-

Some of the scholars said that the miracle in the Book of
Allah, may He be exalted, is not only in the wording, but also the meanings,
the sequence of meanings and the way in which ideas are presented. So the
miracle and challenge for the Arabs has to do with the style, and for others
it has to do with the fact that no one among the speakers of any other
language is able to come up with something similar to the Qur’an in any
other language. 

Al-Jassaas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The words of Allah, may He be exalted, (interpretation of the
meaning): “Say: ‘If mankind and
the jinns were together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not
produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another’”
[al-Isra’ 17:88] prove the miraculous nature of
the Qur’an. Some people say that its miracle is in the wording and style on
the one hand, and in the meanings and the sequence in which ideas are
presented, on the other hand. They quote as evidence for that the fact that
in this verse the Qur’an challenges both the Arabs and the non-Arabs, the
jinn and humans. It is well-known that the non-Arabs could not be challenged
on the aspect of the wording and style, therefore the challenge for them
should have to do with the meanings and the sequence in which ideas are
presented. 

Some of the scholars insist that its miraculous nature is
limited to its style and eloquence of expression. They say: The miraculous
nature of the Qur’an has many aspects: its beautiful style, its eloquent and
concise wording, the way in which it combines many meanings in few words, in
addition to the fact that it is completely free of any words that sound
ineloquent or any ideas or meanings that are out of place, as well as being
free of any contradictions. All of it, from beginning to end, is consistent,
as described above. The words of people, on the other hand, especially if
they speak at length, cannot be free of cheap words, corrupt meanings and
contradictions. What we have mentioned of the flaws in people’s speech are
present in the speech of people of all languages; it does not apply only to
those who speak Arabic. Thus it is possible that the challenge of the Qur’an
may be applicable to the non-Arabs in that way: challenging them to bring
something that is free of the faults and flaws referred to above, because
saying things in an eloquent manner is not something that is limited only to
Arabic, to the exclusion of other languages, even though the Arabic language
is the most eloquent. We know that the Qur’an is the pinnacle of eloquence,
so it is possible that the challenge to the non-Arabs is by way of
challenging them to produce words at the highest level of eloquence in their
own languages. 

Ahkaam al-Qur’an, 5/34, 35 

-3-

There are many aspects to the miraculous nature of the Book
of Allah; it is not limited to style and eloquence only. Hence some of the
scholars said that the miraculous nature of the Book of Allah which all
people, not only the Arabs, may understand, and that Allah’s challenge to
produce something like it, is only applicable to these aspects. Hence Allah
issued this challenge to the jinn as well as to mankind, to produce
something like this Qur’an. One of these aspects is that it foretold events
that would happen and foretold the time at which they would happen, for
example. 

Abu ‘Abdullah al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

… The third aspect of the miraculous nature of the Qur’an is
what it includes of news of the future before any human even knew anything
about it, and foretelling events before they happened. This is something
that cannot be known except via the truthful ones who are conveying from
Allah, may He be exalted. We will refer to some events just to prove this
point in brief, with no need for a lengthy discussion. 

For example, Allah, may He be exalted, said (interpretation
of the meaning):

“Certainly, you
shall enter Al-Masjid al-Haram; if Allah wills, secure, (some) having your
heads shaved, and (some) having your hair cut short, having no fear”

[Al-Fath 48:27]. 

This verse is one of the clearest miracles of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Allah, may He be exalted,
promised him that He would cause him to enter al-Masjid al-Haraam, him and
his people, in safety, and that He would grant them the conquest of Makkah
in the best state. They kept waiting for that until its time came and Allah
fulfilled His promise. Then they entered it as He had promised, and
conquered it as they had been foretold. 

Al-I‘laam bima fi Deen an-Nasaarah min al-Fasaad
wa’l-Awhaam wa Izhaar Mahaasin al-Islam, p. 337 

There are other opinions too, but what we have quoted above
is sufficient, and it is the strongest view concerning this matter. 

To sum up: the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) was an Arab and the Qur’an is Arabic. He was sent to eloquent,
well-spoken Arabs, hence his greatest miracle was the Book of Allah, may He
be exalted. They were unable to match its wording, phrases, style and
eloquence. Thus the rational people among the eloquent and well-spoken
realised that this was not the words of a human being, hence they believed. 

As for those Arabs who were not eloquent or well spoken, and
the non-Arabs, what is to be mentioned to them is the meanings and rulings
of the Qur’an, and those aspects of its miraculous nature that they are able
to understand. Thus they may develop conviction based on the knowledge and
understanding that this is not the words of a human being. Hence many of the
non-Arabs became Muslim because of coming across the meaning of a verse. In
such cases, this non-Arab could not understand its eloquence and style, but
its meaning is the reason why he became Muslim. Many such stories have been
passed down by numerous narrators, and in our own time there are many more.
Those people only became Muslim after they learned what there is in these
verses that no human being could have produced, and that at the time of the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) there was no technology
and no scientific discoveries that could enable him to tell people about
these matters. Thus they accepted that this was revelation from heaven, so
they became Muslim. Hence we can see the extent to which the hadeeth the
questioner referred to is applicable to real facts. 

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
Firstly: 

There is no kind of bid‘ah (innovation) in the program
mentioned, in sha Allah, because this is a new educational means in which
there is nothing contrary to Islam, that helps one learn how to read Qur’an
correctly and helps one to memorise it and understand its meanings. 

This is like using computers, modern recording devices,
videos and so on to record and broadcast lectures and the like. Such things
do not come under the heading of bid‘ah. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Bid‘ah means worshipping Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, in ways
other than what He has prescribed. Based on that, innovation does not
include anything other than acts of worship. Rather, newly developed or
introduced worldly matters may be examined to see whether they are halaal or
haraam, but it cannot be said that they are bid‘ah. … Based on that, what
people have introduced nowadays of things that are used to help in matters
of worship cannot be said to be bid‘ah even if they did not exist (at the
time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)). That
includes loudspeakers. Loudspeakers did not exist at the time of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him); rather they were introduced
recently, but they serve a religious purpose, as they convey to the people
the prayer, recitation and khutbah of the imam. The same applies to
organising lectures, as they achieve good and serve the interests of the
people, so they are good. Therefore buying loudspeakers for the mosque for
this purpose is something that is prescribed, for which a person will be
rewarded.

End quote from Noor ‘ala ad-Darb, 2/426 

Please see also the answer to question no.
3175 and
95430

Secondly: 

In the answer to question no.
88728 and
112763 we have stated that
listening attentively to recitation of the Qur’an outside of prayer, whether
it is recitation from a reciter or via a recorder, is not obligatory,
although it is mustahabb and prescribed. 

There is nothing wrong with repeating after the reciter in
order to perfect one’s recitation or to review when memorising. Using this
electronic pen to help you to memorise, perfect your recitation, correct
mistakes and learn about the commentary on the verses is something
praiseworthy; there is nothing wrong with it in sha Allah. 

Thirdly:

With regard to reward, listening to recitation from a machine
is not like listening directly to the reciter, as we have explained
previously in the answer to question no.
112763 

Similarly, listening is not like reciting; rather reciting it
is better than listening. However, varying between prescribed acts of
worship is a good thing and is something required, and it is better than not
doing some of them all of the time. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: 

A person will be rewarded for his good intention and for
listening to recitation of the Qur’an, commentaries thereon and Prophetic
hadeeths, whether that is from the lips of a reciter or from a recorded
voice on the radio or otherwise, although the basic principle with regard to
listening to the recitation of the Qur’an, that was narrated from the early
generations, is that it should be listening to the voice of the reciter
himself, without any intermediary. And if a person recites Qur’an himself,
pondering the meaning and with humble focus of mind, that is better and
greater in reward. 

End quote from Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem,
13/81 

Reciting whilst listening to tajweed of the Qur’an and
correcting mistakes is better than mere recitation in which the reciter
makes mistakes, because correct recitation with tajweed is better than
recitation without tajweed and that in which there are mistakes. 

That applies to the one who does not know how to recite
properly with tajweed. 

But if you do not know how to recite Qur’an well, then
reciting Qur’an with tajweed, following a reciter who recites with tajweed
by means of the electronic pen, is better than simply reading Qur’an and
making some mistakes and not reciting with tajweed. But for one who knows
how to recite well with tajweed, it is better for him to stick to reciting
from the Mushaf or reciting from memory, if he has memorised it, because
this is the basic principle – to recite Qur’an without combining it with
listening – because this is how it was done by the early generations, the
imams, and the people after them. And because that helps the reciter to
achieve proper focus and ponder the meanings. But sometimes it is prescribed
for him to focus on listening to recitation from someone else, especially if
that person recites well and it will be of greater benefit to him.  

However, there is no limit to the bounty of Allah and the
blessings He bestows upon His slaves. But the recitation of one who is
skilled in recitation is better than the recitation of someone else. If a
person strives hard to learn properly and memorise, although that is
difficult for him, Allah that will reward him for that and will make up for
his shortcomings, as al-Bukhaari (4937) and Muslim (798) narrated that
‘Aa’ishah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: “The one who is skilled in reciting Qur’aan will be with the
noble, honourable scribes and the one who recites Qur’aan and falters
therein, and finds it difficult, will have a double reward.” 

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The one who is skilled is the one who has memorised it
precisely, and he does not falter or find it difficult to recite because he
has memorised it properly. As for the one who falters therein, he is the one
who falters in his recitation because he does not have a good memory. He
will have a double reward: a reward for reciting and a reward for faltering
in his recitation and the difficulty he encounters. Al-Qaadi and other
scholars said: It does not mean that the one who falters there in will have
a greater reward than the one who recites with skill; rather the one who
recites skilfully will have a better and greater reward, because he will be
with the noble, honourable scribes and he will have many rewards, and this
status is not mentioned for anyone else, so how can the one who did not make
the effort to learn the Book of Allah properly and memorise it, perfect his
knowledge of it and recite it be like one who made that effort until he
became proficient in it. End quote. 

To sum up: 

As you do not recite well with tajweed and you sometimes make
mistakes in recitation, and this pen helps you to correct your mistakes and
recite well, whilst also learning the meaning, then your following this
program is something good and is Islamically prescribed; there is no bid‘ah
in it, in sha Allah. 

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Tankees or altering the order of verses when reciting is haram, whether that is during prayer or otherwise. 
It says in Asna’l-Mataalib (1/63): It is haram to switch the order of verses when reciting, because that undermines the miraculous nature of the text and it ignores the wisdom behind the order in which the verses appear. End quote. 
It says in Haashiyat ad-Dasooqi (1/242): Switching the order of soorahs is makrooh, and switching the order of consecutive verses in one rak‘ah is haram and invalidates the prayer, because it distorts it. End quote. 
It says in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa‘ (1/343): It is makrooh to switch the order of soorahs, such as reciting al-Inshiraah (94), then reciting ad-Duha (93) after it, whether that is in one or two rak‘ahs, because of the report narrated from Ibn Mas‘ood, according to which he was asked about someone who recited Quran in the wrong order. He said: His heart is disordered. Abu ‘Ubayd explained that as referring to when a person recites one soorah, then after it he recites another that comes before it in the order (of soorahs in the Mushaf). This was mentioned by Ibn Nasrullah in ash-Sharh as being similar to the case with verses, that is, a similar ruling of it being makrooh applies in the case of switching the order of the verses. It says in al-Furoo‘ that there is consensus on this point. Ibn Nasrullah said: If it was said that it is haram to switch the order of verses, that would be a valid opinion. The evidence for it being only makrooh is not clear, and using as evidence the way the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) learned it is subject to further discussion, because that was due to need, as the Quran was revealed according to events. Shaykh [Ibn Taymiyah] said: Following the order of verses is obligatory, because the order in which they appear is based on clear instructions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), according to scholarly consensus. End quote. 
But if the switching of the order occurs when memorising, not when reciting or asking someone to listen so as to check one’s memorisation, there is nothing wrong with that. So one may begin by memorising the fifth verse, for example, then the fourth, then when one wants to recite them, one recites the fourth verse and then the fifth, without switching the order. Then when he has memorised the third, and he wants to recite what he had memorised, he should recite them in the proper order without switching it. So he should recite the third, then the fourth, then the fifth. There is nothing wrong with this; some teachers do it this way and think that it is the best way of memorising. 
To sum up: It is not permissible to recite two consecutive verses in the wrong order, and it is not permissible to switch the order of words in one verse. 
For more information please see the answer to question no. 7198  
And Allah knows best.