He Has Deprived Himself of Benefiting from the Qur’an

فَـوَّت على نفسه الانتفاع بالقرآن

He Has Deprived Himself of Benefiting from the Qur’an

Translated by: Reza Ervani bin Asmanu

This article, “He Has Deprived Himself of Benefiting from the Qur’an,” is included in the Islamic Questions and Answers Category

السؤال

Question:

ما حكم من قرأ القرآن وهو غير متنبه له، بمعنى أنه يقرأ صفحة أو اثنتين وهو على فهم لما يقرأ، وإذا زادت مدة القراءة بدأ العقل يسرح كثيرا فهل هذا عليه ذنب؟ وشكرا لكم.

What is the ruling on someone who recites the Qur’an without paying full attention to it? For example, he may read one or two pages while understanding what he is reading, but as the recitation continues, his mind begins to wander frequently. Is he sinful for this? Thank you.

الإجابــة

Answer:

الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، وعلى آله وصحبه، أما بعد:

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his Companions. To proceed:

فينبغي لقارئ القرآن أن يجتهد ما استطاع في تفهم القرآن وتدبره عند قراءته. قال النووي -رحمه الله- في التبيان:

The reciter of the Qur’an should strive as much as possible to understand the Qur’an and reflect upon it while reciting. Imam an-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in at-Tibyan:

فإذا شرع في القراءة فليكن شأنه الخشوع والتدبر عند القراءة، والدلائل عليه أكثر من أن تحصر وأشهر وأظهر من أن تذكر، فهو المقصود المطلوب، وبه تنشرح الصدور وتستنير القلوب.

“When a person begins reciting, his state should be one of humility and reflection during the recitation. The evidences for this are too numerous to be counted and too well known and evident to require mention. This is the intended and sought-after purpose, through which hearts are opened and illuminated.”

قال الله عز وجل:

Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

أَفَلا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ [النساء: ٨٢]،

“Do they not then reflect upon the Qur’an?” (Surah an-Nisa’, verse 82),

وقال تعالى:

and He Most High also says:

كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ [ص:٢٩]

“This is a blessed Book which We have revealed to you so that they may reflect upon its verses.” (Surah Sad, verse 29).

والأحاديث فيه كثيرة وأقاويل السلف فيه مشهورة، وقد بات جماعة من السلف يتلون آية واحدة يتدبرونها ويرددونها إلى الصباح، وقد صعق جماعة من السلف عند القراءة، ومات جماعة حال القراءة… إلى آخر كلامه رحمه الله.

The hadiths concerning this are many, and the statements of the Salaf on this matter are well known. Some of them would spend the entire night reciting a single verse, reflecting upon it and repeating it until morning. Some among the Salaf even fainted while reciting, and some died while in a state of recitation… This is part of the statement of Imam an-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him.

فعلى الأخ السائل أن يجاهد نفسه ما استطاع على تدبر القرآن وفهم معانيه، ومما يعينه على ذلك قراءة بعض التفاسير المختصرة المفيدة، كتفسير ابن كثير وتفسير العلامة عبد الرحمن السعدي رحم الله الجميع.

The questioner should therefore strive as much as possible to reflect upon the Qur’an and understand its meanings. Among the things that may help with this is reading concise and beneficial works of tafsir, such as Tafsir Ibn Kathir and the tafsir of Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahman as-Sa’di, may Allah have mercy on them all.

ومن قرأ القرآن غير متدبر له فليس بآثم، ولكنه يفوت على نفسه الانتفاع بالقرآن، وإن حصل على أجر القراءة، فالقراءة عمل صالح مقصود.

Whoever recites the Qur’an without reflecting upon it is not sinful, but he deprives himself of fully benefiting from the Qur’an. Nevertheless, he still receives the reward of recitation, because reciting the Qur’an is itself an intended righteous deed.

والخلاصة أن من قرأ القرآن بغير تدبر لا يؤمر بترك القراءة، ولكن يؤمر بمجاهدة النفس والأخذ بأسباب التدبر كمعرفة معاني الكلمات والقراءة بعيدًا عن الشواغل، ونحو ذلك، حتى يتسنى له الانتفاع بما يقرأ.

In conclusion, someone who recites the Qur’an without tadabbur is not instructed to stop reciting. Rather, he should strive against distraction and adopt the means that help him reflect, such as learning the meanings of the words and reciting away from distractions, so that he may truly benefit from what he reads.

والله أعلم.

And Allah knows best.

Source: IslamWeb