Advice to women who have memorized the Book of Allaah

Praise be to Allaah by Whose Grace all good things may be achieved and by Whose
Blessing and Mercy a group of sisters and good women have been able to memorize His
Book We see in them the fulfilment of Allaah!s promise to make the "ur!aan easy to
memorize and remember# as Allaah# may He be e$alted# says %interpretation of the
meaning&'
!And We have indeed made the "ur!aan easy to understand and remember# then is there
any that will remember %or receive admonition&!!(al)"amar *+',,-
. sister who has memorized the "ur!aan# congratulations/ Allaah has used you to
preserve His Book on earth 0ou are one of those through whom Allaah has kept the
promise He made when He said %interpretation of the meaning&'
!1erily We' it is We Who have sent down the 2hikr %ie# the "ur!aan& and surely# We
will guard it! (al)Hi3r 4*'5-
. sister who has memorized the "ur!aan# do not underestimate the worth of what you
have done What is in your heart is knowledge Allaah says %interpretation of the
meaning&'
!6ay# but they# the clear aayaat# are preserved in the breasts of those who have been
given knowledge!!
(al)Ankaboot ,5'+5-
7n your heart is a Book which cannot be washed away with water 7t was said in the
sacred 8criptures concerning this ummah that !their gospel is in their hearts!
. %female& bearer of the "ur!aan# you are indeed envied by people
9his envy is the kind of envy that is permissible 9he Prophet %peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him& said'
!0ou should not envy anybody e$cept for two' a man to whom Allaah has given the "ur!
aan# so he recites it night and day# so that another man says# !7f 7 were given what he has
been given 7 would so the same as he does!: and a man to whom Allaah has given wealth#
so he spends it appropriately# and another man says# !7f 7 were given what he has been
given 7 would so the same as he does!! %;eported by al)Bukhaari# <5=+&
9he permissible kind of envy is al)ghibtah# which means wishing for what another person
has# without wishing for him to lose that blessing
. sister who has memorized the "ur!aan# . citron)blossom of this world
9he Messenger of Allaah %peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him& said' !9he
believer who reads the "ur!aan is like the citron# whose fragrance is good and whose
taste is good! %;eported by al)Bukhaari# no *>>=: Muslim# 4?,@ Muslim entitled the
chapter in which this report is found# Baab Aadeelat Haafiz al)"ur!aan ! the virtue of the
one who memorizes the "ur!aan&
9he phrase !its fragrance is good and its taste is good! attributes the Buality of taste to
eemaan %faith& and the Buality of fragrance to recitation of the "ur!aan %because taste is
more tangible and longer lasting than fragrance& 9he wisdom behind using the citron as a
metaphor rather than any other fruit that also has both a good taste and a good fragrance
is because the peel of the citron is used as medicine and the oil that is e$tracted from its
seeds has a number of benefits 7t was said that the 3inn do not approach a house in which
there are citrons# which is an appropriate analogy to the "ur!aan# which the shayaateen
%devils& do not approach 9he outside of its seeds is white# which is an appropriate
analogy for the heart of the believer# and it has other Bualities' it is big# it looks nice# it
may be of different colours# it is soft to the touch# it is delicious to eat# it has a pleasant
flavour# it aids digestion and it is good for the stomach
. sister who has memorized the "ur!aan# do you know the status you have reached!
0our mother !Aaishah reported that the Prophet %peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him& said' !9he one who reads the "ur!aan when he has already learned it by heart is
with the righteous# noble travellers %safarah&! %al)Bukhaari# +**<&
9he !travellers! are the angels# because they travel to Prophets with messages from
Allaah .r it was said that the safarah are the scribes who write down deeds 9he
righteous are the obedient who obey Allaah# and the proficient is the one who reads well
and has memorized perfectly# who does not hesitate when reading or find reading
difficult# because he has memorized it well and reads it proficiently Al)"aadi said'
saying that he is with the angels could mean that in the Hereafter he will have a position
close to that of the travelling or recording angels# because he shares their attribute of
carrying the Book of Allaah .r it could mean that he does what they do and follows the
same path as them
9he proficient reader is of a higher status and will receive a greater reward# because he is
with the travelling or recording angels# and it was not reported anywhere that this reward
and high status will be given to anybody else How can one who does not pay attention to
the Book of Allaah# memorizing it# reciting it properly and often# and conveying it to
others# catch up with one who does pay attention to it until he becomes proficient! And
Allaah knows best
!Abd)Allaah ibn !Amr reported that the Prophet %peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him& said' !7t will be said to the companions of the "ur!aan# !;ead and increase in status#
recite as you used to recite in the world# for your status will be at the last aayah you
recite!! %;eported by al)9irmidhi# ,@?@ He said# this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth&
!7t will be said! refers to the time when the person enters Paradise !9he companion of
the "ur!aan! means the one who persistently recited it and acted in accordance with it !
7ncrease in status! means ascend through the levels of Paradise !;ecite! means read with
tarteel %slowly and precisely&# and do not rush in reading !As you used to recite in the
world! means with proper pronunciation %ta3weed& of the letters and pausing where one
should pause !0our status will be at the last aayah you recite! ! al)Chattaabi said' it was
reported that the number of aayaat of the "ur!aan will be like the number of levels in
Paradise in the Hereafter# and it will be said to the reader# Go up as many levels as the
aayaat of the "ur!aan that you recited 8o whoever recited the entire "ur!aan will reach
the highest level in Paradise in the Hereafter# and whoever recited a part of it will reach a
level commensurate with what he read 9he e$tent of the reward will depend on the
amount of "ur!aan read
. sister who has memorized the "ur!aan# congratulations/ 0ou have filled your heart
with the words of Allaah and have responded to His invitation
!Abd)Allaah ibn Mas!ood %may Allaah be pleased with him& said' !9his "ur!aan is a
banBuet from Allaah# so take as much of it as you can 7 know of nothing more devoid of
goodness than a house in which there is nothing of the Book of Allaah 9he heart in
which there is nothing of the Book of Allaah is as desolate as a house in which nobody
lives! %;eported by al)2aarimi# ?4=?&
. %female& bearer of the "ur!aan# blessings and congratulations be upon you/ 7f you are
sincere now# you will be saved from the punishment of Hell
Abu Dmaamah used to say' !;ead the "ur!aan and do not be content merely to have
these Masaahif %copies of the "ur!aan& hanging up Allaah will not punish a heart that
has memorized and understood the "ur!aan! %;eported by al)2aarimi# ?4@*&
. %female& bearer of the "ur!aan# congratulations/ Aor the Book of Allaah will intercede
for you and will be your adornment on the 2ay of ;esurrection# and if you remain
steadfast it will be greater than the adornment you wear now
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet %peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him&
said' !9he "ur!aan will come on the 2ay of ;esurrection and will say# !. Eord/ Adorn
him!# so he will be given a crown of honour to wear 9hen it will say# !. Eord/ 7ncrease
it!# so he will be given a garment of honour# then it will say# !. Eord/ Be pleased with
him#! so Allaah will be pleased with him 9hen it will be said to him# !;ead and increase
in status#! and for every aayah his reward will increase! %;eported by al)9irmidhi# ,@?5
He said# 9his is a saheeh hasan hadeeth&
. mother of the woman who has memorized the "ur!aan# congratulations to you for your
daughter/
Buraydah %may Allaah be pleased with him& said' !7 was sitting with the Prophet %peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him& and 7 heard him say' !Eearn 8oorat al)BaBarah# for
learning it is a blessing and neglecting it is regret# and the magicians cannot contend with
it! 9hen he kept Buiet for a while# then he said# !Eearn 8oorat al)BaBarah and Aal !
7mran# for they are the zahraawaan which will shade the one who learns them on the 2ay
of ;esurrection# as if they are two clouds# or two rows of birds spreading their wings 9he
"ur!aan will meet its companion on the 2ay of ;esurrection when his grave is opened
for him# looking like a pale man# and it will say to him# !2o you know who 7 am!! He
will say# 7 do not know you! 7t will say to him# !2o you know who 7 am!! He will say# 7
do not know you! 7t will say# F7 am your companion the "ur!aan# who made you thirsty
on hot days and kept you awake at night Gvery merchant will benefit from his trade# and
today you will benefit too! He will be given power in his right hand and immortality in
his left# and on his head will be placed a crown of dignity His parents will be given two
garments the like of which could never be made by the people of this world and they will
say# !How did we earn these!! 7t will be said# !Because your child learned the "ur!aan!
9hen it will be said to him# !;ead and go up through the levels and rooms of Paradise He
will keep on ascending as long as he reads or recites!! %;eported by 7maam Ahmad#
,4@5,: classed as hasan by 7bn Catheer: see also al)8ilsilat al)8aheehah by al)Albaani#
,@,5&
. sister who has memorized the "ur!aan# staying at the top is harder than getting there
Abu Moosa reported that the Prophet %peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him& said' !
Ceep checking your knowledge of the "ur!aan# for by the .ne in Whose hand is my
soul# it is more easily lost than a camel that is hobbled! %;eported by al)Bukhaari# +<+*&
9he phrase translated as !keep checking your knowledge! means reviewing the "ur!aan
regularly and reading it constantly# making oneself review it and not falling short! 7t is in
the nature of camels to try as much as possible to break loose# so if one does not take care
to keep them tied# they will run away 8imilarly the one who has memorized "ur!aan
will lose it if he does not take care of it# and this tendency is worse than the tendency of
camels to break free 7bn Battaal said' this hadeeth is in accordance with the two aayaat
%interpretation of the meanings&' !1erily# We shall send down to you a weighty Word!
(al)Muzzammil =+'*- and !And We have indeed made the "ur!aan easy to understand
and remember!! (al)"amar *+',,-
8o whoever focuses on the "ur!aan and tries to memorize and review it# it will be made
easy for him# but whoever neglects the "ur!aan# will lose whatever he has learned of it!
%Aath al)Baari&
7bn !Dmar said' !9he Messenger of Allaah %peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him&
said' !9he "ur!aan is like a camel that is hobbled 7f its owner %or companion& takes care
of it he will keep it with him# but if he slackens# it will run away from him!! %;eported
by al)Bukhaari# +<+?&
. sister who has memorized the "ur!an# do not give up this high status after attaining it
7bn Ha3ar %may Allaah have mercy on him& said in al)Aath' !9he salaf differed
concerning the issue of forgetting the "ur!aan 8ome of them said that this is a ma3or sin
Al)2ahhaak ibn Muzaahim said' !9here is no one who learns the "ur!aan and then
forgets it# but it is because of a sin that he committed# because Allaah says %interpretation
of the meaning&' !And whatever of misfortune befalls you# it is because of what your
hands have earned!! (al)8hoora +,'?>-# and forgetting the "ur!aan is one of the greatest
misfortunes that can happen!!!
7t was reported that Abu !Aaliyah said' !We used to think that one of the greatest sins
was for a man to learn the "ur!aan then neglect it until he forgets it! 7ts isnaad is 3aayid
7t was reported via 7bn 8eereen with a saheeh isnaad that they used to dislike the one who
forgot the "ur!aan and speak against him in the strongest terms! 6eglecting to recite
"ur!aan results in forgetting the "ur!aan# and forgetting it indicates that one does not
take care of it and that one is neglecting it! 6eglecting the "ur!aan leads to one returning
to ignorance and returning to ignorance after gaining knowledge is a terrible thing indeed
7shaaB ibn ;aahawayh said' !7t is disliked %makrooh& for a man to go more than forty
days without reading the "ur!aan!
. sister who has memorized the "ur!aan# study it much and live according to it
Al)2hahabi said in al)8iyar' !Abu !Abd)Allaah ibn Bishr said' 7 have never seen anyone
who was better at recalling whatever he wanted of the aayaat of the "ur!aan than Abu
8ahl ibn Hiyaad He was our neighbour and he would always pray and read "ur!aan at
night Because he studied the "ur!aan so much# it is as if it was before his eyes!
. sister who has memorized the "ur!aan# so long as you have learned it by heart# let it
protect all your faculties from committing sin
Al)"urtubi %may Allaah have mercy on him& said in his 9afseer' !9he bearer of the "ur!
aan and seeker of knowledge must fear Allaah with regard to himself and be sincere
towards Allaah in his deeds 7f he does anything that is disliked# he must hasten to repent
and return to Allaah Eet him start to be sincere in his pursuit of knowledge and in his
deeds# for the reserve and caution reBuired of the bearer of the "ur!aan is greater than
that which is reBuired of others# 3ust as he will have a reward that is greater than that of
others!
. %female& bearer of the "ur!aan# do not let the fact that you have memorized the "ur!
aan tempt you to forget about your actions
7t was reported by 8hu!bah from "utaadah that !the believer who reads the "ur!aan and
acts in accordance with it will be with the righteous honourable travellers! 9his addition
e$plains the meaning# and the analogy applies to the one who reads the "ur!aan and does
not go against its commands and prohibitions# not the one who merely recites it!
. %female& bearer of the "ur!aan# appreciate the value of what is in your heart and give it
its due As you have been elevated to this high status by memorizing the "ur!aan# you
have duties and responsibilities commensurate with this status Memorizing the "ur!aan
is not a trophy to be hung up or a certificate to be decorated# nor is it a prize to be given
out 7t is a trust which must be fulfilled
9he bearer of the "ur!aan should have the best of attributes and characteristics
Al)Audayl ibn !Ayyaad said' !9he bearer of the "ur!aan is the bearer of the banner of
7slam He should not pass time in idle pursuits with those who pass their time in this way#
he should not be negligent with those who are negligent# and he should not indulge in
foolish talk with those who talk foolishness# out of respect for the rights of the "ur!aan!
He should be strong at heart# steadfast in his adherence to the truth When the Muslims
fought the liar Musaylimah and their standard)bearer Hayd ibn al)Chattaab %may Allaah
be pleased with him& was killed# 8aalim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah came forward
to carry the flag 9he Muslims said# !. 8aalim# we are scared lest we are defeated
because of you! He said# !What a bad bearer of the "ur!aan 7 would be if you were to be
defeated because of me! When his right hand was cut off# he carried the banner in his
left When his left hand was cut off# he held the banner in his arms# saying# !Muhammad
is no more than a Messenger! (Aal !7mraan ?'4++ ! interpretation of the meaning- and !
And many a Prophet fought %in Allaah!s Iause& and along with him %fought& large bands
of religious learned men!! (Aal !7mraan ?'4+< ! interpretation of the meaning- When he
was killed# it was said to his companions# !What happened to Abu Hudhayfah!! 7t was
said# !He was killed! %Al)Jihaad by 7bn al)Mubaarak&
. %female& bearer of the "ur!aan# beware of looking down on those who have not
memorized the "ur!aan# for maybe the one who does little but has a valid e$cuse will
succeed %attain Paradise&# whilst the one who memorized the "ur!aan but became proud
will be a loser
!Abd)Allaah ibn !Amr said' !A man came to the Messenger of Allaah %peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him& and said' !9each me what to recite# . Messenger of
Allaah! He told him# !;ecite three of the soorahs that start with Alif# Eaam# ;a!! 9he
man said# F7 am old# my heart is tired and my tongue is heavy! He said# !9hen recite from
the soorah that starts with Ha!)Meem! 9he man said the same as he said before He said#
!;ecite three of the soorahs that start with the word sabbih %glorify&! 9he man said the
same as he said before 9hen the man said# !But teach me# . Messenger of Allaah# a
comprehensive soorah! 8o he taught him to recite 7dha zulzilat al)ard %8oorah al)
Halzalah# K55& When he had finished# the man said# !By the .ne Who sent you with the
truth# 7 shall never do more than that#! then he went away 9he Messenger of Allaah
%peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him& said# !9he man has succeeded# the man has
succeeded!! %;eported by Abu 2awood# 4454 9he men of its isnaad are thiBaat and !
Gesa ibn Hilaal al)8adafi was classed as thiBah by 7bn Hibbaan Al)Haafiz said in al)
9aBreeb' sudooB Al)Bukhaari and Abu Haatim said' his hadeeth is not saheeh# so
perhaps because of this al)Albaani reported this hadeeth in 2a!eef 8unan Abi 2awood#
?>>&
. %female& bearer of the "ur!aan# do not e$pect praise and appreciation from people 9ry
not to let their praise and adulation influence you# and always be sincere towards Allaah
0es# they should respect the bearer of the "ur!aan# because she has the words of Allaah
in her heart# and it is a part of glorifying Allaah to respect the bearer of the "ur!aan# who
neither goes to e$tremes nor neglects the "ur!aan 7bn !Abd al)Barr %may Allaah have
mercy on him& said' !9he bearers of the "ur!aan are surrounded by the mercy of Allaah#
honoured with the words of Allaah and clothed with the Eight of Allaah Whoever
supports them supports Allaah# and whoever is aggressive towards them disrespects the
rights of Allaah# may He be e$alted 9he author of al)Aawaakih al)2awaani Buoted the
words of the scholars' !Backbiting about a scholar or a bearer of the "ur!aan is more
serious than backbiting about anyone else!! At the same time# the bearer of the "ur!aan
should not feel too proud about his memorization of the Book# for his lack of sincerity
may mean that he is no longer counted as one of them
2u!aa
. Allaah# .riginator of the heavens and the earth# .wner of Ma3esty and Honour and
Glory that never fade away# we ask 0ou# . Allaah# . Most Merciful# by 0our Glory and
the Eight of 0our Iountenance# to guide these women who have memorized the "ur!aan
and to make their hearts always remember 0our Book# as 0ou have taught them Help
them to recite it in a manner that will earn them 0our pleasure . Allaah# .riginator of
the heavens and the earth# .wner of Ma3esty and Honour and Glory that never fade away#
we ask 0ou# . Allaah# . Most Merciful# by 0our Glory and the Eight of 0our
Iountenance# we ask 0ou to light their way with the light of 0our Book# to make their
tongues recite its words# to purify their hearts and e$pand their hearts with it# to help
them ease their distress and the distress of all the Muslims# male and female# through it
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad