Virtues of the Quran
Praise be to Allah, the One who has sent His Messengers as bearers of glad tidings and warners so that there will be no argument for the people against Allah after the Messengers (Surat Alnisa' Aya 165), praise be to Allah, the One who has sealed His Messengers with the illiterate Arab Messenger, Muhammad (PBUH), the guide to the clearest paths, whom Allah has sent to all creation, both humankind and Jinn, from the time of His mission until the day of resurrection, so whoever receives this Quran, whether Arab or Non-Arab, black or white, human or Jinn, it is a warning to him {Blessed is the One who has sent down the Criterion upon His servant, so that He may be a warner to the worlds, Surat Alfurqan, Aya 1}, and Allah says {Say O people! Indeed, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all, the One to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, there is no God but He, He gives life and causes death, so Believe in Allah and His Messenger, the illiterate Prophet who believes in Allah and His words, and Follow Him so that you may be guided, Surat Ala'raf, Aya 158}.
Allah has favored His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with the most exalted positions, and He has bestowed upon Him the best portion of His blessings, and granted Him the greatest share of Prophethood and the most numerous companions and followers. And Allah has sent Him with the perfect call and universal message, which was not given to any Prophet before Him, as Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Jabir bin Abdullah: "I have been given five things which were not given to anyone else before Me, Allah made Me victorious by awe (By His frightening My enemies) for a distance of one month's journey, the earth has been made for Me a place for praying, and a thing to perform Tayammum, therefore, anyone of My followers can pray wherever the time of the prayer is due, the booty has been made lawful for Me yet it was not lawful for anyone else before Me, I have been given the right of intercession (on the day of resurrection), and every Prophet used to be sent to His nation only, but I have been sent to all mankind" (Sahih Albukhari 335).
Furthermore, among the most significant favors with which Allah has favored the Ummah of Muhammad (PBUH), and by which He has honored them above all other nations is His revelation, which He has made a clear indication of the truth of the prophethood of His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH), and a clear sign and compelling argument of the honor that He has bestowed upon Him, distinguishing Him from every liar and fabricator, separating His Ummah from every denier and atheist, and differentiating them from every disbeliever and polytheist, so the Holy Quran is the greatest miracle that Allah has given His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH), and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "There is no Prophet among the Prophets who was not given signs similar to that which human beings believed in it, but what I was given is a revelation that Allah revealed to Me, so I hope that I will have the most followers on the day of resurrection" (Sahih Muslim 152).
This means that every Prophet was given miracles that people believed in, and that miracles served as proof of His truthfulness in what He brought them, and which led people to follow Him, but when the Prophet died, no miracles remained for them except what his followers narrated about what they witnessed in their time, but as for the final Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (PBUH), Allah granted Him miracles, but most of what Allah has given Him was a Divine revelation, and it is transmitted to people through continuous narration, so it remains exactly as it was revealed.
So the greatest miracle that Allah has bestowed upon His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) was the eternal, enduring, and preserved Book, as Allah says in Aya (9) of Surat Alhijr {Indeed, it is We who sent down the reminder and indeed, We will be its Guardian}, so the Holy Quran is under Allah's protection, and the miraculous nature of the Quran is clearly visible, and it is ever-renewing as long as day and night alternate. So Allah has sent His Messenger (PBUH) with His clear Book that distinguishes between doubt and certainty, which the eloquent were unable to oppose, and the intelligent were unable to contradict, so they could not produce anything like it, even if they were to support one another, and Allah has challenged both Jinn and humankind to produce the like of the Quran in Aya (88) of Surat Alisraa, or to produce ten Surahs like it in Aya (13) of Surat Hud, or even to produce one Surah in Aya (23) of Surat Albaqarah and in Aya (38) of Surat Yunus. So Allah has informed the polytheists of Quraish that they were incapable of producing anything comparable to the Holy Quran, and that they would not be able to do so in the future, although they were the most eloquent and the most knowledgeable in rhetoric, poetry, and speech, thereupon, the Holy Quran is free of falsehood and slander, and none can distort it, add anything to it, or subtract anything of it.
Allah has made the parables of the Quran lessons for those who ponder them, and its commands guidance for those who understand them, and Allah has made clear its rulings and obligations, distinguished between the permissible and the forbidden, repeated admonitions and stories for comprehension, related past and future unseen matters, and put just and sound judgments, and Allah has not neglected anything in the Book, as He has stated in Aya (38) of Surat Alan'am, so whoever learns the Book of Allah must abide by its prohibitions, remember what has been explained to him in it, fear Allah and fear His punishment, and be ashamed of Allah in all his actions and words so that he does not do anything that displeases Him. The argument against one who knows the Holy Quran but neglects it is stronger than against one who falls short of it and is ignorant of it. And whoever is given knowledge of the Quran but does not benefit from it, and is admonished by its prohibitions but does not desist, and commits vile sins and shameful acts, then the Quran will be an argument against him, and as narrated by Malik Al-Ash'ari that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Purification is half of faith, Alhamdu-lellah: praise be to Allah, fills the scale, and Subhana Allah wa Alhamdu-lellah: Glory to be Allah and praise be to Allah, fill up what is between the heavens and the earth, and prayer is a light, and charity is proof (of one's faith), and patience is a brightness, and the Holy Quran is a proof on your behalf or against you, all people go out early in the morning and sell themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves" (Sahih Muslim 223).
Allah's Messenger (PBUH) repeatedly enjoined adherence to the Book of Allah, where as narrated by Zaid bin Arqam: "One day, Allah's Messenger (PBUH) stood up to deliver sermon at a water place known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina. He praised Allah and extolled Him and delivered a sermon and exhorted us and said To proceed, O people! I am a human being and I am about to receive a Messenger from My Lord i.e. Angel of death, and I in response to Allah's call, but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so Hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it, He exhorted us to the Book of Allah and then said the second are the members of My household, I remind you of Allah concerning My family, I remind you of Allah concerning My family, I remind you of Allah concerning My family. Husain (Sub-narrator) said to Zaid Who are the members of His household, Aren't His wives are the members of His family?, thereupon, he said His wives are the members of His family, but the members of His family are those for whom acceptance of Zakah is forbidden, and he said Who are they?, he said Ali and the offspring of Ali, Aqil and the offspring of Aqil, and the offspring of Ja'far, and the offspring of Abbas, he said these are for whom the acceptance of Zakah is forbidden, Zaid said yes" (Sahih Muslim 2408). And Allah's Messenger (PBUH) addressed the people during Hajjat-Alwada' (Farewell Pilgrimage), and among His saying was: "Indeed, I have left among you that which, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah" (Sahih Muslim 1218).
The Sunnah came to explain and clarify the Holy Quran, for it contains an explanation of the general contents of the Holy Quran, such as its explanation of the five daily prayers, their timings, prostrations, bowing, and all their rulings, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Sulaiman and Malik bin Huwairith: "And Offer your prayer in the way you saw Me offering My prayer" (Sahih Albukhari 6008), and its explanation of the amount of Zakah, its timing, and what types of wealth it is taken from, and its explanation of the rituals of Hajj, where as narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah: "I saw Allah's Messenger (PBUH) flinging pebbles while riding His camel on the day of Nahr (Tenth of Dhul-Hijja), and He was saying Learn your rituals, for I do not know whether I will perform Hajj after this Hajj of Mine" (Sahih Muslim 1297).
So no one can claim to be satisfied with the Quran without the Sunnah, for it is obligatory to venerate the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), to know its virtues, to adhere to it, and not to deny it, as Allah says in Ayat (3,4) of Surat Alnajm {And He does not speak out of desire, it is not but revelation, revealed}, and says in Aya (7) of Surat Alhashr {And whatever the Messenger gives you, then Take it, and whatever He forbids you, then Refrain from it}. Thereupon, everything that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) forbade or prohibited in His Sunnah is in the same ruling as what Allah has forbade in His Book, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) warned against neglecting and violating His Sunnah, where as narrated by Ubaidullah bin Rafi' from Abu Rafi' and others that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Let Me not find one of you reclining on his couch when a command I ordered or a prohibition from Me comes to him, and he says I Do not know, what we find in the Book of Allah, we follow it" (Jami' Altirmidhi 2663).
The revelation of the Quran
Allah has sent down the Holy Quran all at once from Al-lawh Almahfouz to the lowest heaven in the month of Ramadan, on the night of Alqadr as Allah says in Aya (185) of Surat Albaqarah {The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed}, and in Aya (1) of Surat Alqadr {Indeed, We have sent it down on the night of Alqadr}. Allah has separated the Holy Quran, so that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) may recite it to the people over a prolonged period as Allah has sent it down little by little according to events and incidents as mentioned in Aya (106) of Surat Alisraa {And a Quran which We have separated, so that You may recite it to the people over a prolonged period, and We have sent it down progressively}. The first revelation of the Quran was {Read in the Name of Your Lord who created, Surat Alalaq, Aya 1}, which Gabriel, the Angel, brought down to the Prophet Muhammad in the Cave of Hiraa, revelation then paused for a period, said to be nearly two years or more, before it continued, and the first revelation after that period was {O You, who covers Himself, Stand up and Warn, Surat Almuddaththir Ayat 1,2}, and the revelation never paused again, and it was most frequent without interruption shortly before the death of the Prophet (PBUH), where as narrated by Anas bin Malik: "Allah sent down His Divine revelation to His Messenger continuously and abundantly during the period preceding His death till He took Him unto Him, that was the period of the greatest part of revelation, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) died after that" (Sahih Albukhari 4982). And as narrated by Jundub: "Once the Prophet (PBUH) felt ill, and did not offer the night prayer (Tahajjud prayer) for a night or more, a woman came to Him and said O Muhammad! I do not see but that Your Satan has left You, then Allah revealed {By the forenoon, and by the night when it becomes darkness, Your Lord has neither forsaken You nor has He detested You, Surat Aldduha Ayat 1-3} (Sahih Albukhari 4983).
The scholars have differed in determining the period during which the Quran was revealed, but the most well-known opinion is that it was revealed over a period of twenty-three years: thirteen years in Mecca, and ten years in Medina, for the revelation was sent down to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) when He was forty years, and He died when He was sixty-three years old according to the most reliable account. Therefore, the Holy Quran is divided into Meccan and Medinan Surahs, the Meccan Surahs are those revealed before Hijrah (Migration from Mecca to Medina) and the Medinan Surahs are those revealed after the Hijrah, whether in Medina or elsewhere, regardless the location even if it was in Mecca or Arafat.
The Angel of revelation
The Holy Quran was sent down to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) through Gabriel, peace be upon Him, who is a Noble Angel of high position and majesty, as Allah says in Ayat (192-194) of Surat Alshu'araa {And indeed, it is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds, the Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down, upon Your heart that You may be of the warners}, and in Ayat (19-21) of Surat Altakwir {Indeed, it is surely a word of a Noble Messenger, Possessor of power, has a glorious position with the Lord of the Throne, Obeyed, then Trustworthy}, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) saw Gabriel in his true form twice, the first time in the Horizon as Allah says {And He surely saw Him in the clear horizon, Surat Altakwir, Aya 23}, and the second time At Sidrat Almuntaha {And indeed, He saw Him another time, at Sidrat Almuntaha, Surat Alnajm, Ayat 13,14}.
Gabriel, peace be upon Him, used to come to Allah's Messenger with revelation in different forms, and He used to come to Allah's Messenger in the form of a man, and he resembled in the form in which he came Dihya bin Khalifa Al-Kalbi, may Allah be pleased with him, and he was a handsome person amongst the companions of Allah's Messenger, and he was from the tribe of Usama bin Zaid bin Harithah Alkalbi, where as narrated by Abu Uthman: "I got the news that Gabriel came to the Prophet (PBUH) while Um Salama was present, Gabriel started talking and then left. The Prophet (PBUH) said to Um Salama Who is this?, or similar question, she said he was Dihya, later on, Um Salama said By Allah! I thought he was none but Dihya till I heard the Prophet (PBUH) talking about Gabriel in His sermon, the sub-narrator asked Uthman From where have you heard this narration?, he replied from Usama bin Zaid" (Sahih Albukhari 3634).
Gabriel used to study with Allah's Messenger (PBUH) all that had been revealed to Him of the Quran, as He used to meet Allah's Messenger every night in Ramadan to study the Holy Quran carefully together (Sahih Albukhari 3220), and Gabriel used to do that once every year, but He did it twice in the year of the death of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), where as narrated by Aisha: "All the wives of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) gathered (during His last illness), and no woman was absent therefrom that Fatima, who walked after the style of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), came there, He welcomed her saying You are welcome, My daughter, He then made her sit on His right side or on His left side, then He said something secretly to her and Fatima wept, then He said to her something secretly and she laughed. I said to her What makes you weep?, she said I am not going to divulge the secret of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), I said I have not seen happiness being more close to grief as I see today, I said to her Allah's Messenger (PBUH) singled you out for saying something leaving us aside, then you weep!, and I asked what He said, and she said I am not going to divulge the secrets of Allah's Messenger (PBUH). And when He (PBUH) died, I again asked her and she said that He told her that Gabriel used to recite the Quran to Him once a year and he recited it to Him twice this year, and so I perceived that My death had drawn near, and that I would be the first amongst the members of his family who would meet Him (in the Hereafter), and I am a befitting forerunner for you, so I wept for that, He again talked to me secretly Aren't you pleased that you should be the sovereign amongst the believing women or the head of women of this Ummah?, and this made me laugh" (Sahih Muslim 450 c).
The compilation of the Quran
The Holy Quran was complied in two phases, and the first of the companions of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) to order its compilation was Abu Bakr on the advice of Umar bin Al-Khattab, May Allah be pleased with both of them, and the one who carried out its compilation was Zaid bin Thabit Alansari, May Allah be pleased with him, where as narrated by Zaid bin Tabit Alansari, who was one of those who used to write the Divine Revelation: "Abu Bakr sent for me after the casualties among the warriors of the Battle of Yamamah, and Umar was present with him, Abu Bakr said Umar has come to me and said the people have suffered heavy casualties on the day of Yamamah, and I am afraid that there will be more casualties among the Qurra', those who know the Quran by heart, at other battlefields, whereby a large part of Quran may be lost unless you collect it, and I am of the opinion that you should collect the Quran, Abu Bakr added I said to Umar How can I do something which Allah's Messenger has not done?, Umar said By Allah! It is a good thing, so Umar kept on pressing, trying to persuade me to accept his proposal, till Allah opened my breast for it, and I had the same opinion as Umar. Zaid bin Thabit added, Umar was sitting with him and was not speaking, then Abu Bakr said to me you are a wise young man and we do not suspect you, and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Messenger, therefore, Look for the Quran and Collect it, By Allah! If he ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been harder for me than what he had ordered me concerning the collection of the Quran. I said to both of them How dare you do a thing which the Prophet had not done?, Abu Bakr said By Allah! It is a good thing, so I kept on arguing with him about it till Allah opened my breast for that which He had opened the breasts of Abu Bakr and Umar. So I started locating Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leaf-stalks of date palms, and from the memories of men, I found with Khuzaima Alansari two verses of Surat Altawbah which I had not found with anyone else "There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves, Grievous to Him is what you suffered, Keen on you" till the end of both of them. The manuscript on which the Quran was collected remained with Abu Bakr till Allah took him unto Him, and then with Umar till Allah took him unto Him, and finally it remained with Hafsa, Umar's daughter" (Sahih Albukhari 4679).
Accordingly, the last two verses of Surat Altawbah were lost at the time of collecting the Holy Quran, and were found with Khuzaima Alansari, also, Aya (23) of Surat Alahzab was not found with anyone other than Khuzaima Alansari, where as narrated by Zaid Bin Thabit: "When we collected the fragmentary manuscripts of the Quran into copies, I missed one of the verses of Surat Alahzab which I used to hear Allah's Messenger reciting, finally I did not find it with anybody except Khuzaima Alansari whose witness was considered by Allah's Messenger equal to the witness of two men, and that verse was "Among the believers, there are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah" (Sahih Albukhari 4784).
As for the second compilation of the Holy Quran, it was ordered by Caliph Uthman on the advice of Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman, May Allah be pleased with both of them, and Uthman took the copy that was kept with Hafsa as shown above, and ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Al-Zubair, Sa'id bin Al-As, and Abdul-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham to write the manuscripts in perfect copies in the dialect of Quraish, so these four men began to write the copies, and when they disagreed on which dialect to use, they referred to Caliph Uthman. For example, they disagreed on whether to write Tabut (Ark) in the dialect of Quraish or Tabuh in the dialect of Sham (Levant), Zaid bin Thabit said it should be Tabuh, and the three Qurashi men said it should be Tabut, so they went to Uthman, who said Write it in the dialect of Quraish i.e. Tabut, for the Quran was revealed in their dialect.
And as narrated by Anas bin Malik: "Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to Uthman at the time when the people of Sham (Levant) and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Arminiya and Azerbaijan, Hudhaifa was afraid of their differences in the recitation of the Quran, so he said to Uthman O Chief of the believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Quran) as the Jews and the Christians did before, so Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying Send us the manuscripts of the Quran so that we may compile the Quranic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you. Hafsa sent it to Uthman, Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Al-Zubair, Sa'id bin Al-As, and Abdul-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham to write the manuscripts in perfect copies, Uthman said to the three Quraishi men in case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Quran, then Write it in the dialect of Quraish for the Quran was revealed in their tongue, they did so, and when they had written many copies, Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa. Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Quranic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies be burned" (Sahih Albukhari 4987).
The seven dialects of the Quran
The Holy Quran was revealed in the language of the Arab as Allah says in Aya (195) of Surat Alshu'araa {In a clear Arabic tongue}, and most of it was revealed specifically in the dialect of Quraish, therefore, the Caliph Uthman bin Affan, May Allah be pleased with him, ordered the four men who compiled the Quran in its current form to write it in the dialect of Quraish, where as narrated by Anas bin Malik: "The Caliph Uthman ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Sa'id bin Al-As, Abdullah bin Al-Zubair, and Abdul-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham to write the Quran in the form of Books (Mus-hafs), and he said to them in case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit regarding any dialectic Arabic utterance of the Quran, then Write it in the dialect of Quraish for the Quran was revealed in their dialect, so they did it" (Sahih Albukhari 4984).
Allah has revealed the Holy Quran in letters and recitations that correspond to several dialects, all of which are Arabic, in order to lighten, facilitate, and make things easier for Muslims, where as narrated by Ibn Abbas that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "Gabriel taught Me to recite in one style (of recitation), I replied to Him and kept asking Him to give more, till He reached seven styles, Ibn Shihab said it has reached me that these seven styles are essentially one, not differing about what is permitted and what is forbidden" (Sahih Muslim 819). And as narrated by Ubayy bin Ka'b: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was near the tank of Banu Ghifar and Gabriel came to Him and said Allah has commanded You that You should recite the Quran to Your people in one dialect, upon this, He said I seek pardon and forgiveness from Allah, My people would not be able to do so, He then came for the second time and said Allah has commanded You that You should recite the Quran to Your people in two dialects, upon this He (PBUH) again said I seek pardon and forgiveness from Allah, My people would not be able to do so. Gabriel came for the third time and said Allah has commanded You that You should recite the Quran to Your people in three dialects, upon this He (PBUH) said I seek pardon and forgiveness from Allah, My people would not be able to do so. He then came to Him for the fourth time and said Allah has commanded You that You should recite the Quran to Your people in seven dialects, and in which dialect they would recite, they would be right" (Sahih Muslim 821).
The seven dialects do not mean that a single word can be read in seven different ways, this is not the case, rather, this means that the Quran was revealed in seven distinct dialects from among the various Arab dialects, most of it was revealed in the dialect of Quraish, but some was revealed in the dialects of Hudhayl, Huwazin, Yemen, and so on with the rest of dialects, so one word might be in the dialect of one tribe, another in a different dialect, and yet another, and so on up to the seven, and as narrated by Umar bin Al-Khattab: "I heard Hisham bin Hakim reciting Surat Alfurqan during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) and I listen to his recitation and noticed that he recited in several different ways which Allah's Messenger (PBUH) had not taught me. I was about to jump over him during his prayer, I put his upper garment around his neck and seized him by it and said Who taught you this Surah which I heard you reciting?, he replied Allah's Messenger taught it to me, I said you have told a lie, for Allah's Messenger has taught it to me in a different way from yours, so I dragged him to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) and said I heard this person reciting Surat Alfurqan in a way which you have not taught me, on that, Allah's Messenger said Release him, Recite O Hisham, then he recited in the same way I heard him reciting, then Allah's Messenger said it was revealed in this way, and added Recite O Umar, I recited it as He had taught me, Allah's Messenger then said it was revealed in this way, this Quran has been revealed to be recited in seven different ways, so Recite of it whichever is easier for you" (Sahih Albukhari 4992).
And as narrated by Ubayy bin Ka'b: "I was in the mosque when a man entered and prayed and recited in a style to which I objected, then another man entered and recited in a style different from that of his companion. When we had finished the prayer, we all went to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) and said to Him this man recited in a style to which I objected, and the other entered and recited in a style different from that of his companion, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked them to recite, and so they recited and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) expressed approval of their affairs, and there occurred in my mind a sort of denial which did not occur even during the days of Aljahiliyah (Pre-Islamic era). When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saw how I was affected, He struck my chest, whereupon, I broke into sweating and felt as though I were looking at Allah with fear, He (PBUH) said to me O Ubayy! A message was sent to Me to recite the Quran in one dialect, and I replied Make it easy for My people, it was conveyed to Me for the second time that it should be recited in two dialects, I again replied to him Make it easy for My people, it was again conveyed to Me for the third time to recite in seven dialects. And I was told You have got a seeking for every reply that I sent you, which You should seek from Me, I said O Allah! Forgive My people, O Allah! Forgive My people, and I have deffered the third one for the day on which the entire creation will turn to Me, including even Abraham, peace be upon Him" (Sahih Muslim 820). And in another narration of Ubayy also, Allah's Messenger said to Ubbay: "Yes, Gabriel and Michael (the two Angels, peace be upon them), came to Me, and Gabriel sat on My right and Michael on My left, Gabriel, peace be upon Him, said Recite the Quran in one way of recitation, Michael said Teach Him more, Teach Him more, until there were seven modes of recitation, each of which is good and sound" (Sunan Alnasai 941).
The scholars differed in their interpretation of these seven dialects and what is meant by them, the majority of them said that they represent seven aspects of similar meaning expressed in different words, and it was said that this was a concession allowing people to recite the Holy Quran in seven dialects because many people found it difficult to recite the Quran in the dialect of Quraish. But it was Caliph Uthman bin Affan who united Muslims on one recitation when he saw that their differences in recitation would lead to the division of the Ummah and their accusing each other of disbelief, as shown above when discussing the compilation of the Quran, so he arranged the Quran according to the last recitation that Gabriel represented to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) in the last Ramadan of His life, and he insisted that they should not recite with anything other than it, and that they should not take advantage of the concession in which they had ease and facilitation, but which led to division and disagreement.
Some said that the Holy Quran was revealed in seven ways of recitation, and it is not meant that all of it is recited in seven ways, but some of it is in one way of recitation and some of it is in another way, and they said that the meaning of the statement of Caliph Uthman is that most of the Quran, not all the Quran, was revealed in the dialect of Quraish, therefore, Ibn Abbas said I did not know the meaning of {Fatiri alsamawati wa alard: the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Surat Fatir Aya 1} until I heard a Bedouin say about a well that he had begun to dig Ana fatartuha: I originate it. And the third group said that the seven dialects of the Quran are limited to Mudar, with its various tribes, and Quraish is from Mudar, therefore, Caliph Utham said that the Holy Quran was revealed in the dialect of Quraish.
The fourth group said that the seven dialects refer to the variation in recitation due to several things, including the omission of a letter, the omission of a dot from a letter, the substitution on one word for another while preserving the meaning, the rearrangement of some words, whether by placing some words before others or delaying them, or the addition of a clarifying word for the meaning. And the fifth group said that the seven dialects refer to the meaning of the Quran, namely command, prohibition, promise, threat, stories, argument, and parables, but this is a weak opinion because these meaning are not called dialects, and there is consensus that concession of the seven dialects did not alter any of the meaning of the Holy Quran.
Virtues of reciting the Quran
Muslims attained the blessing of the Holy Quran which Allah has honored above all other Books, making it the abrogator of what came before it and the sealer of all Heavenly Books, and the Holy Quran has an effect in the inner and outer self of the servant, and the believer who recites the Quran and acts upon it will have the greatest share of that effect, and among the virtues of the Quran is that the best of Muslims is he who learns the Quran by recitation and memorization, and learns it by interpretation and jurisprudence, so he becomes knowledgeable of its meanings and rulings, and he teaches people what he has taught of the Holy Quran while acting upon it, otherwise, the Quran will be an argument against him before Allah Almighty, where as narrated by Uthman bin Affan that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it" (Sahih Albukhari 5027).
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has permitted wishing for the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon His servants, without wishing for their removal from others, in only two cases, one of which is the Holy Quran, where as narrated by Abu Hurayrah that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "Do not to wish to be the like of except two persons: a man whom Allah has taught the Quran, and he recites it during the hours of the night and during the hours of the day, and his neighbor listens to him and says I wish I had been given what has been given to so-and-so that I might do what he does, and a man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it on what is just and right, whereupon, another man may say I wish I had been given what so-and-so has been given, for then I would do what he does" (Sahih Albukhari 5026).
Allah has urged the believers to recite the Holy Quran saying in Aya (29) of Surat Fatir {Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah, and establish the prayer and spend from what We have provided them, secretly and openly, hope a trade that will never perish}, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) has urged people to recite the Holy Quran and encouraged them to benefit from it inwardly and outwardly, where as narrated by Abu Umamah Albahili that he heard Allah's Messenger (PBUH) saying: "Recite the Quran, for on the day of resurrection, it will come as an intercessor for those who recite it, Recite the two bright ones, Albaqarah and Ali Imran, for on the day of resurrection, they will come as two clouds or two shades or two flocks of birds in rows, pleading for those who recite them. Recite Surat Albaqarah, for to take recourse to it is a blessing and to give it up is a cause of grief, and the magicians cannot confront it, Mu'awiyah said it has been conveyed to me that Batalah means magicians" (Sahih Muslim 804). And as narrated by Uqba bin Amir: "When we were in Suffah, the Messenger of Allah came out and said Which of you would like to go out every morning to Bout-han or Al-Aqiq and bring two large she-camels without being guilty of sin or without severing the ties of kinship?, we said Messenger of Allah! We would like to do it, upon this, He said Does not one of you go out in the morning to the mosque and teach or recite two verses from the Book of Allah, the Majestic and Glorious?, that is better for him than two she-camels, and three are better than three, and four are better than four, and to on their number of camels" (Sahih Muslim 803).
And Allah's Messenger (PBUH) gave an example in which He divided people and their relationship with the Quran into four categories saying in narration of Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari: "The example of a believer who recites the Quran is like that of a citron which is good in taste and good in smell, and the believer who does not recite the Quran is like a date which is good in taste but has no smell. And the example of the wicked who recites the Quran is like basil which smells good but tastes bitter, and the example of the wicked who does not recite the Quran is like the colocynth which tastes bitter and has no smell" (Sahih Albukhari 7560).
Among the virtues of reciting the Holy Quran is that the Angels descend and come near the one who recites it, where as narrated by Usaid bin Hudair: "While he was reciting Surat Albaqarah at night, and his horse was tied beside him, the horse was suddenly startled and troubled, when he stopped reciting, the horse became quiet, and when he started again, the horse was startled again, then he stopped reciting, and the horse became quiet too, he started reciting again and the horse was startled and troubled once again, then he stopped reciting, and his son Yahya was beside the horse, he was afraid that the horse might trample on him, when he took the boy away and looked towards the sky, he could not see it, the next morning, he informed the Prophet (PBUH) who said Recite O Ibn Hudair, Recite O Ibn Hudair!, Ibn Hudair replied O Allah's Messenger! My son, Yahya, was near the horse and I was afraid that it might trample on him, so I looked towards the sky and went to him, when I looked at the sky, I saw something like a cloud containing what looked like lamps, so I went out in order not to see it, the Prophet (PBUH) said Do you know what that was?, Ibn Hudair said no, the Prophet said those were Angels who came near to you for your voice and if you had kept on reciting till dawn, it (the cloud) would have remained there till morning when people would have seen it as it would not have disappeared" (Sahih Albukhari 5018).
And if a person sits reciting and studying the Holy Quran in a group, the Angels will surrounded them listening to their reciting as a way of honoring and respecting them and they will be witnesses for them before Allah Almighty, also Allah's mercy will encompass them and surround them from every side, and the tranquility will descend upon them, bestowing upon their hearts purity and clarity and removing from them darkness and distress so their hearts find peace in the remembrance of Allah and are content with it, and Allah will boast about them to those who are close to Him in the highest assembly of the Angels, where Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "No people gather in one of the Houses of Allah (Mosques), reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that the tranquility descends upon them, the mercy envelops them, the Angels surround them, and Allah mentions them to those who are close to Him" (Sahih Muslim 2699).
And among the virtues of reciting the Quran is that people's status in Paradise varies according to their varying degrees of recitation, practice, and contemplation of the Quran, where as narrated by Aisha that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "The one who is proficient in the Quran is associated with the noble, upright, and recording Angels, and he who recites the Quran and falters in it, and finds it difficult for him, will have two rewards" (Sahih Muslim 798). And as narrated by Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "It will be said to the one who was devoted to the Quran Recite, Ascend, and Recite carefully as you used to recite carefully in the world for you will reach your abode when you come to the last verse you recite" (Sunan Abi Dawood 1464).
The best recitation of the Holy Quran is that which is done during prayer, and the greatest reward is in the night prayer, as the reward will be according the extent of recitation and humility, so the more one recites, the greater the reward, where as narrated by Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "If anyone prays at night reciting regularly ten verses, he will not be recorded among the negligent, if anyone prays at night and recites a hundred verses, he will be recorded among those who are obedient to Allah, and if anyone prays at night reciting one thousand verses, he will be recorded among those who receive huge reward" (Sunan Abi Dawood 1398). This applies if the person is praying alone, but in the case of congregational prayer, the Imam should shorten the prayer in consideration of the worshippers condition, where as narrated by Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "When I start the prayer, I intend to prolong it, but on hearing the cries of a child, I cut short the prayer because I know that the cries of the child will incite his mother passions" (Sahih Albukhari 709), and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "If anyone of you leads the people in the prayer, he should shorten it for amongst them are the weak, the sick, and the old, and if anyone among you prays alone, he then may prolong as much as he wishes" (Sahih Albukhari 703).
The Muslim should continue to recite and review the Holy Quran so that it remains firmly established in his mind and heart, for the Holy Quran will slip away from the hearts of the servants if it is not constantly recited, reviewed, and remembered, and as narrated by Ibn Umar that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "The example of the person who knows the Quran by heart is like the owner of tied camels, if he keeps them tied, he will control them, but if he releases them, they will run away" (Sahih Albukhari 5031). And whoever neglects and turns away from reciting the Holy Quran, Allah will punish him by causing him to forget the Quran, where as narrated by Abdullah bin Mas'ud that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "What a wretched it is for someone amongst them to say I have forgotten such-and-such verse, rather he has been made to forget it, so Remember the Quran for it is more apt to escape from men's minds than a hobbled camels" (Sahih Muslim 790).
No one should recite the verses of the Quran except in order, and if he reverses it and recites the verses of a single Surah from back to front, he then has made a mistake, but it is permissible for him to recite some Surahs before others, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) prayed the night prayer and began with Surat Albaqarah then Surat Alnisa' then Surat Ali Imran, even though Surat Ali Imran comes before Surat Alnisa' in the Book of Allah, where as narrated by Hudhaifa: "I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) one night and He started reciting Albaqarah, I thought that He would bow at the end of one hundred verses, but He proceeded on, I then thought that He would perhaps bow on completing it, He then started Alnisa' and recited it, He then started Ali Imran and recited leisurely, and when He came to a verse containing Glorification, He glorified by saying Subhana Allah: Glory to be Allah. When He came to a verse containing supplication, He supplicated, and when He came to a verse containing seeking of refuge, He thought refuge, then He bowed and said Subhana Rabbiya Al-Azeem: Glory to be My Lord, the Most Graet, His bowing was about as long as His standing, then He raised His head and said Same-a Allahu le-man hamedah: Allah hears those who praise Him, then He stood and his standing was about as long as His bowing, then He prostrated and said Subhana Rabiyya Al-A'la, Glory to be My Lord, the Most High, and His prostration was about as long as His bowing, and in the narration transmitted by Jarir, the Prophet (PBUH) said Same-a Allahu le-man hamedah, Rabbana laka alhamd: Allah hears those who praise Him, Our Lord, to You is the praise" (Sahih Muslim 772). And this is an evidence of the desirability of reciting the Holy Quran leisurely, without excessive speed, but rather with contemplation and reflection, and Allah says in Aya (29) of Surat Sad {A blessed Book which We have sent down to You that they may ponder its verses, and so that those of understanding may remember}.
Allah's Messenger (PBUH) urged the believers to recite the Holy Quran as long as their hearts are united in reciting it, pondering it meanings with humility and awareness, so that the word of Muslims may be united, but if disagreement arises regarding one of its meaning or one of its recitation, and it intensifies to the point of almost leading to conflict and discord, they should stop reciting for the time being, because their disagreement will lead them to distort and alter the religion according to their desires, and that was the cause of destruction of the previous nations, where as narrated by Jundub bin Albdullah that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Recite the Quran as long as your hearts agree about it i.e. its interpretation, but if you disagree, then Stop reciting it" (Sahih Albukhari 5061). And as narrated by Abdullah bin Mas'ud that he heard a man reciting a Quranic verse, which he had heard the Prophet (PBUH) reciting in a different way, so he took the man to the Prophet, the Prophet (PBUH) said both of you are reciting in a correct way, so Carry on reciting, the Prophet further added the nations which were before you were destroyed because they differed" (Sahih Albukhari 5062).
Memorizing the Holy Quran
Many of the companions of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), both from the emigrants and the Ansar, memorized the Holy Quran during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) commanded the believers to learn the Quran from Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Ubayy bin Ka'b, and Salim, the ally of Abu Hudhaifa, where as narrated by Masruq: "We used to go to Abdullah bin Amr and talk to Him, Ibn Numair said one day we made a mention of Abdullah bin Mas'ud, whereupon, he said you have made mention of a person whom I love more than anything else, I heard Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying Learn the Quran from four persons Ibn Umm Abd i.e. Abdullah bin Mas'ud, He (PBUH) started from him, then Mu'adh bin Jabal, Ubayy bin Ka'b, and Salim, the ally of Abu Hudhaifa" (Sahih Muslim 2464). These four were two of the early emigrants: Abdullah bin Mas'ud and Salim, and the other two were from the Ansar: Mu'adh bin Jabal and Ubayy bin K'ab, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) gave precedence to Abdullah bin Mas'ud over the rest because he used to recite the Quran fresh as it was revealed, where as narrated by Abdullah bin Mas'ud that Abu Bakr and Umar gave him the glad tidings that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "Whoever would like to recite the Quran as fresh as when it was revealed, Let him recite it like Ibn Umm Abd i.e. Abdullah bin Mas'ud" (Sunan Ibn Majah 138), and Abdullah bin Mas'ud assured that he has learned more than seventy Surahs from the mouth of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), and he said: "By Allah other than whom none has the right to be worshipped! There is no Surah revealed in Allah's Book but I know at what place it was revealed, and there is no verse revealed in Allah's Book but I know about whom it was revealed, and if I know that there is somebody who knows Allah's Book better than me, and he is at a place that camels can reach, I would go to him" (Sahih Albukhari 5002).
Allah's Messenger (PBUH) loved to listen to the recitation of Abdullah bin Mas'ud, where as narrated by Abdullah bin Mas'ud: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) asked me to recite the Quran, he said Messenger of Allah! Should I recite to You whereas it has been sent down to You?, He said I desire to hear it from someone else, so I recited Surat Alnisa' till I reached {So How when We bring from every nation a witness, and We bring You as a witness against these?, Aya 41}, I lifted my head or a person touched me in my side, and so I lifted my head and saw His tears falling" (Sahih Muslim 800).
And as narrated by Qatada that Anas said: "The Quran was memorized in the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH) by four, all of whom were from the Ansar: Ubayy, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Abu Zaid, and Zaid bin Thabit, I asked Anas Who is Abu Zaid, he said one of my uncles" (Sahih Albukhari 3810). This does not mean that other noble companions did not memorize the Quran, but what he meant was that the these four Ansari men whom he knew had memorized the Quran, but there were groups of the companions of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) had memorized the Holy Quran, and among them were the reciters who were killed on the day of Yamamah, as shown above when discussing the compilation of the Quran during the time of Abu Bakr.
There are also many emigrants who memorized the Holy Quran, including Abu Bakr, for Allah's Messenger (PBUH) appointed him as Imam over the emigrants and the Ansar during His illness, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Mas'ud Al-Ansari: "The one who is grounded in Allah's Book and is distinguished among them in recitation should act as Imam for the people, and if they are equally versed in reciting it, then the one who has most knowledge regarding Sunnah, if they are equal regarding the Sunnah, then the earliest one to emigrate, if they emigrated at the same time, then the oldest one in age, Do not lead a man in prayer in his house or where he has authority, or sit in his place of honor in his house except that he gives you permission or by his permission" (Sahih Muslim 673). So if Abu Bakr was not the most knowledgeable of Allah's Book, he would not have been appointed over the companions of Allah's Messenger (PBUH). And among the emigrants were Ali bin Abi Talib, Uthan bin Affan, Abdullah bin Mas'ud and Salim as shown above, also among them were the great scholar Abdullah bin Abbas, the cousin of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), and Abdullah bin Umar who used to finish the recitation of the Quran every night, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said to him "Recite the Quran in one month" and when he said to Allah's Messenger that he had power to do more than that, Allah's Messenger said to him "Finish the recitation of the whole Quran in seven days" (Sahih Albukhari 5052).