Reading the Qur’an Beyond Its Letters and Words

The Qur’an is a source of healing, a brilliant light. It is an unmatched guidance and the straight path. It intercedes on behalf of those who live by its words. Those who track their path in life along the lines drawn by the Qur’an never get lost. They find eternal and everlasting blessings.

In order to be favored with these blessings and for the Qur’an to be an intercessor and a path of salvation for us, we should elevate our awareness of it to that of those who read it with all their heart and utmost dedication and are committed to upholding the internal and external adabs that such a faithful reading involves.

Hujjatu’l-Islam, Imam Ghazali (rahmatullahi alayh) explains the external and internal adabs of reading the Qur’an in ten articles for each aspect in his wondrous title Ihya al-Ulumi’d-Din. We will briefly summarize the external adabs and present the internal adabs in separate articles (as adapted for our magazine).

Praise be to Allah, who bestowed tremendous blessings on humans with the prophet He sent and the book He revealed. No falsehood can even begin to touch that book. It was sent down by Allah, who possesses infinite wisdom and is worthy of every praise. With the narrations and parables recounted in it, it opened up pathways for people of reason and understanding so that they may take lessons. Through its decrees and separation of halal and haram, the straight path has been revealed clearly. That book is a light of divine origin. Only through it is it possible to find deliverance from deception. It contains cures for the spiritual diseases afflicting people’s hearts.

All who profess their faith in it will be blessed with success in doing good. All who speak its words speak the truth. All who hold fast to it reach righteous guidance. All who arrange their affairs according to it and live by it will attain salvation.

Allah the Exalted said the following about it:

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the message (i.e., the Quran), and indeed, we will be its guardian. ” (Al-Hijr, 9)

One of the reasons why it is preserved within hearts and codices is because it is constantly read, studied in keeping with the manners and conditions required when interacting with it, and the internal practices and external adabs found within are maintained.

External adabs

A person reading the Qur’an should have wudu, be immersed in adab and quietude, and should not lean back or sit like arrogant people.

There are different practices in terms of reading the Qur’an profusely or lightly such as making a khatm (a full reading of the Qur’an from cover to cover) once a week or once a month. A person can make a choice based on how much reading they can manage. However, one thing that one should strenuously avoid is completely depriving oneself of the words of Allah. This is one of the most severe forms of disservice one can do to themselves. Such deprivation has side effects that manifest in the form of various psychological disorders. One should read the Qur’an even if it’s only a single page per day, and make reading it a routine part of their life. Those who do not know how to read the Qur’an should apply themselves to learning to read it without presenting any excuses such as age or lack of time. When one has the intention and determination, Allah the Most High will send forth His aid to them and they will feel the divine gifts upon them at the outset of their endeavor.

It is mustahab to read the Qur’an slowly, emphasizing the correct pronunciation of each letter. This method of reading is called tartil. The ultimate purpose of reading the Qur’an is to attain the divine blessings it confers, learn the lessons it teaches, and live by its teachings. Reading slowly promotes the realization of these goals. However, reading the Qur’an with tartil isn’t mustahab only because it enables one to achieve a better understanding. It is also mustahab to read slowly for those who don’t understand the meaning of what they read. This is because it is a more fitting form in terms of the adab and reverence the Qur’an is owed as well as the strength of the effect it leaves on the heart.

It is mustahab for those reading the Qur’an to do so with a sense of lingering sadness, and shed tears, if possible. One of the ways of maintaining a continued, solemn poignancy is to constantly remember the threats and warnings the ayahs present and gauge how lacking and flawed one is when applying the divine commands and prohibitions to their life. It is said that if one doesn’t feel the pangs of sorrow and shed tears as do those pure of heart, let them cry for the sadness and tears they have lost because this is the gravest tragedy.

One should read the Qur’an in a voice that is audible only to themselves because recitation is all about giving form to the sound with letters and, therefore, requires a voice. The lowest threshold of silent recitation is the movement of the tongue and the highest is issuing a voice audible only to the reader. Only thinking about the sounds and reading the letters and words internally is inadequate. A reading that doesn’t issue a sound audible to the reader is not a recitation. This ruling is also valid for the recitation during salah. Loud recitation is reciting the Qur’an in a voice that is audible to others. Depending on the situation, this is sometimes considered acceptable and sometimes undesirable.

Silent recitation is further from affectation and ostentation. It is better to recite the Qur’an silently for those who fear that their nafs is likely to falter and give in to such dangerous predilections. If the person meaning to recite the Qur’an feels safe from these inclinations and doesn’t see any likelihood of confusing other people nearby who might be performing salah, it is more virtuous to recite the Qur’an audibly.

It is also more virtuous to read the Qur’an by looking at its pages. This is because looking at its physical copy has additional beneficial actions such as thinking about it and carrying it. This adds to the rewards of the recitation. It is said that completing a khatm by looking at the Qur’an is seven times as worthy as a khatm performed by reciting the whole Qur’an from memory; looking at the codex of the Qur’an is an act of worship. Many individuals from the companions and the tabiun read the Qur’an from a physical copy. They considered it makruh to spend a single day without reading the Qur’an by looking at its pages.

One of the vital external adabs of reading the Qur’an is to recite it with a beautiful voice but without changing the intonation of the voice too drastically, using an exaggerated singing voice, or lengthening the sounds excessively. A person shouldn’t go to extreme lengths to recite the Qur’an with a flourishing style for dramatic or artistic effect. Rather, one should avoid styles and peculiarities that would be unbefitting of the dignity and nobility of the divine words.

Listening to the recitation of the Qur’an also holds substantial rewards. Since the reciter is the cause and the enabler for the listener, the reciter has a share in this reward as well. The Qur’an is a source of healing and a divine light both for the reciter and the listener. However, if the intention behind these actions is showing off and if the reciter or the listener take on pretentious behaviors to flaunt to other people, they will be deprived of the rewards.

The internal adabs of reading the Qur’an

There are ten internal adabs.

1.Understanding the essence and nature of the words

What a great favor Allah has bestowed upon his servants for He simplified the meaning of His words to a level they can understand. The divine words, which are a part of Allah’s divine attributes, were made manifest through human capabilities such as letters and sounds. This is because humans are unable to comprehend the divine attributes of Allah without the use of their own attributes. If the glory of His words were not hidden behind letters, the Arsh and the earth would not be able to withstand listening to His words and everything in between would perish due to the boundless majesty of the manifestations of His divine light. The majesty of Allah’s words can only become perceptible to the human mind with examples it can comprehend.

A man of great wisdom once explained the conveyance of the meaning of the divine words to humans, who possess a very limited understanding when viewed from an objective perspective, with a brilliant example. This wise believer invited one of the kings of his time to join the ranks of believers. The king asked him:

“You claim that the ayahs revealed by prophets are not human words, that they are the words of Allah. How come humans possess the strength to read and bear the words of Allah?”

The wise man said:

“You only need to look at humans to understand this. When people want to command the animals and make them move or stop, they don’t use eloquent, structured words, or highly intellectual sayings that are reserved for humans because they see that animals are incapable of such understanding, and reduce the message to a level they can process. They do this by slapping them with something, whistling their command, or using short vocal cues to communicate what they want from them.

In a manner not too dissimilar to this, humans lack the capacity for listening to and understanding the words of Allah the Most High in their pure form. They can’t form an understanding that can encompass His words in their original form with all their perfection and divine attributes. Because of this, divine words were conveyed to humans in a form they are used to, which is letters and sounds. Having the divine words actualized in such a form does not negate their profound meaning or the wisdom they hold because the nobility of the word comes from the meaning it carries. Its greatness stems from the sublime qualities of the meaning it holds.

Sound serves as a body and a medium for wisdom. Wisdom is also a breath and a soul for sound. Just as human bodies are worthy and superior due to the souls they hold within, the sounds that express the divine words are precious and elevated because of the wisdom they contain.

Just as darkness cannot resist the light of the sun, falsehood cannot stand before its words of wisdom. Just as humans cannot endure looking directly at the rays coming from the sun, they are incapable of reaching the depths of the wisdom the divine words bear and establishing an unfiltered, unabridged understanding of their true, central meaning. Nevertheless, humans can benefit from the divine words to the extent of their need just like they can draw limited benefits from the sunlight.”

These descriptions given by the wise believer are a small sample of the knowledge related to understanding the meaning of the divine words. The Qur’an confers a sense of relief upon the heart of those who read it and strengthens their iman due to being the words of Allah the Almighty. No one can attain its secrets and its boundless wisdom fully. One needs to read it a lot and often and act according to its commands to benefit from its intercession on the Day of Judgment.

2. Tazim (Reverence)

A person reading the Qur’an should contemplate the glory of the one talking to them, who is Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), and realize that the words they are reading do not belong to a human being and that reading the words of Allah the Exalted is an incredibly momentous endeavor. Almighty Allah said: “None touch it except the purified.” (Al-Waqi’ah, 79)

Just as the pages and the cover of the Qur’an are protected from being touched by those who do not have wudu, its essential, internal meaning opens up to hearts that are cleansed of all kinds of spiritual darkness and illuminated with the light of reverence. In addition to there being a selective rule regarding who can touch the physical copy of the Qur’an, it is not possible for every tongue to utter its letters and for every heart to absorb its meaning. Due to his utmost reverence of the Qur’an, Ikrima (radiyallahu anh) would open its pages and say, “This is the word of my Lord, this is the word of my Lord,” before dropping unconscious. (Tabarani, Mujamu’l-Kabir, 17,371)

Glorifying the word is possible by glorifying its owner. The awe of His glory does not manifest in one’s heart without thinking about His attributes, majesty, and actions.

Mankind should ponder the signs on the earth and in the sky. He should bear witness to the greatness and might of his Lord who created them. Thus, they can realize the greatness of the divine words and find healing in their light.

3. Having an awakened heart

In the tafsir of the ayah, “O Yahya! Hold on to the book firmly…” (Maryam, 12), it is said: “This means ‘hold onto it with all seriousness and all your strength.’”

Holding onto it with seriousness means directing all one’s being to it while reading it and not focusing one’s thoughts on anything else. One of the friends of Allah was asked:

“Do you think of other things when you read the Qur’an?” He said,

“Is there anything more pleasant to me than the Qur’an that I might think about it?”

This state of being arises from the tazim we mentioned earlier. The reason behind this connection between tazim and this outlook is that one who praises the words they read rejoices with them, develops an affinity for them, and doesn’t neglect them in their thoughts. If the reader is competent, they will find many things in the Qur’an that their heart will form a deep connection with, grow fond of, and find inner peace with. As this person finds joy and peace through the wealth of meaning they discover in the Qur’an, how can their mind seek peace in other things? One who finds tranquility in the serene gardens of the Qur’an wouldn’t let their thoughts wander to lesser things.

It has been said: “There are certain courtyards, orchards, special rooms, palaces, silk clothes, gardens, and mansions. They are analogized as follows:

Surahs that begin with ‘alif-lam-mim’ represent the courtyards of the Qur’an; those starting with ‘alif-lam-ra’ are the orchards; those starting with ‘alhamdu’ are the palaces; those starting by glorifying Allah (musabbihat) are the special rooms; the short surahs at the end of the Qur’an are the gardens, and the other surahs outside these descriptions are the mansions.

If a person comes to the courtyards, gathers fruits from the orchards, enters the palaces and the special rooms, witnesses the feasts, wears the silk clothes, wanders through the gardens, and sits in the various rooms of the mansions, what they experience in these locations captivates them and prevents them from keeping busy with things other than Allah, causing their heart to be with Him always and their minds to remain undistracted.”

4. Tadabbur (Contemplating the verses of the Qur’an)

Tadabbur is beyond the concept of the heart’s participation in what the person reads because the reader sometimes doesn’t think of anything other than the Qur’an. However, they are content with listening to their own recitation of the Qur’an rather than acting on and living by its words. The purpose of reading the Qur’an is to put its teachings into practice and contemplate them. A slow reading (tartil) is prescribed for this reason. Reading slowly, as required by the principle of tartil, allows for contemplation.

A pious servant of Allah once said, “When I open the pages of a surah to read it, some aspects of it that I see while reading it keep my thoughts busy until the morning.”

However, if one is following an imam in prayer, they shouldn’t fall into contemplation because while the person following the imam is thinking about an ayah, the imam will be reciting a different one. Doing so would be an error. It resembles being fond of some of the previous words of the person one is talking to, letting that fondness occupy their thoughts and prevent them from listening to the rest of the conversation. Thinking about the ayah the imam recited during qiyam while the imam is making tasbih in ruku is similar to this. This is a form of waswasa.

5. Tafahhum (Trying to understand the verses of the Qur’an)

Tafahhum is to try to understand every ayah one reads as it should be understood. This is essential because the subject matter of the Qur’an al-Karim is the attributes and actions of Allah the Exalted, the lives of the prophets, the fate of those who disavow the prophets, how they were cast into ruin and destruction, the divine commands and prohibitions, Jannah and Jahannam.

If a person ponders the meaning of these names and attributes at length, their secrets will be revealed to them. These secret meanings will only be revealed to those who believe at the level of yaqin. The following words of Ali bin Abi Talib (radiyallahu anh) attest to this:

“Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not conceal knowledge from people and impart it in me in secrecy. However, Allah’s bestowal of a special understanding upon His servants to allow them to understand the ayahs in His book is an exception to this. This is what has been given to me.”

Believers should strive to attain this understanding.

The greatest of the knowledge of the Qur’an is the knowledge hidden in the names and attributes of Allah the Most High. This is because most of creation has only been able to learn what they were capable of understanding of His names and attributes, and they have not been able to comprehend their deeper meanings and hidden aspects.

Similarly, there is so much to understand and interpret from the words of the Qur’an when the attributes of Jannah, Jahannam, and other things are mentioned that it is impossible to count or list all of them because they are endless. Every servant’s share in this knowledge is limited to what they are allotted. Everything in existence in the universe is recorded in a manifest book (Lawh al-Mahfuz). Allah (jalla jalaluhu) said:

“Say, ‘If the ocean were to be ink for (writing) the Words of my Lord, the ocean would have been consumed before the Words of my Lord are exhausted, even though we were to bring another (ocean) like it in addition.’” (Al-Kahf, 109)

Ali bin Abi Talib (radiyallahu anh) said regarding this:

“If I wanted to, I could write a tafsir of only surah Al-Fatiha that would load up seventy camels.” (Suyuti, al-Itkan fi Ulum al-Qur’an, 2/486)

What we have mentioned so far is only intended to draw attention to the way of understanding the Qur’an, allow for a path of comprehension to open up, and lead people to it. As for attaining a complete understanding of the Qur’an, this is outright impossible. No one can accomplish this.

6. Tahalli (Clearing the mind and the heart of distractions)

Tahalli means to distance oneself from things that bar a true recitation. Many people have had the astounding secrets of the Qur’an concealed from them due to various reasons and the veils shaytan placed over their hearts. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“If not for the fact that the devils roam around the hearts of the children of Adam, they would have been able to behold the Kingdom of the Heavens.” (Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad, 2/353)

There are four factors that veil one’s heart from the Qur’an.

The first is to dedicate all one’s effort to producing the sounds of the letters from their points of articulation (makharij).  There is a shaytan whose only task is to disrupt the readers this way. This shaytan clings to people reading the Qur’an and keeps them from understanding the meaning of the words of Allah (jalla jalaluhu), planting the seeds of doubt in them and whispering, “you didn’t fully form the letters, not with the right articulation.” Thus, all the reader can think of becomes producing the correct sound for each letter.

The second is to hold fast to a view or idea concerning which one does not have true knowledge, blindly following and defending thoughts they have merely heard of. Such a person mentally attaches themselves to the false ideas they unquestioningly believe in and fails to overcome the hurdle this attachment imposes on them. It becomes impossible for them to think about ideas outside of the realm of their obsession. Even if a light of truth glimmered from afar, should that truth imply something contrary to the obsession they are encumbered with, the shaytan who ensnared them in this trap of obsession assails them with full force, saying: “How can you think of such things? These thoughts fly in the face of the beliefs of your community!” And so, they construe the meaning revealed to them as a deception of shaytan and dismiss it.

The third is to be afflicted with persisting in sins, being arrogant, and giving in to one’s desires in all one’s actions. These afflictions cause the heart to blacken. They are like stains that cover a mirror; such stains prevent the truth from manifesting within one’s heart. These spiritual stains are the most baleful veil for the heart. Most people’s hearts are obscured from viewing the light of truth by this veil. The more intense the desires and inclinations of the nafs in the heart, the heavier the veil shrouding the heart from the meanings of the divine words. Whenever the worldly burdens of anxiety, fear, and desires in the heart become lighter, the manifestation of meanings within it grows closer.

The heart is like a mirror while the whims of the nafs are like rust. The meanings within the Qur’an are as the images seen in the mirror; it is like a cleansing process that eradicates the desires of the nafs and purifies the heart. Regarding this, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“When my Ummah (community) becomes overly attached to the material world, the dignity of Islam will be stripped away from them. And when they neglect enjoining good and forbidding evil, the blessings of revelation will be taken away from them” (Hakim at-Tirmidhi, Nawadiru’l-Usul, 2/270)

Fudayl bin Iyad (rahmatullahi alayh) said, “That is to say, they will be deprived of having an understanding of the Qur’an.”

The fourth is to read a tafsir aimed at interpreting the external aspects of the Qur’an, thinking that the entire meaning contained within the Qur’an is limited to what is mentioned therein. Anyone who reads the Qur’an might experience an unveiling of different meanings within their heart that aren’t detailed in books. This is a gift of the owner of the divine words to His servants. This is referred to by different terms such as ilham, marifah, and understanding. To reap the benefits of such understanding, the reader must keep their heart in an awakened state, open and ready to receive such inspirations. This experience doesn’t subject a person to the threat mentioned in the hadith, “Whoever says (something) about the Qur'an without knowledge, then let him take his seat in the Fire” (Tirmidhi, Tafsiru’l-Qur’an, 1). However, if a person claims that these meanings that occur to them are the actual meanings of the ayahs, they will be the one facing the threat declared in the hadith.

7. Tahsis (Embracing and internalizing the message)

One of the internal practices related to the Qur’an is the acceptance that every address in the Qur’an is directed to the reader. When the reader hears a command or a prohibition, they will think of themselves as the recipient of the divine injunction. Likewise, when they hear glad tidings or a threat of punishment, they assume that they are meant for them.

As for the stories of the previous nations and prophets, the reader realizes that the purpose here is not merely to narrate a story, but to derive a lesson from what is recounted and learn what they need to learn from the lessons contained therein. All the stories narrated in the Qur'an are for the benefit of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and his ummah. For this reason, Allah the Almighty said:

“We narrate to you all such stories from the events of the messengers as We strengthen your heart therewith. And in these (stories) there has come to you the truth, a good counsel and a reminder to those who believe.” (Hud, 120)

The Qur’an wasn’t revealed for Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) alone. It is a source of healing and a divine light for every human being. For this reason, Allah the Exalted commands everyone to be thankful for the blessing He bestowed upon humanity with the following ayah:

“...And remember the favor of Allāh upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] and wisdom [i.e., the Prophet's sunnah] by which He instructs you...” (Al-Baqarah, 281)

When Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) addresses all of humanity, He also addresses every single person individually. A reader reading the Qur’an by themselves is also considered the actual addressee. The rest of humanity is the least of their concern! They contemplate that the Qur’an is speaking with them.

Muhammad bin Ka’b al-Qurazi (rahmatullahi alayh) said, “Whoever the Qur’an has reached is as if Allah the Most High is talking to them.”

Malik bin Dinar (rahmatullahi alayh) said, “O people of the Qur’an, what seeds did the Qur’an sow in your hearts? Undoubtedly, the Qur’an is the spring for believers; the spring turns the face of the earth a lush green with its rain.” (Abu Nuaym, Hilyatu’l-Awliya, 2/358)

8. Taassur

Taassur is for the heart to come under the influence of the many, varied effects of the ayahs being recited. Because of this effect, with each understanding the reader experiences, within their heart burgeons a feeling of sadness, fear, and hope as well as a different internal state and wajd. When they attain a peak understanding of the Qur’an and its meanings, the increasingly dominant feeling in their heart will be khashyah, which is a feeling of awe and fear interwoven with reverence. This is because fear and apprehension are the predominant tones in the ayahs of the Qur’an. When forgiveness and mercy are mentioned in the ayahs, they are followed by such daunting conditions that an arif, a wise believer who has gained a true insight of knowledge, feels inadequate to fulfill them.

For instance, Almighty Allah says, “Surely I am the Most-Forgiving.” Following this, He attaches four conditions to this by saying, “for him who repents and believes and acts righteously, then follows the right path.” (At-Taha, 82)

Someone who has examined the Qur’an from cover to cover will see that this holds true. The realization of this truth should invariably elicit a sense of sadness and khashyah in them.

A servant being affected by the Qur’an means that the servant comes into a state of being in line with the meaning of the ayah they are reading. The reader should feel like they are on the verge of death from the fear of divine wrath when there is a threat of punishment and forgiveness is tied to various stipulations. They should feel overjoyed when ayahs give glad tidings of mercy and forgiveness.

When the attributes and names of Allah the Most High are mentioned, they should submit to His glory and bow their heads solemnly, feeling His humbling greatness.

When they hear the descriptions of Jannah, they should grow eager to strive towards it, and when they hear that Jahannam is being depicted in the ayahs, they should tremble with fear.

People who harmonize and develop a deep connection with the Qur’an find healing in their inner world and attain higher morals as they continue to read it.

A disobedient servant who keeps reading the Qur’an is similar to the person in the following analogy: A ruler sends a letter to one of his subjects and wants him to busy himself with building and improving the kingdom. The subject, on the other hand, brings ruin and destruction upon the kingdom while reading the letter and poring over it repeatedly every day.

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The person who recites the Quran with the most beautiful voice is the one you realize is the most afraid of Allah while reciting.” (Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 176)

One should read the Qur’an to embrace these qualities within their heart and live according to them.

The Noble Companions’ practice regarding achieving the consciousness the Qur’an confers upon its readers and acting according to it was perfectly in line with this; they read the Qur’an to live by it. When Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) departed from this life, there were twenty thousand companions around him. Only six of them had memorized the Qur’an, regarding two of whom there is disagreement as to whether they are hafiz (someone who memorizes the Qur’an) or not. Most of them knew one or two surahs by heart. Those who knew surahs Al-Baqarah or Al-An’am were viewed as learned scholars among them. This was due to their preoccupation with the internal and external practices that the Qur’an encouraged or commanded instead of memorizing it.

A man came to learn the Qur’an. He was taught surah Al-Zilzal. When they read the ayah, “So, whoever does any good act (even) to the weight of a particle will see it. And whoever does evil (even) to the weight of a particle will see it.” (Al-Zilzal, 7-8), the man said, “This is enough for me” and left. (Abu Dawud, Salah, 326)

The most precious things are these various states that Allah the Exalted bestows upon His servants’ hearts. It is to read the Qur’an as it should be read—by engaging the tongue, the mind, and the heart. What falls on the tongue is to pronounce the letters per the principle of tartil. What falls on the mind is to sense the elegance it possesses. What falls on the heart is to take lessons from the divine warnings and commands and be moved by them. In short, the tongue recites, the mind aids in understanding, and the heart learns its lesson.

9. Tarakki

What is meant by tarakki is to rise to the level of listening to the words not from one’s own recitation but from Allah Himself. There are three degrees of Qur’an recitation:

The lowest level: This level involves the servant thinking that they are in the presence of Allah while reading the Qur’an and that He is gazing upon them. The servant in this state is in the station of asking, beseeching, and supplicating Allah (jalla jalaluhu).

The second level: This level involves the heart performing mushahadah, which is witnessing the manifestations of Allah’s attributes, realizing that Allah sees His servant, addresses them with His beneficence, and speaks with them through His blessings and favor.

The third level: This is the level where the servant who reads the Qur'an sees the owner of the words in the divine words and the divine attributes in the words. The servant should not look at their nafs, their recitation, or the blessings bestowed upon them. Instead, all of their focus should be on their Lord, who is speaking with them, and their thoughts should converge on Him. It should be as if they have delved into observing their Lord, who is speaking with them, and has forgotten everything except Him. This is the degree of the arif (the one who has attained closeness) in the divine presence. The degree before this is the degree of the people of Jannah who have received their book of deeds in their right hand (ashabu’l-yamin).

The spiritual ecstasy and the pleasure of supplicating is immense at this level. Uthman bin Affan and Huzayfa (radiyallahu anhuma) said, “If hearts were clean, they would never get tired of reading the Qur’an.”

When the heart is spiritually cleansed, it is elevated to the level of mushahadah, witnessing the manifestations of the owner of the words within the words themselves.

10. Tabarri

What I mean by this is the person reading the Qur’an not assuming that any strength or ability inherently belongs to them, not attributing their existence or abilities to themselves, and completely dismissing the idea of exonerating their nafs. For instance, such a person should not view themselves among those worthy of Jannah or the pious; on the contrary, they should believe that people of yaqin and sidq are the ones who are worthy of such a distinguished position, and pray to Allah that He includes them among these people.

One should have humility when reading the Qur’an and consider their nafs among the disobedient and the flawed who are remiss in worship. Umar bin Khattab (radiyallahu anh) said:

“O Allah! I ask you for forgiveness due to my injustice and ungratefulness.”

When he was asked, “one can understand the injustice but what of the ungratefulness for which you ask forgiveness?” he recited the following ayah:

“Indeed, man is highly unjust, very ungrateful.” (Ibrahim, 34)

When someone asked Yusuf bin Asbat (rahmatullahi alayh), “How do you supplicate when you finish a khatm of the Qur’an?” he said:

“What could I pray for? I make istighfar to Allah seventy times because of the flaws in my recitation.”

When someone finds fault with their nafs in their recitation of the Qur’an, this leads to them gaining closeness to Allah because when someone feels themselves out of divine favor when they are close to Allah, they are given a sense of fear. This fear carries them further than the degree of closeness they have.

Whoever believes that they are close to Allah when in fact they are far from Him, will fall into the trap of a false sense of security. This will lower them to an inferior rank. Whenever one is pleased with their nafs, they become veiled from the truth by their nafs. When they suppress the feeling of being aligned with their nafs and start performing mushahadah in their recitation only to witness the attributes of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), alam al-malakut opens up to them.

“O Allah! Show me mercy for the sake of the Qur’an’s blessings. Make it a guide, a light, and a mercy for me. O Allah! Help me remember the parts of it I have forgotten, teach me what I do not know, and allow me to read it day and night and make it an evidence in my favor, O Rabbu’l-Alamin.”

Amin...