Approach the Quran
2- Compliance with the Morals of the Qur'an
Whoever memorizes the Glorious Qur'an, should be distinguished by the morals of the Qur'an and follow the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) about whom `A'ishah, Mother of the Believers, said, "The morals of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) are exactly that of the Qur'an."[1]
People of the Qur'an should be like a mirror wherein people see the values and morals of the Glorious Qur'an reflected. Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The one who learns the Qur'an by heart should be distinguished by his prayer and recitation at night while people sleep, his (earnest) work while people laugh, his silence while people indulge (in nonsense), and his consciousness (of Allah) while people are conceited. One who memorizes the Qur'an, moreover, should be humble and tender-hearted. He should not be hard-hearted, disputant, vociferous, or harsh."
He, also, denied the character of some people, saying, "The Qur'an has been revealed in order to be put into practice. Some people, unfortunately, concern themselves only with studying it, to the extent that one of them may recite the whole Qur'an without leaving out any letter while neglecting to work according to it."
Al-Fudayl ibn `Iyad, the well-known ascetic, said, "People of the Qur'an are the bearers of the banner of Islam. Therefore, they should not indulge in amusement, nonsense, or play like other common people do. as a manifestation of their consideration of
The rights of the Qur'an." Furthermore, he, added, "People of the Qur'an should not long for seeking others' favors, be the ru1ers' or the public's. On the contrary, people should look forward to their favors."
An early Muslim was reported to have said, "A servant of Allah may recite a surah of the Qur'an whereupon the angels pray for him from the beginning until the end of the surah; whereas another servant may recite a surah of the Qur'an whereupon the angels invoke Allah's curses upon him." Then, he was asked, "How is that'?" Thereupon, he disclosed, "lf a servant of Allah abides by the commands and prohibitions of the surah (which he recites), angels will pray for him; otherwise, they will invoke Allah`s curses upon him."
Some scholars, likewise, said, "A person may invoke Allah's curses upon himself while reading the Glorious Qur`an, that happens, for instance, when one reads Qur'anic verses like: (Behold the curse of Allah is on those who do wrong!) (Hud: 18) and) lnvoke the curse of Allah on those who lie.); (Al `Imran: 61) whereas he himself does wrong and tells lies."
This is in accordance with the saying of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that reads, "A person may read the Qur'an, while the Qur'an invokes Allah`s curses upon him."
Maysarah said, "It is a strange thing that the Qur'an be in the heart of a wicked man."
Other scholars said, "lf a son of Adam reads the Qur`an, then commits faults, and then reads it once more, it would be said to him, 'What do you want from My Words as long as you ignore Me."'
It is no surprise to see the people of the Qur'an precede others in virtue. Thus, you see them in the first rows in Prayer, in the first lines of men in Jiliad[2], and in front of others in doing good. In battles, people used to call upon the people of the Quran, saying, "O people of sum: Al-Baqarah, today sorcery will be nullified." That happened, for example, in the well-known battle of Al-Yamamah. ln that battle, Hudhayfah said, "O people of the Quran! Adorn the Qur'an with practice." Also, Salim, the slave of Abu Huzayfah, said on that day when the Mtthajirim expressed to him their fear that they may be defeated because of him, "I would be a wicked man to be the reason you were defeated while I have learned the Qur'an by heart."[3]. On the day of Al-Yamamah, a great number of those who memorized the Qur'an were martyred[4] for they were in front of others in fighting.
The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to memorize the Glorious Qur'an in a way that led them to act according to its rules and morals. In his Al-Bayan, Abu `Amr Ad-Dani reported on the authority of `Uthman, lbn Mas`ud, and Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with them all) that the Messenger of Allah used to teach them ten verses of the Qur'an and not to continue on to the next ten until they had translated their teachings into practice. "ln this way he taught us both the Qur'an and action," the Companions commented.
`Abdur-Raziq, likewise. in his Musannaf reported on the authority of Abu `Abdur-Rahman As-Salami who said, "We used to learn ten verses of the Quran and not to continue on to the next ten until we had gotten ourselves well-acquainted with its rules, as well as its commands and prohibitions."
In his Muwatta', Imam Malik narrated that it took `Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) ten years to learn swat Al-Baqarah.
Apparently, that great Companion, ibn `Umar, took so long to learn this surah so as to abide by it and to learn its rules and instructions.
In this connection, ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "For us, memorizing the Qur'an is so difficult while acting according to it is so easy. For our successors, this matter will be on the contrary."
Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "In this Ummah[5], the early generation of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to memorize a little of the Qur'an but they were gifted with acting according to it. Yet, the later generations of this Ummah will read the Glorious Qur'an but they will not be gifted with action."
Mu`adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Acquire all the knowledge you want but bear in mind that Allah will not reward you until you apply what you know."[6]
[1] Reported by Muslim.
[2] Jihad means fighting is the cause of Allah or any kind of effort to make Allah`s word Superior. Which is regarded as one of the principles of Islam. (Translator).
[3] lbn Kathir, Al-Bidayyah wan nihayyah. Vol.6, p.324, Beirut
[4] It is said that on the day of Al-Yamamah 500 men of those who memorized the Qur'an were martyred
[5] This word refers to the Muslim nations all over the world as one entity.
[6] All these sayings and comments are stated by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir, vol. I, pp. 34-35. ·