Amidst the wars against the apostates, during the reign of Abu Bakr radhiallahu anhu, the Muslim community faced a challenge like no other – apostasy on a mass scale. During these encounters, a number of heroic and courageous scenes stand out. One in particular is the valour and bravery displayed by the Qari of the Muslim nation – Saalim Mawla Abu Huthaifa radhiallahu anhu. Saalim radhiallahu anhu was appointed over one flank of the army and due to his thin, scrawny stature, some of the soldiers felt that this will leave them vulnerable and exposed to enemy attack. Upon hearing their concerns, Saalim radhiallahu anhu responded with words that to this day send shivers down the spine. He said,
بئس حامل القرآن أنا إذا
“What a dreadful bearer of the Quran I would be.”
In other words, if I am going to allow weakness to overtake the Muslim army, while bearing the Quran in my heart, then I will be a disgrace to the Noble Qur’an.
Hearing the words of Saalim, Abu Huthaifa – who stood alongside Saalim radhiallahu anhum – was re-awakened to the reality that strength, and ultimately victory, can only be sourced from the Noble Quran. In the thick of battle, turning to none other but the people of Quran, Abu Huthaifa radhiallahu anhu made an announcement of his own:
يا أهل القرآن زينوا القرآن بالفعال
“O people of the Quran now is the time (with all odds stacked against us), to beautify the Quran. Not only with recitation, but with acts of bravery.” Details of this fascinating scene can be found in al Bidayah wa al Nihayah of Hafidh Ibn Katheer.
Such an outlook, however, only results from a strong connection with the Noble Quran; an outlook that views the Quran through the lenses of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and the Sahaba radhiallahu anhum.
The Seerah brims with accounts of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and the Sahaba radhiallahu anhum demonstrating what it means to be a person of the Noble Quran, often demonstrating that a connection with the Quran is not dependent on the amount of Quran a person knows by heart, or in the number of Ajzaa (chapters) a person recites. Rather, it is in the quality time a person spends interacting with the Noble Quran: studying, reflecting, and practicing.
On one occasion, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was dispatching a battalion on an important expedition. He moved through the ranks of the army in search of a suitable commander, to afford him the prestige of leading the army. While in our minds, seniority might be a preference in selecting a leader, the standard and criteria of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was somewhat different:
فَاسْتَقْرَأَهُمْ فَاسْتَقْرَأَ كُلَّ رَجُلٍ مِنْهُمْ مَا مَعَهُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَأَتَى على رَجُلٍ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ أَحْدَثِهِمْ سِنًّا فَقَالَ: ((مَا مَعَكَ يَا فُلاَنُ))
“Soldier to soldier, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam inquired about their knowledge of the Quran. Eventually, he came across one of the youngest Sahaba. When asked about what he knows of the Quran, the young man replied,
قَالَ مَعِي كَذَا وَكَذَا وَسُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ
“I know such and such a Surah, and I know Surah Baqarah.” Overtaken with joy, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said,
أمعك سورة البقرة؟! اذهب فأنت أميرهم.
“You know Surah Baqarah?! March forth! You are the commander of this army.” (Tirmidhi, 2876)
On our journey with the Noble Quran, we often associate achievements with something of a greater magnitude than just having learnt a few Surahs perhaps. Achievement is often attached to memorizing the entire Quran, or reciting a full Quran in a single sitting, etc. For the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, every Surah of the Quran carried its own greatness, with Surah Baqarah being one of the most powerful. When was the last time we considered having learnt Surah Baqarah worthy of celebration?
Reflect upon the words of Anas Ibn Malik radhiallahu anhu:
كان الرجل إذا قرأ البقرة وآل عمران جدّ فينا. أي جلّ في عيوننا، وعظم في صدورنا.
“We admired and revered a person who had learnt Surah Baqarah and Surah Aal Imran.” (Taweel Mushkil Al Qur’an of Ibn Qutaybah)
Such an outlook towards the Noble Quran can further be demonstrated from a unique incident in the life of Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah. The great Imam had enrolled his son into a Madrasah, and upon his son completing Surah Faatihah, Abu Hanifah rahimahullah sent a hefty sum of money for the teacher. As most teachers would react, he considered the amount too much and himself being unworthy. Abu Hanifah rahimahullah was angered and said:
ليس للقرآن عندك قدر
“You do not have true value for the Quran.” (Muhimmat Al Mufti of Ibn Kamal)
No amount of wealth can actually equal the worth of any Surah in the Quran. The Noble Quran is priceless.
How often do we really view a child who has learnt Surah Faatihah as having achieved a milestone? The greatest Surah of the entire Noble Quran.
It might be interesting to note that according to the prolific Tabi’i, Aamir Al Sha’bi, none of the four Khulafah (Abu Bakr, Umar Uthmaan and Ali radhiallahu anhum) were Huffadh, with the exception of Uthmaan radhiallahu anhu.
The view might be open for debate, but the bottom line is that being included from the elite; the people of the Quran, was not exclusively attached to memorization.
This is not to downplay the feat of memorizing the entire Quran, but for us to understand that there are many ways of connecting to the Noble Quran. Not everyone has the ability to become a Hafidh, but everyone has the ability to become a companion of the Noble Quran.
If one undertakes a closer study of the Hadith on the merits and virtues of the Noble Quran, it becomes quite apparent that most Hadith highlight the significance of understanding the message of the Quran and carrying out its injunctions. Hasan Al Basri rahimahullah encapsulates this in a famous saying:
نزل القرآن ليُعْمَل به فاتخذ الناسُ تلاوتَه عملًا
“The Quran was revealed to be acted upon. But people took its recitation as practice.” (Ta’weel Mushkil Al Qur’an)
Even the well-known Hadith that we are frequently reminded of and associate to apply to the Hafidh, wherein the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, “It shall be said to the companion of the Quran – ‘Recite, and rise up, recite as you recited in the world. For indeed your rank shall be at the last verse that you recite.” (Tirmidhi, 2914)
The immediate understanding that usually comes to mind is that such an honour applies to the one who has memorized the Quran. How will anyone else have the ability to recite the Noble Quran on the day of Qiyaamah and continue to ascend the ranks of Jannah except one who has the Quran in his heart?
However, several classical hadith scholars like Allamah Tibi, and Mulla Ali Al Qari rahimahumallah explain this to be a virtue acquired not through memorization, but through one’s understanding and practice of the Noble Quran. Even though not a Hafidh, in accordance to practice and knowledge of the Quran, one will divinely be granted the ability to recite and ascend the ranks of Jannah (Paradise). From the evidence presented is that many Sahaba recited more Quran than Abu Bakr radhiallahu anhu, as well as memorized more of it than him (based on the view that Abu Bakr radhiallahu anhu did not memorize the entire Quran), yet he out-ranks them all. This is due to his close adherence to the teachings of the Quran, as well as his deep understanding of it.
Coming back to the hadith cited at the beginning, wherein the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam preferred the appointment of a young Sahabi to lead the army due to him having learnt Surah Baqarah. After his appointment, another Sahabi remarked:
والله يا رسول الله ما منعني أن أتعلم سورة البقرة إلا خشية ألا أقوم بها
“Oh Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, nothing prevented me from learning Surah Baqarah except the fear that I will not be able to discharge the right of the Surah (in recitation or practice).”
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam replied:
تعلموا القرآن فاقرءوه وأقرئوه فإن مثل القرآن لمن تعلمه فقرأه وقام به كمثل جراب محشو مسكا يفوح بريحه كل مكان ومثل من تعلمه فيرقد وهو في جوفه كمثل جراب وكئ على مسك
“Continue learning the Quran, reciting it and propagating it. Undoubtedly the example of one who learns the Quran and fulfils its right is like an open bag of musk, permeating its surroundings. And the example of one who learns the Quran but falls short in discharging its right, is like a closed bag of musk.”
The response of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam draws our attention to a vital element, and that is not to delay in learning the Noble Quran. A person should not wait for the “opportune” moment. Rather, the journey in creating a meaningful bond with the Quran should be undertaken, regardless of our shortcomings. There will always be goodness associated with the Quran.
Lastly, an effective way of staying motivated on this journey is to enhance our knowledge on the inimitability and miraculous aspects of the Noble Quran. Primarily that which is regarded as the ultimate miracle of the Quran – its linguistic miracle. We live in a world where everything is continuously changing – rivers change course, civilizations rise and fall, languages evolve, but the language of the Noble Quran remains supreme.
The linguistic miracle of the Noble Quran can be understood and appreciated in two ways. The first is through inference. From the dozens of incidents related to the pagans of Makkah Mukarramah, and the impact of the Quran on their hearts, it is sufficient to understand the unmatched linguistic miracle of the Noble Quran.
The second way is to study the language and be able to appreciate – firsthand – the beauty of the Noble Quran. This will allow us to experience a taste of what the great Sahabi, Jubayr Ibn Mut’im radhiallahu anhu (and many others), experienced. Before his conversion to Islam, he was taken captive at the battle of Badr. He later recounted the following:
سمعت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يقرأ في المغرب بالطور فلما بلغ هذه الآية: {أم خلقوا من غير شيء أم هم الخالقون…} كاد قلبي أن يطير
“I heard the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam recite Surah Tur in the Maghrib Salaah. As he recited the verse, ‘Were they created from nothing or did they create themselves…’, it was as if my heart was about to fly.” (Bukhari, 4854) That was the moment that faith entered the heart of Jubayr Ibn Mut’im radhiallahu anhu.
Article by Moulana Mohammed Ali Desai
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