Is there a drawback to reciting the Quran with maqam (melodic mode)?

- How was the Quran recited during the period of the Prophet?
- How did the Prophet recite the Quran?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Qira’ah (Reciting/Reading) and Maqam (Melodic Mode):

During the period of the Prophet (pbuh), the Quran was recited with tajwid. The ones who recited the Quran in the best way, who applied the verses about it for the first time were the Prophet (pbuh) and the Companions.

All of the issues related to the Quran from its reading to understanding, from its interpretation to its application were studied and analyzed by Muslims with its all aspects due to the respect shown to the Quran throughout history. 

The recital/reading of the Quran was determined in detail by the science of "Qira’ah" and "tajwid". However, it has been disputed whether maqam (melodic mode) should be included or not in qira’ah. When it is taken into consideration that Islam is the religion of fitrah (creation/nature), that it is the most suitable religion for the nature of man and that man has a tendency toward beauty, music is the oldest, most common and most effective fine art.

Besides, it is seen that there is a superior harmony and fluency in the Quran. One of the elements that ensures it is the stops that is present with a nice harmony at the end of verses.   

On the other hand, the meaning indicated by the verses and hadiths regarding the issue is that it is permissible and it is even encouraged to ornament the recitation with nice voice and maqam as long as tajwid rules are observed. However, it is definitely not permissible to transform the recital of the Quran into a display of sound, to take maqam to forefront, to ignore rules of tajwid and to move away from the consciousness that what is recited is the word of Allah.   

To Read/Recite the Quran with Tajwid:

Tajwid lexically means to decorate something, to do something in a nice and beautiful way; terminologically, it means to pronounce a letter properly paying attention to its point of articulation in terms of strength, weakness, being voiced, being voiceless, plainness etc.; it is derived from the root "J-W-D".

There are various definitions of tajwid similar to one another. According to what is understood from those definitions, tajwid studies letters as a science. Since tajwid is a science regarding the recitation of the Quran, its topic is the Quran; that is, the words of the Quran and the letters that form those words. Tajwid, which deals with the state of the letters of the Quran, is a science that teaches how to read the Quran without mistakes. Accordingly, the purpose of tajwid is to prevent the tongue from making any kinds of mistakes while reading/reciting the divine words.   

Many scholars regard the science of tajwid as part of the science of qira’ah. However, it is regarded necessary to accept tajwid as a separate science since it has an important role related to reading the Quran in accordance with the wish of Allah and His Messenger. For, the topic of the science of qira’ah is the words of the Quran and that of tajwid is its letters.

The purpose of tajwid is to fulfill the following order of Allah:

"And recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones." (al-Muzzammil, 73/4)

Accordingly, the Quran needs to be read slowly by pronouncing the letters clearly so that the listeners will virtually be able to notice the letters. In this verse, it is stated that the Quran needs to be read in a nice way, harmoniously and clearly and that attention should be paid to the pronunciation and articulation points.  

Since the Quran is the word of Allah, it needs to be protected as it was sent down and read like that. According to what the scholars say, Allah ordered the Prophet in this verse to read the Quran with tajwid. Therefore, this order is valid for all Muslims. Zamakhshari states that the word "tartilan" in the verse was sent down in order to strengthen the obligation of the order and to show that tajwid is definitely necessary for the person who reads the Quran (Zamakhshari, Kashshaf, III/281).

Since the Quran was sent down by Allah with its words and meaning, it is necessary to pay attention to the arrangement of the words and meaning that form the integrity of the Quran. Since the Quran is in Arabic, it is necessary to read it in accordance with the characteristics of this language. Since it is necessary to read the Quran according to certain rules, tajwid, which means the sum of those rules in a sense, is an inseparable part of the recitation of the Quran.

Hz. Prophet (pbuh) gave great importance to the recitation of the Quran with tajwid; and he praised and complimented the people who read so. For instance, he stated the following for Ibn Mas’ud, a Companion who was famous for reading the Quran in a very nice way:

"Anyone who likes to read the Quran in the way that it was first sent down should read like the recitation of Ibn Mas’ud." (Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, 11, I, 49, no: 138)

The following words of Ibn Mas’ud are important in that they show the meticulousness of the Companions about observing tajwid:

"Read the Quran with tajwid; ornament it with nice voice and read it according to the rules of the Arabic language." (Ibnul-Jazari, an-Nashr fi, Qira’atil-Ashr, I, 210)

To sum up, the topic of tajwid is the letters that form the Quran and its purpose is to read the Quran without mistakes and in a nice way.

Answer 3:

According to the information coming from Umm Salama and Anas b. Malik,

"The Prophet (pbuh) read the Quranic words one by one; he stopped where it was necessary and he prolonged where it was necessary." (Bukhari, Fadailul-Qur'an 29)

Bara b. Azib said:

"I heard the Messenger of Allah reciting the chapter of at-Tin in the night (`isha') prayer, and I never heard a sweeter voice or a better way of recitation than that of the Prophet." (Bukhari, Adhan 102)

When the Prophet (pbuh) read the Quran to his Companions, he attracted attention to the meanings of the words and verses and tried to tell them the message given by the verses. Islamic scholars read every verse of the Quran by thinking and drawing lessons from them.  Do we read the Quran with its real meaning?

The Prophet (pbuh) was the first addressee of the Quran and he read the Quran for the first time. However, the one who taught the Prophet how to read the Quran is our Lord. The Prophet (pbuh) was not only ordered to read the Quran but was also given the duty to teach it to people. This duty is expressed as follows in a verse: 

“(It is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts from time to time), in order that thou mightest recite it to men at intervals: We have revealed it by stages.” (al-Isra, 17/106)

To do this, the Quran needs to be read through the heart with awe; the meanings of the verses need to be thought in depth in order to benefit from it as much as possible. Our Lord orders us to read the Quran like that:

“Do they not ponder on the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.” (an-Nis, 4/82)

“(Here is) a Book which We have sent down unto thee, full of blessings, that they may meditate on its Signs, and that men of understanding may receive admonition.” (Sad, 38/29)

According to a narration of Abu Dharr, one night, the Prophet (pbuh) repeated the following verse until the morning:

“If Thou dost punish them they are Thy servants: if Thou dost forgive them, Thou art the Exalted in power the Wise.” (al-Maida, 5/118)

Some Companions frequently repeated the verses that affected them and pondered on them for hours. Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır states the following regarding the issue:

“The people of the Quran do not read the Quran for fun. They read its words, meanings and decrees carefully, respectfully and continuously; they ask and learn what they do not know and understand from the people who know; they read it with good intentions, clean hearts and clean mouths. They do not read it as if it is entertainment. They do not treat it like a song, ode, novel or story. They read it with good manners and respect.”

Who is the Real Addressee of the Quran?

A person who reads the Quran should see himself as the full addressee of the Quran. He should know that every order and prohibition interests him directly since he started reading by understanding and thinking.

Hz. Ikrima, one of the Companions, read the Quran with such a consciousness that he said, “This is my Lord’s speech; this is my Lord’s speech.” Thus, he had the pleasure of being the addressee of his Lord. 

It is necessary to take lessons from what happened to previous prophets and ummahs while reading the Quran. It is necessary to take lessons by taking as an example  the patience and perseverance the prophets showed in the face of all kinds of problems and hardships.

The Prophet (pbuh) was a human being in all aspects. He was a child; he became a young man and then an adult. The elements that made him old were different. The causes of the traces of old age on him were different. It was not the burden of life, worldly affairs, his job and his family. He was the real addressee of the Quran. The Quran penetrated into his spirit and heart so much, affected him so much, transformed him into so many states that wrinkles occurred on his body.  

Once, Hz. Abu Bakr said to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh),

“O Messenger of Allah! You got old.”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“The chapters of Hud, al-Waqia, wal-Mursalatu, Amma yatasaaluna and Izash-shamsu kuwwirat made me old.” (Tirmidhi, at-Taj, 4:251; Kanzul-Ummal, 1:573)

These chapters narrate the horror and grandness of Doomsday and the horrible form of the universe when Doomsday strikes. As the Quran puts it, “A day that will make children hoary-headed” (al-Muzzammil, 17).

The Prophet (pbuh) felt the meanings of those verses in his spirit and said, “They made me old.”

The messages of the Verses about the Hereafter

The Prophet (pbuh) attracted the attention of the Companions to the meanings of the verses all the time. He encouraged them to understand the divine purposes.

Abu Hurayra narrates:

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) read the verse “On that Day will she (the earth) declare her tiding” (az-Zilzal, 4) and said, “Do you know what her tiding/news is?”

The Companions said, “Allah and His Messenger knows the best.”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said.

“The tiding/news of the earth is her witnessing about the deeds done by every man and woman on her; she will say, ‘On such and such a day such and such a person did this or that.’ This is the tiding of the earth.” (Tirmidhi, Tafsirul-Qur’an: 86)

The Prophet (pbuh) attracted the attention of the Companions to Doomsday, its horror and the things that would happen to man after Doomsday struck. He informed them about what the real news was and how man needed to get ready for these incidents.

Hz. Aisha narrates:

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) looked at the moon and said,

“O Aisha! Take refuge in Allah from its evil. For, when darkness settles, it will become very dark."

 (He explains verse three of the chapter of al-Alaq.) (Tirmidhi, Tafsirul-Qur’an: 92)

The Prophet (pbuh) looked at the moon as we did but his looking at the moon was different as it was the case with all of his glances. He stated that the bright and beautiful appearance of the moon would fade one day, that it would be dark and that it would lose its function like all ephemeral beings. For, the moon will not be able to maintain its existence and beauty when Doomsday strikes.

The Companions tried to learn something about the Quran from the Prophet (pbuh) all the time and on every occasion; when they learned something, they would practice it immediately. Their interest and priority, the issues they brought forward and dealt with were all within the framework of the Quran, about the Quran and in the line of the Quran.

The Prophet always found an occasion to teach the truths of the Quran to his Companions, who were his special students. When a gift was sent to him, he would tell them about the real meaning and beauty behind that gift. Once, some dates were brought to him. Look how he described believers acting upon those dates.

Anas b. Malik narrates:

Some fresh dates were brought to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in a wooden bowl made of palm tree. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) read the verse,

“Seest thou not how Allah sets forth a parable?― a goodly Word like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens.” Then, he said, “This is date-palm tree.” Then, he read the verse

“And the parable of an evil Word is that of an evil tree. It is torn up by the root from the surface of the earth: it has no stability.” Then, he said, “This is bitter apple (colocynth).” (Tirmidhi, Tafsirul-Qur’an: 15)

Important Secrets Behind Verses

We read the chapter of Yasin at various times and especially on Fridays. We usually read it without thinking about the meanings of the verses and without understanding the beauties they bring into our life. For instance, some verses related to the sun are in this chapter. The Prophet (pbuh) narrates the interpretation of verse 38 as follows:

Hz. Abu Dharr narrates:

Once, I was with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in the Mosque when the sun set. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“O Abu Dharr! Do you know where the sun goes after it sets?"

“Allah and His Messenger Allah know best,” said I.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “It goes to prostrate underneath (Allah's) Throne; it asks for permission to prostrate; then, it is given permission. The time when his prostration will not be accepted is near. At that time, it will ask for permission but permission will not be given. He will be addressed as follows: ‘Go back to the place where you came from. Rise from the place where you set.’ It will rise from the place where it set.”

Then, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) read the following verse:

“And the Sun runs his course for a period determined for him: that is the decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing.” (Yasin, 36/38)

Then, he added,

“Do you know when this stopping incident takes place? It is when belief will not be useful to a person, when he is faithless.” (Bukhari, Tafsir, Yasin: 1)

Quranic Glossary

Tajwid is a science that includes the rules to observe in order to read the Quran in a nice way. Reading the Quran in a nice way has an important place in the traditions of Muslims. The Prophet said, “Make the Quran beautiful with your voice.”

Muqabala means one person reading the Quran aloud and others following (listening to) him. Every year in Ramadan after the Quran started to be sent down, the Prophet (pbuh) and Hz. Jibril read the verses of the Quran that had been sent down up to that time to each other. This reading was repeated for 23 years. The tradition of reading muqabala in Ramadan, which is common among Muslims, is based on the reading of the Quran by the Prophet (pbuh) and Hz. Jibril to each other.

Khatm means to end something; reading the Quran from the start to the end based on a certain way is called khatm. 

Hifz: Memorizing the whole Quran is called hifz and the person who memorizes the Quran is called hafiz. The Prophet advised us to learn the Quran; he stated the following regarding the issue: 

“The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.”

* * *

Note: We advise you to read the following article called "The Prophet’s (pbuh) Way of Reading the Quran published in the periodical of Yeni Ümit (Issue: 77) written by Ali AKPINAR:

The Prophet (pbuh), who is the first addressee of the Quran, set the best example to us in terms of reading the Quran, understanding it and applying its decrees as he did it in all issues. We found it appropriate to present the way the Prophet (pbuh) read the Quran and his understanding of the Quran in items. For, the reading and understanding of the Quran by this unique person, who was the addressee of the Quran, is the first and most important reference regarding the issue.

a) Hz. Prophet is the first addressee of the Quran.

He is the first addressee of the Quran’s first order, "Proclaim! (or Read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created!" He made great efforts to read the Quran, to memorize and to understand it as its first addressee. He was very keen on reading and memorizing the Quran. He worked so hard regarding the issue that he was warned about it; he was always worried that he would miss something from the Quran, which was sent down to him. The following verses regarding the issue exist in the Quran:

"High above all is Allah, the King, the Truth! Be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation to thee is completed, but say ‘O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge.’" (Taha, 20/114)

"Move not thy tongue concerning the (Qur'an) to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it: But when We have promulgated it, follow thou its recital (as promulgated): Nay more, it is for Us to explain it (and make it clear):" (a-Qiyamah, 75/16-19)

"By degrees shall We teach thee to declare (the Message), so thou shalt not forget." (al-A'la, 87/6)

"Those who reject Faith say: ‘Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at once?’ Thus (is it revealed) that We may strengthen thy heart thereby, and We have rehearsed it to thee in slow, well-arranged stages gradually." (al-Furqan, 25/32)

b) He read the words of the Quran one by one, slowly, by thinking about the verses and by crying.

When he read a verse of mercy, he asked mercy from Allah; when he read a verse of torture, he took refuge in Allah from it. Reading like that was the order of the Quran:

"Half of it― or a little less, Or a little more; and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones." (al-Muzzammil, 73/3)

The verse above was understood as reading the words of the Quran one by one, slowly, by thinking about the verses, by explaining and interpreting them. 1

"(It is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts from time to time), in order that thou mightest recite it to men at intervals: We have revealed it by stages." (al-Isra, 17/106)

Fulfilling the order of Allah in the verse above, the Prophet (pbuh) read the Quran in a slow way (called “qira’atul-mufassara”) by pondering on the verses and understanding them. 2

Umm Salama stated the following while describing the qira’ah of the Messenger of Allah:

"His reading was clear, pronouncing the letters one by one."3

"When he read a verse of mercy, he asked mercy from Allah; when he read a verse of torture, he took refuge in Allah from it; when he read a verse of glorifying Allah, he glorified Allah." 4

The Prophet understood the message of the verses he read very well and he had the consciousness of responsibility to fulfill them. 

"The chapter of Hud and its brothers (al-Waqia, al-Haaqqa, al-Mursalat, an-Naba', at-Takwir, al-Ghashiya) made me old." 5

He expressed this fact clearly in the hadith above. These chapters include verses that describe how the nations that denied the truths and rebelled against Allah and His messengers were destroyed, the horrible moments of Doomsday, Day of Resurrection, day of Reckoning, Paradise and Hell. As a matter of fact, Ibn Abbas states that no verse harder than the verse

"Therefore stand firm (in the straight path) as thou art commanded" (Hud, 11/112)

was sent down and therefore, the Prophet said, "The chapter of Hud made me old." 6

The Messenger of Allah was a person who thought correctly and healthily, who had a clean and common sense before he became a prophet, too. He led a clean life like a prophet before he became a prophet too. However, with the Quran, he became perfect in all aspects. The verses of the Quran shaped his thought and attitudes. Thanks to the Quran, he learned his responsibilities toward Allah, himself and people in the shortest and truest way.

c) The Prophet allocated a certain time to read the Quran both during the day and at night.

He regarded it his duty to read a hizb 7 from the Quran every day. 8 He was addressed as follows by the Quran regarding the issue:

"O thou folded in garments! Stand (to pray) by night, but not all night― Half of it― or a little less Or a little more; and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones." (al-Muzzammil, 73/1-4)

d) Hz. Prophet read the Quran a lot on any occasion and anywhere; the Quran is a message that shaped the Prophet in terms of thought, faith, ethics and deeds.

He never got tired of reading the Quran; he never left the Quran; he read long chapters from the Quran. He read the Quran at home, in the market, while chatting and in prayers. He sometimes read the same verse the whole night. The Quran was his source, shelter and dhikr that he never stopped reading.  

The foundations of his message consisted of the verses of the Quran; He spoke based on the Quran. The verses of the Quran became his tasbih and wird. His day started with the Quran and ended with the Quran. He read and advised people to read the last verses of the chapter of al-Hashr after the morning (fajr) prayer and the last verses of the chapter of al-Baqara after the night (isha) prayer. In addition, there were Quranic wirds that he read daily throughout his life. He read the last verses of the chapter of Aal-i Imran, Ayatul-Kursiyy, Muawwizat (al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, an-Nas) at night.

According to what Hz. Aisha narrates, once, the Prophet read the last ten verses of the chapter of Aal-i Imran in tears and said, "Woe on the person who reads these verses but do not think deeply about them!" According to a narration from Abu Hurayra, it is stated that the Prophet read these last ten verses every night. 9

Hudhayfatul-Yaman narrates that the Prophet once read the chapters of al-Fatiha, al-Baqara, Aal-i Imran and an-Nisa (more than one hundred pages) in one rak’ah of tahajjud prayer. 10

According to a narration, once, the Prophet repeated the following verse all night: 11

"If Thou dost punish them they are Thy servants: if Thou dost forgive them, Thou art the Exalted in power the Wise!" (al-Maida, 5/118)

e) With the vast wisdom and foresight given to him, he understood the verses that he read in the way that divine will wants and explained it to people when there was an occasion.   

His explanations were short and concise. 12

f) The questions he was asked were answered by the verses of the Quran.

The best answers to the questions that the Prophet was asked existed in the Quran; and he answered them with verses from the Quran. 13 Abdullah b. Mas'ud, who was a distinguished Companion who was taught by the Prophet, said,

"He who wants the knowledge (science) of the past and future should study and analyze the Quran deeply." 14

It is remarkable that the words "asiru, falyusawwir" which mean, "scrutinize, analyze" are chosen in the narration. The root “swr”, from which these words are derived, means to plow the ground for agriculture, to cultivate, to grub. 15 Accordingly, a person who wants to acquire knowledge needs to plow the field of the Quran, to dig it, to grub it up and then harvest.

g) The Prophet practiced the Quran that he read and understood.

The divine speech became virtually visible and embodied on him. The Quran was understood in the best way in the person of the Prophet and put into practice. He explained the Quran with his words and deeds, setting the best example. The life of the Prophet was the embodied and personified form of the Quran. The ethics/life of the Prophet was the ethics of the Quran, that is, divine ethics. 16 The following determination of Jundub b. Abdillah is very interesting:

"We, young people, were together with the Prophet. We learned belief before learning the Quran. When we learned the Quran, our belief increased thanks to the Quran." 17

h) The Prophet liked listening to the Quran from others.

Once, the Prophet said to Abdullah b. Masud, "Read. Read the Quran to me. For, I like listening to the Quran from others."18

i) When he received the Quran from his Lord through Jibril and when he read it afterwards, he was in deep respect and awe; his respect to divine speech was obvious.   
Ibn Masud said he started to read from the chapter of an-Nisa as the Prophet wished.

"How then if We brought from each people a witness, and We brought thee as a witness against these people?" (an-Nisa, 4/41)

He said the Prophet (pbuh) started to shed tears when he read the verse above. 19

k) He took the first measures necessary for the determination of the Quran and determined it when he was alive.

Therefore, he wanted the Quran to be read on every occasion; he educated readers of the Quran and introduced scribes of revelation; he wanted everybody to read and write the Quran with campaigns of literacy.

In the month of Ramadan, the Prophet and Jibril read the verses of the Quran that were sent down up to that time to each other (muqabala). In the last Ramadan before his death, it was done twice (arda al-akhira). 20

It is stated that the people who do not read and understand the Quran and who do not act accordingly will be among those about whom the Prophet will complain to Allah as it is stated in the following verse:

"Then, the Messenger will say: ‘O my Lord! Truly my people took this Qur'an for just foolish nonsense.’" 21

In many hadiths, he encouraged people to read the Quran. Some of those hadiths are as follows:

"He who wants the knowledge (science) of the past and future should study and analyze the Quran deeply. "22

"The Quran is evidence for you (if you read and fulfill its orders) and evidence against you (if you do not read and do not fulfill its orders)." 23

The Prophet was asked what the most lovable deed was. He answered as follows:

"It is the deed done by a person who finishes his journey and starts again."

He was asked what that deed was. He answered as follows:

"That person reads the Quran from the beginning to the end; when he finishes, he starts again." 24

"A person who reads the Quran and acts accordingly will be addressed as follows in the hereafter:  'Recite, and rise up, recite (melodiously) as you would recite in the world. For indeed your rank shall be at the last verse you recited’" 25

"The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it." 26

"Indeed, the Quran is an intercessor and its intercession is accepted the most. It is a defender and its defense is accepted the most. If a person accepts it as the leader, it will take that person to Paradise. If a person throws it behind, it will drag him to Hell." 27

"Fasting and the Quran will intercede for a person. Fasting will say, 'O Lord! I prevented him from eating and drinking during the day; make me an intercessor for him.' The Quran will say, 'O Lord! I prevented him from sleeping at night. Please make me an intercessor for him.' Then, they will both intercede." 28

"Read the Quran as long as it keeps you away from its prohibitions. Otherwise, you are not regarded to have read it." 29

"Read the Quran and act in accordance with it. Do not turn your face away from it. Do not go astray through wrong interpretations. Do not use it as a means of sustenance/trade. Do not try to get rich through it." 30

The Prophet appointed the person who read and knew the Quran in the best way as the administrator/imam. 31 When the martyrs of Uhud were buried, he gave priority to the ones who knew the Quran better. 32

l) The Quran was not a book that could not be understood and practiced  for him and that could put him to trouble.

"And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition?" (al-Qamar, 54/17, 22, 32, 40)

"Ta Ha. We have not sent down the Qur'an to thee to be (an occasion) for thy distress But only as an admonition to those who fear (Allah)." (Taha, 20/1-3)

The Prophet (pbuh), who read the letters one by one so that the Quran would be determined and understood well, said a person who finished a khatm in fewer than three days would not understand anything from it 33; thus he emphasized that the real aim of reading the Quran was to understand it. In another hadith, he stated the following:   

"When one of you gets up at night and finds it hard to read the Quran and to know what he says due to sleep, he should quit reading and should lie for a while." 34

Thus, he attracts attention to the fact that it is necessary to read the Quran without being unaware of it.

Let us list the lessons we will take from the items above:

- We are the addressees of the Quran; we are obliged to read and understand it and to act accordingly.

- We should read the Quran on every occasion and be filled with the Quran so that we could think and live according to the Quran. If we do not set our agenda based on the principles of the Quran, we will not be able to save our brains and hearts from the slavery of others’ agenda. Those who do not arrange their lives according to the Quran will not be able to save themselves from the slavery of other thoughts.

- We should read the Quran slowly and by thinking and understanding. Each time we read the Quran, it should make us acquire new things, decorate us and build us.

- When we understand the Quran, we should be away from the approach of making the Quran say our thoughts; we should read and think in a Quran-centered way. We should make use of the accumulation of tafsir from the first period, especially that of the Prophet, to today. 

- When we understand the Quran, we should read it in materially and spiritually clean places and times, having the consciousness that it is the speech of Allah; we should show respect to His book and its recital.

- We should enrich the effort of reading and understanding the Quran by listening to it from others and studying it together with those who know it well. For, we can understand something that we miss while reading it alone when we listen to it from others or when we study it together with others.

- We should allocate a special time for reading the Quran and read it when we are energetic so that the verses of the Quran will build and revive our heart, brain, words and deeds. 

FOOTNOTES

1. see Tabari, Jamiul-Bayan, XXIX, 126; Qurtubi, al-Jami', I, 17; Suyuti, ad-Durrul-Mansur, VIII, 314; Zarkashi, al-Burhan, I, 456.
2. see Tirmidhi, Thawabul-Qur'an 23; Qur’an 1; Abu Dawud, Vitir 20,22; Nasai, Iftitah 83; Qiyamul-Layl 13; Ahmad, VI,294, 300, 323; Ibn Qayyim, Zadul-Maad, I, 482.
3. Tirmidhi, Thawabul-Qur’an 23; Abu Dawud, Salat 335; Nasai, Salat 83.
4. Darimi, Salat 69; Ahmad, V, 382, 384, 389, 394, 397.
5. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, II, 435; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 56/6; Hazin, Lubabut-Ta'wil, in the magazine, III, 296..
6. Hazin, Lubabut-Ta'wil, III, 367; Baydawi, Anwarut-Tanzil, III, 367.
7. Hizb: Prayer (dua) that is said at a certain amount every day, and that is always repeated.
8. see Tirmidhi, Fadailul-Qur’an 17.
9. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, I, 440-441. In the verses, the unique power of Allah in the creation of the earth and skies is mentioned and it is stated that it is necessary to ponder over these verses; in addition, the best examples of supplications are given. The rewards that will be given by Allah to those who say prayers and do good deeds are also mentioned; the chapter ends with the call of patience and taqwa to believers. 
10. Ahmad, Musnad, V, 284.
11. Ahmad, Musnad, V, l56.
12. For the examples regarding the issue, see Yıldırım, Suat, Paygamberimiz'in Kur’an Tefsiri, 138-196.
13. For the examples regarding the issue, see Yıldırım, Suat, Paygamberimiz'in Kur’an Tefsiri 151-179.
14. Tabarani, Mujamul-Kabir, 9/135; Haysami, Majmauz-Zawaid, 7/165.
15. Ibn Athir, an-Nihaya, I, 228-229.
16. see Muslim, Musafirun 139; Abu Dawud, Tatawwu 26; Tirmidhi, Birr 69; Nasai, Qiyamul-Layl 2; Ibn Majah, Ahkam 14; Darimi, Salat 165; Ahmad, VI, 54, 91, 111, 163,188,216.
17. Ibn Majah, Muqaddima 9.
18. Bukhari, Fadailul-Qur’an 32, 33, 35; Muslim, Musafirun 247; Tirmidhi, Tafsir-Nisa; Abu Dawud, Ilm 13.
19. Bukhari, Fadailul-Qur’an 32, 33, 35; Muslim, Musafirun 247; Tirmidhi, Tafsir-Nisa; Abu Dawud, Ilm 13.
20. Bukhari, Fadailul-Qur’an 7; Muslim, Fadail 50.
21. Al-Furqan 30; see Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, III, 317; Qasimi, Tafsir, XII, 575.
22. Ali al-Muttaqi, at-Taj, I, 548.
23. Muslim, Tahara 1; Tirmidhi, Daawat 85; Nasai, Zakat 1; Ibn Majah, Tahara 5; Darimi, Wudu 2; Ahmad, V, 342, 343.
24. Tirmidhi, Qur’an 11; Darimi, Fadailul-Quran 33.
25. Tirmidhi, Thawabul-Qur’an 18; Ahmad, II, 192, 471.
26. Ahmad, I, 58; Bukhari, Fadailul-Qur’an 21; Abu Dawut, Witr 14; Tirmidhi, Thawabul-Quran 15; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima 16.
27. Munawi, Faydul-Qadir,IV, 535.
28. Ahmad b. Hanbal, II, 174.
29. see Munawi, Faydul-Qadir, I, 152.
30. see Munawi, Faydul-Qadir, II, 64.
31. Ahmad, Musnad, iV, 218.
32. Bukhari, Janaiz 73-75.
33. see Tirmidhi, Qiraah 12; Abu Dawud, Ramadan 8-9; Ibn Majah, Ikamah 178; Darimi, Salat 173; Ahmad, Musnad, II, 164-165.
34. Nasai, Fadailul-Qur’an, 107; Muslim, Musafirun 223; Abu Dawud, Tatawwu 18; Ibn Majah, Ikamah 184; Ahmad, II, 318; Ibn Athir, an-Nihaya, III, 187.

For more detailed information, see:

- İsmail Karaçam, Kur’an-ı Kerim'in Faziletleri ve Okunma Kaideleri.
- Abdurrahman Çetin, Kur’an Okuma Esasları.

Questions on Islam