On Reciting the Qur'an

Pearl of Wisdom

was asked about jihad, as to whether it was a recommended act or an obligatory one, to which he replied, 'jihad comes in four forms, two of which are obligatory, one of which is recommended but can only be undertaken withan obligation, and one which is recommended. The first obligatory jihad is that which a man wages against his own self in keeping away from acts of disobedience to Allah. This is one of the greatest forms of jihad. Waging jihad against those disbelievers who persecute you is also an obligation. As for the jihad which is recommended but can only be undertaken withan obligation is to fight the enemy, which is an obligation upon the whole community, and which if they abandon, they are all Punishable for it. It is a recommendation upon an Imam, the limit of which is to come and face the enemy and fight them with his community. As for the jihad which is recommended, it is [embodied in) every recommended practice which a person performs and strives in its performance, its completion and its revival. Such an act, and the stnvmg to perform it is one of the best deeds because it is a revival of the Prophetic practice, and the Prophet (SAWA) has said, 'Whoever establishes a good habitual practice, he will get his own reward for it as well as the reward of whoever performs it after him until the Day of Resurrection, without any decrease in their reward thereof.'

Imam Hussain ibn Ali al-Shahid [as]

Tuhaf al-'Uqul, p. 243

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Library » The Lantern of the Path » On Reciting the Qur'an

On Reciting the Qur'an

Whoever recites the Qur'an and does not humble himself before Allah, whose heart is not softened, nor regret and fear provoked within him, undervalues the immensity of Allah's affair and is in a clear state of loss.

The person who recites the Qur'an needs three things: a fearful heart, a tranquil and receptive body, and an appropriate place to recite. When his heart fears Allah, then the accursed Satan flees from him. As Allah said,

When you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan. (16:98)

When he frees himself of all attachments, then his heart is devoted to recitation, and nothing impedes him from obtaining the blessing of the light of the Qur'an and its benefits. When he finds an empty place and withdraws from people, having acquired the two qualities of humility of heart and tranquility of body, then his soul and his innermost being will feel communion with Allah, and he will discover the sweetness of how Allah speaks to His right-acting bondsmen, how He shows His gentleness, to them and singles them out for all the varieties of His marks of honour and wondrous signs. If he drinks a cup of this drink, he will never prefer any other state to this nor any other moment to this. He will prefer this to every act of obedience and devotion, since it contains intimate conversation with the Lord, without any intermediary.

So beware of how you read the Book of your Lord, the guardian to whom you aspire, how you respond to His commands and avoid His prohibitions, and how you observe His limits, for it is a mighty Book: Falsehood shall not come to it from before it nor from behind it,

a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One. (41:42)

Therefore recite it in an orderly manner and contemplatively and adhere to the limits of His promise and His threat. Reflect on its examples and warnings. Beware of paying undue respect to the recitation of its letters while failing to observe the legal limits contained therein.

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