The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it to others.’1 And then there is this hadith: ‘Verily God elevates a people by this Book and debases others by it.’2
These hadiths probably go some way in explaining why Muslims – and what some still call the Muslim world – are in the plight and predicament they are in. In his work on miscellaneous spiritual benefits entitled, al-Fawa’id, Ibn al-Qayyim describes five ways in which the Qur’an can be ignored, neglected or even deserted! It is only by being aware of these ways can we offer a candid response to: Have we parted company with the Qur’an? So if not the fear of God, then curiosity alone should make this essential reading.
♦
هَجَرُ الْقُرْآنُ أَنْوَاعٌ:
أَحَدُهَا هَجْرُ سَمَاعُهُ وَالْإِيمَانُ بِهِ وَالْإِصْغَاءُ إِلَيْهِ.
وَالثَّانِي هَجْرُ الْعَمَلُ بِهِ وَالْوُقُوفُ عِنْدَ حَلَالِهِ وَحَرَامِهِ وَإِنْ قَرَأَهُ وَآمَنَ بِهِ.
وَالثَّالِثُ هَجَرَ تَحْكِيمَهُ وَالتَّحَاكُمُ إِلَيْهِ فِي أُصُولِ الدّينِ وَفُرُوعِهِ وَاعْتِقَادُ أَنَّهُ لَا يُفِيدُ الْيَقِينَ وَأَنَّ أَدِلَّتَهُ لَفْظِيَّةٌ لَا تَحْصّلُ الْعِلْمَ.
وَالرَّابِعُ هَجْرُ تَدَبّرْهُ وَتَفَهّمُهُ وَمَعْرِفَةُ مَا أَرَادَ الْمُتَكَلّمُ بِهِ مِنْهُ.
وَالْخَامِسُ هَجْرُ الِاسْتِشْفَاءَ وَالتَّدَاوِي بِهِ فِي جَمِيعِ أَمْرَاضِ الْقَلْبِ وَأَدْوَائِهَا فَيُطْلَبُ شِفَاءُ دَائِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ وَيَهْجُرُ التَّدَاوِي بِهِ.
وَكُلُّ هَذَا دَاخِلٌ فِي قَوْلِهِ {وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًاً } وَإِنْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الْهَجْرِ أَهْوَنَ مِنْ بَعْضٍ.
‘Parting company with the Qur’an is of various types:
‘Firstly, refusing to listen to it and believe in it or to pay any heed to it.
‘Secondly, ceasing to act on it or abide by what it declares as lawful or unlawful, even if one reads it and believes in it.
‘Thirdly, to abandon judging by it or being judged by it, be it in the foundations of the faith or its branches; and to believe that it does not beget certainty or that its textual wordings do not beget sure knowledge.
‘Fourthly, neglecting to ponder over it or comprehend it; not seeking to uncover what the Speaker intended by it.
‘Fifthly, to abandon seeking cure or healing through it in respect to the diseases of the heart and its maladies, but rather to seek healing for such illnesses from other than it.
‘All this is included in God’s words: And the Messenger will say: “O my Lord! My people have abandoned this Qur’an!” [Q.25:30] This being the case, even though certain forms of abandonment are more detestable than others.’3
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1. Al-Bukhari, no.5027.
2. Muslim, no.817.
3. Al-Fawa’id (Makkah: Dar ‘Alam al-Fawa’id, 2008), 118.
SubanAllah!
Parting company with the Qur’an is of various types: I ask the question,
what catagory of people are those who only see the Quran on weddings ( for barakah) and funerals ( for khatams)!
What indeed! May Allah save us and guide us to love of Him, and His Book.
Excellent mashAllah! But doesnt avoiding to spread its message come under this category?
Avoiding to spread the message: possibly.
Or maybe it’s included in acting on it – since da‘wah is a prescribed act for Muslims?
Maashallah a goodly reminder to us all, the importance of the Glorous Quraan.
Jazak Allah Khair
May Allah reward you with goodness too: And remind, for reminding benefits the believers. [51:55]
It’s sad & it is a fact that we have parted with the Quran as our companion. Not because most of us do not read it; it’s because most of us do not ponder and neither do we contemplate. We tend to read(with understanding) all the books in the world but with Quran it’s stuck in our throats just with the art of reciting. May Allah remove us from this state of ‘Negligence’.
Seriously, our state is obnoxious; every Eid the sense of guilt is increasing within me. It hurts to even wish ‘Eid Greetings’ witnessing the bloodshed of our brothers and sisters around the world. May Allah deliver the Muslims with HIS BLESSINGS.
Your article should make most of us ponder….InshaAllah.
Amin.
Pondering the plight of us Muslims can be painful, for sure. Yet let our souls be soothed by the fact that all is unfolding according to the divine plan.