Reading the Quran and contemplating it
4- Reading the Quran and contemplating it:
‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said,
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sent an army unit under the command of a man who used to lead his companions in the prayers and would finish his recitation with Surah Al-Ikhlaas:{Say (O Muhammad): "He is Allaah, the One."}[Quran 112:1] When they returned (from the battle), they mentioned that to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He said (to them):‘Ask him why he does so.’ They asked him and he said,‘I do so because it mentions the Attributes of The Most Merciful and I love to recite it (in my prayer).’ The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said (to them):‘Tell him that Allaah loves him.’"[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
When he loved this Surah (chapter), which the Attributes of Allaah The Almighty, He loved him. This is the required way of reading the Quran, i.e. along with contemplating the words of The One Whom you love.
Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,
Glory be to The One who made His speech the life of the hearts and the cure for chests. In general, the most beneficial remedy for the heart is to read the Quran and contemplate its meanings, as it comprises all the ranks of the people who took the path of Allaah The Almighty and statuses of the knowledgeable people. It also implants love and longing for Allaah The Almighty, as well as fear of and hope in Him, in addition to reliance on Allaah The Almighty and repentance to Him. Moreover, it implants satisfaction, submission, gratitude, patience, and all the conditions that are necessary for the life of the heart. On the other hand, it also deters one from all the misdeeds and evil qualities that spoil the heart and destroy it.
If people realized the benefits of reading the Quran with contemplation, they would be preoccupied with it to the exclusion of everything else. Therefore, when one reads with contemplation and then passes by a verse that he needs to cure his heart, he may repeat it even one hundred times in a night. Reading a single verse with contemplation is better than reading the whole Quran without contemplating its meanings. That is because this helps one establish faith firmly in the heart, and taste the sweetness of the Quran. This was the habit of the righteous predecessors, who sometimes used to repeat one verse until morning. It was narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, spent a night repeating the following verse until morning: {If You should punish them - indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them - indeed it is You who is The Exalted in Might, The Wise.}[Quran 5:118] Reading the Quran with contemplation is the source of uprightness and righteousness of the heart.[Miftaah Daar As-Sa‘aadah]
