Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself recited the Qur’an to Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (radi Allahu anhu), and he listened to it from Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (radi Allahu anhu). From this, it is understood that both reciting the Qur’an to others and listening to it from others are excellent and lofty deeds. And when Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (radi Allahu anhu) reached that verse in Surah al-Nisa in which the exalted status of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is mentioned—that he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) will be a witness over his Ummah or will affirm the testimony of all the communities—then the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was moved to tears by the conditions of the Day of Resurrection, the severity and terror of the Plain of Gathering, and his compassion and mercy for his Ummah. From this, it is understood that the Qur’an should be listened to with reflection, contemplation, and deep thought, so that a person is affected by its subjects, and so that burning passion, tenderness, and softness of heart are produced, which can only be expressed in the form of weeping.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
In listening to the Qur’an from another person, there is the benefit that the listener engages in more reflection and contemplation, and he pays greater attention to the recitation compared to the reciter, because the reciter is occupied with the recitation itself and its rules.
➋
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did this so that listening to the Qur’an would become a Sunnah (established practice).
➌
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) recited the Qur’an to some of the Companions in order to teach them the articulation points of the letters and proper pronunciation, just as he recited the surah (فِي آذَانِهِم) to Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (radi Allahu anhu) and said:
“Allah, the Exalted, has commanded me to recite to you.”
Upon hearing this honor, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (radi Allahu anhu) began to weep with joy.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Manaqib al-Ansar, Hadith: 3809)

Hadith Commentary:

Muhammad bin Yusuf narrated to us, he said that Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah narrated to us, from A‘mash, from Ibrahim, from ‘Ubaidah, and from Abdullah bin Mas‘ud radi Allahu anhu, who said: The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to me, “Recite the Qur’an to me.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam! Should I recite it to you, while it has been revealed to you?”
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Yes, recite it.”
So I recited Surah An-Nisa. When I reached the verse: “So how will it be when We bring from every nation a witness, and We bring you as a witness against these?” (), the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “That is enough now.”
I looked towards him, and I saw that the eyes of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam were flowing with tears.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
If the listener says to the reciter to stop now, there is no aspect of disrespect towards the Noble Qur’an in this; rather, it is established from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
At this point, you took this step in order to reflect and to draw the attention of others.

➋
In this, the terrors of the Day of Resurrection are described.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) wept while envisioning the scenes of the Day of Resurrection.
This was an indication that one should reflect deeply at this point,
because this matter will be extremely dreadful.
And Allah is the One whose help is sought.

Hadith Commentary:
You wept because you will have to bear witness regarding what the Ummah has done.
Some have said that your weeping was out of joy, since you will be a witness over all the prophets.
The translation of the verse has already been mentioned above.

Hadith Commentary:
1.
The hadith scholars have mentioned three reasons for the weeping of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
➊
Since the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) will have to bear witness, and the decision will be made based on his testimony, and he will also be an intercessor (shafi‘), he wept remembering the sinners of his ummah.
➋
On one hand, due to extreme happiness at the virtue granted by Allah Ta‘ala, and on the other, as an expression of utmost gratitude for this bounty from Allah Ta‘ala, tears flowed.
➌
He wept at the thought of the terrors of that Day which are mentioned in this noble verse, i.e., on that Day, the Prophets (‘alayhim as-salam) will be presented as witnesses either in favor of or against their communities.
2.
It is also understood from this hadith that listening to the Qur’an from others is more conducive to reflection, whereas reciting oneself does not lead to as much contemplation.
From this, the virtue of Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (radi Allahu anhu) is also evident.

Hadith Commentary:
Kaff and amsik both have the same meaning, that is, "stop" or "hold back."
In the verse, it refers to that moment on the Day of Resurrection when the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) will be presented to bear witness over his ummah.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Weeping during the recitation of the Qur’an is a characteristic of the gnostics (ʿārifīn), the way of the perfected ones (kāmilīn), and the emblem of the righteous (ṣāliḥīn). Allah the Exalted has said:
“Indeed, those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall upon their faces in prostration (and weeping overtakes them).”
(Qur’an, Banī Isrā’īl: 17:109)

➋
Imam Ghazali (rahimahullah) has stated that weeping during the recitation of the Qur’an is a recommended (mustahabb) act.
The method for this is that, during the recitation of the Qur’an, one should bring about a state of sorrow and fear in the heart, and by recalling in the mind the warnings and severity mentioned in the Qur’an, one should reflect on where one has fallen short. If this state does not arise, then one should weep over oneself, for this is a great calamity.
(Fath al-Bari: 9/123)

In another narration, there is further detail: Hazrat Muhammad bin Fadalah (radi Allahu anhu) said:
One day, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) went to the tribe of Banu Zufar, accompanied by Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ud (radi Allahu anhu) and other noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in).
He instructed a reciter to recite the Noble Qur’an, so he began its recitation.
When he reached the aforementioned verse, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was overtaken by weeping, to the extent that he placed his hands on both sides of his beard and his cheeks, and said:
“O Allah! I bear witness regarding those among whom I am present.
Then what will be the state of those whom I have not seen?”
(Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim, Hadith: 3584; and Fath al-Bari: 9/124)

Explanation:

1:
“So what will be the case when We bring from every nation a witness, and We bring you as a witness over these people” (: an-Nisa 41).

Benefits and Issues:
➊
Listening to and reciting the Noble Qur’an is the most excellent form of admonition,
provided that a person is acquainted with its understanding.

➋
The reason for the weeping of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was most likely
that he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) will be a witness over the Ummah,
while it is unknown with what kind of deeds the people will come.
The translation of the noble verse is as follows:
“Then what will be their state
when We bring a witness from every nation,
and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness over these people?”

Benefits and Issues:

➊ Just as the recitation of the Qur’an is a great virtue, likewise listening to the Qur’an is also necessary.

➋ The recitation of the Qur’an has a special spiritual effect upon the heart.

➌ It is necessary to learn and understand the translation of the Qur’an so that the recitation may have its proper effect upon the heart.

➍ The real purpose of reciting or listening to the Noble Qur’an is to strive to shape one’s life according to it.

➎ In the verse mentioned in the hadith, a scene from the Day of Resurrection is presented. And the Day of Resurrection itself is a subject full of admonition. It is necessary that this topic be given importance in sermons and exhortations.

Benefit:
In the first hadith, the permissibility of listening to the Noble Qur’an from someone less virtuous is established. There are certain objectives in listening to the Noble Qur’an from another, such as:
➊ So that one may reflect more deeply upon the Noble Qur’an.
➋ To present the Noble Qur’an to another and thereby establish the Sunnah.
The Ummah has abandoned reflecting upon the Noble Qur’an; otherwise, the Ummah would never have reached the state it is in today. The Noble Qur’an is as lofty a book as it is, yet the Muslim Ummah has distanced itself from it to the same degree. Weeping upon hearing the Noble Qur’an is correct and is a sign of the fear of Allah.

In the commentary of this verse, Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf rahimahullah writes: In every Ummah, its Prophet will bear witness before Allah, saying, “O Allah! We conveyed Your message to our people; now, if they did not accept it, what fault is ours?” Then, over all of them, the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will bear witness, saying, “O Allah! These noble Prophets alayhimus-salam are truthful.” He will give this testimony because of this Qur’an which was revealed to him sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in which the stories of previous Prophets and their nations have also been mentioned as needed. This will be a very severe moment; merely imagining it is enough to make one tremble.

Some people say that only one who has seen everything with his own eyes can bear witness, and thus they interpret “shaheed” (witness) to mean “present and observing.” In this way, they assert that the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is “present and observing” everywhere. However, to believe the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is “present and observing” is to associate him in an attribute of Allah, which is shirk, because “present and observing” is an attribute exclusive to Allah alone. Their argument from the word “shaheed” holds no weight, because testimony can also be based on certain knowledge, and whose knowledge can be more certain than the facts and events mentioned in the Qur’an? On the basis of this certain knowledge, the Qur’an itself has called the Ummah of Muhammad «شهـداء على الناس» (witnesses over all mankind). If being “present and observing” were necessary for testimony, then every individual of the Ummah of Muhammad would have to be considered “present and observing.” In any case, this belief regarding the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is polytheistic and baseless. (Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan, pp. 239–240)

The second hadith is a supplement to the first hadith; in it, there is some further addition, from which it is established that the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has passed away, and it is also known that neither during his lifetime was he present and observing everywhere, nor is he after his passing. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself negated this. Only Allah is the Watcher over all His servants.