Hadith 944

أَخْبَرَنَا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ مُوسَى قال : حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ قال : حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : " بِئْسَمَا لِأَحَدِهِمْ أَنْ يَقُولَ نَسِيتُ آيَةَ كَيْتَ وَكَيْتَ بَلْ هُوَ نُسِّيَ اسْتَذْكِرُوا الْقُرْآنَ فَإِنَّهُ أَسْرَعُ تَفَصِّيًا مِنْ صُدُورِ الرِّجَالِ مِنَ النَّعَمِ مِنْ عُقُلِهِ " .
´It was narrated from Abdullah that:` The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "It is not right for any one of you to say: 'I have forgotten such and such a verse.' Rather, he has been caused to forget. Study the Qur'an, for it escapes from the heart of man faster than a camel escapes from its fetter. "
Hadith Reference سنن نسائي / كتاب الافتتاح / 944
Hadith Grading الألبانی: صحيح  |  زبیر علی زئی: متفق عليه
Hadith Takhrij «صحیح البخاری/فضائل القرآن 23 (5032) ، 26 (5039) مختصراً، صحیح مسلم/المسافرین 32 (790) ، سنن الترمذی/القراءات 10 (2942) ، (تحفة الأشراف: 9295) ، مسند احمد 1/382، 417، 423، 429، 438، سنن الدارمی/الرقاق 32 (2787) ، فضائل القرآن 4 (3390) (صحیح)»
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
944. Commentary:

➊ Two meanings have been stated for "it is a bad thing":

➊ If a person forgets a verse, he should not say: "I forgot (naseet)" but rather say: "I was made to forget (unsīt)". Because in the first expression, there is carelessness—as if he deliberately forgot the Qur'an, was negligent, did not give it importance, and considered it an ordinary matter. Whereas in the second expression, there is a tone of regret and apology, that "I tried my best to remember, but I was made to forget." Therefore, instead of the first expression, the second one should be used.

➋ The second meaning is that it is a very bad thing that a person should have to say: "I forgot such-and-such verse." Because this indicates his laziness, that he let himself forget it. In other words, such a situation should not arise at all where someone has to say: "I forgot such-and-such verse."

«نَسِيتُ» The prohibition of attributing forgetfulness (nisyān) to oneself by saying "I forgot" is so that a person does not become included among those whom Allah has condemned. The divine statement is: «﴿كَذَلِكَ أَتَتْكَ آيَاتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا وَكَذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ تُنْسَى﴾» [طه : 126 : 20]

"Just as Our verses came to you and you forgot them, so today (on the Day of Resurrection) you will be forgotten in the same way." Therefore, one should avoid saying such things. In any case, this also indicates a person's laziness and negligence towards the Qur'an.

➌ In this blessed hadith, it is stated that for the person who is lazy in reviewing and reciting the Noble Qur'an, the Qur'an becomes difficult for him. And this is not contrary to Allah's statement: «﴿وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ﴾», because whoever wishes to memorize and understand the Noble Qur'an, for him the Qur'an is easy; and for the one who is indifferent to it, it is difficult. And Allah knows best.

➍ When it is intended to prevent camels from running away, one of their front knees is tied. In this way, the camel walks with difficulty, but it keeps trying hard to free its knee. If it is not watched, it gradually slips its knee out of the rope and runs far away. Similarly, if the Noble Qur'an is recited regularly, it remains preserved in the chest. If one is lazy, it slips away from the chest.
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 944
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
The correspondence between the transmitted ahadith and the chapter is evident.
The memorization of the Qur’an is also from Allah Ta’ala, and forgetting it is likewise from Allah Ta’ala.
Striving is the task of the human being; therefore, every Muslim should continue striving to retain the Noble Qur’an. Those who memorize the Noble Qur’an and then abandon its recitation will find that the Qur’an departs from their minds. For such heedless individuals, there is a most severe warning, and it is obligatory upon such a person to revise some portion of the Noble Qur’an daily without fail.
Through this continuity, the Noble Qur’an will remain preserved in the mind, and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to recite the Noble Qur’an at all times, lest he forget it. However, Allah Ta’ala Himself has said that it is upon Him to gather it in your (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) chest and to enable its recitation upon your tongue. Thus, it is also obligatory upon the Ummah of Muhammad to recite the Noble Qur’an daily so that they do not forget it.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 5039
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:

Those individuals who memorize the Qur’an and then abandon its recitation, so that due to this negligence the Qur’an departs from their hearts, for such heedless people there is a most severe warning. On this basis, it is necessary for the honorable memorizers (huffaz) to recite some portion of the Noble Qur’an every day without fail.
Through this continuity, the Noble Qur’an will not be erased from the mind.


The person who says, “I have forgotten such-and-such verse,” is in effect admitting that he did not maintain the practice of reciting the Qur’an, which resulted in forgetfulness.
What could be a greater humiliation and disgrace than that he himself is confessing his own offense?
If, despite diligence and care, the Noble Qur’an is forgotten, then this is from Allah ta‘ala.
In this is an expression of Allah ta‘ala’s Lordship (rububiyyah) and one’s own servitude (‘ubudiyyah): that one attributes the forgetfulness to Allah ta‘ala, because despite effort, he was unable to retain the Qur’an. In any case, a person should strive to avoid adopting the causes of forgetfulness.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 5039
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
Because Allah alone is the Creator of all the actions of the servant, even though actions are also attributed to the servant.
The purpose is that by attributing (the action) to oneself, it is as if one retains one's own choice, that "I forgot," although in many hadiths the attribution of forgetfulness (nisyan) has been made by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to himself, and in the Noble Qur'an it is stated:
﴿رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا﴾ ()
(This explanation of the word "nasina" is related to the phrase "ayat keet wa keet.")
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 5032
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
ASHADDU TAFASSIYAN:
He runs away more swiftly or escapes more quickly.

(2)
‘UQUL:
Plural of ‘iqal,
knee-tie,
the rope with which the camel’s feet are bound.

(3)
TA‘AHADU:
Renew your commitment,
maintain a constant connection with it, that is, be regular in its recitation,
do not leave long intervals in between.
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 1842
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: (I forgot such-and-such verse)

From saying this, it is established that in forgetting the Noble Qur’an, a person himself is involved. He neglected the recitation of the Noble Qur’an and was careless and deficient in repeating it, and as a result of his inattentiveness and heedlessness, he forgot some part of the Noble Qur’an. Thus, this neglect and deficiency in reciting the Noble Qur’an, and not safeguarding and preserving it, is an extremely disliked act. Therefore, the main objective is not the dislike or reprehensibility of using this word itself, but rather the condemnation of those causes and reasons due to which there arose a need to say this word.

And (rather, he forgot) means that this is the punishment for his crime, fault, or for not safeguarding and preserving the recitation of the Qur’an. If he had not been negligent and heedless in this matter, he would not have received this punishment.

Just as a camel tries to break its rope and hobble so that it gets a chance to run away, in the same way, the Noble Qur’an desires to be safeguarded and attended to in its recitation; otherwise, it escapes from the chest of the memorizer.

Just as the owner of the camel makes every effort that the camel’s rope does not break, similarly, the memorizer should make every effort that there is no interruption in safeguarding and maintaining the recitation of the Qur’an, and that this continuity and connection is not broken.
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 1841
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation:
➊:
This prohibition is not a "prohibition of forbiddance" (nahi tahrimi),
rather, it is a "prohibition of undesirability" (nahi tanzihi), meaning:
One should not say such a thing, because by doing so, one is expressing one's own laziness and heedlessness towards the Qur'an.
Or, it means that one should not let such a situation arise that it becomes necessary to say this. In some narrations, the wording "I forgot" is also found,
therefore, the mentioned prohibition has been interpreted as "nahi tanzihi."
That is, refraining from this is better.

➋:
It is understood from this that the Qur'an should be recited and repeated frequently,
because just as the Qur'an is memorized quickly, it also leaves the mind quickly.
Therefore, it is necessary to recite and repeat the Qur'an frequently.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 2942
Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim bin Basheer
Benefit:
In this hadith, the importance of retaining the memorization of the Noble Qur’an after having memorized it is mentioned. Just as memorizing the Noble Qur’an is important, likewise, retaining it in memory is also very important. Therefore, a hafiz of the Qur’an should, for the sake of the Qur’an, especially set aside time without fail either before or after Fajr, so that he does not forget the Noble Qur’an. From this, it is also understood that forgetting any verse is not blameworthy. No person wishes that the Noble Qur’an be made to be forgotten by him; rather, man is very weak, and things that have been memorized are indeed forgotten. And when a person forgets any verse, he should say in this manner: “I have been made to forget such-and-such verse,” and forgetting is from Shaytan, because he does not want anyone to remember the Noble Qur’an.
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 92