Best Duration for Completing the Qur'an According to Authentic Ahadith

Authored by: Abu Yahya Ameenpuri ḥafiẓahullāh | Enhanced with Headings and Structure for Clarity

❖ Reciting the Qur'an in Three Days or More is Preferable​

The completion of the Qur'an in three days or more is recommended and considered optimal. This preference is rooted in several authentic narrations:

✿ Evidences from the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions​

① Dialogue Between the Prophet ﷺ and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr رضي الله عنه​

The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Fast three days in a month."
He replied: "I can do more than that."
This exchange continued until the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Fast every other day. Recite the Qur'an once every month."
He insisted he could do more, until the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Then complete it in three days."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1978)

② The Prophet ﷺ said:​

"He who completes the Qur’an in less than three days does not understand it."

(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1394; Tirmidhī: 2949; Ibn Mājah: 1347; Faḍā'il al-Qur'ān by Nasā’ī: 92 – Authentic chain)

Imam Tirmidhī رحمه الله graded this ḥadīth as ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.

③ Stages of Recommendation to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr رضي الله عنه​

The Prophet ﷺ initially commanded him to complete the Qur'an in forty days, then thirty, then twenty, then fifteen, then ten, and finally settled on seven days.

(Faḍā’il al-Qur’ān by Nasā’ī: 94; Mukhtaṣar Qiyām al-Layl by Marwazī, p. 66 – Authentic)

④ The Prophet ﷺ’s Clear Instruction​

"Recite the Qur'an in a month."
He responded, "I can do more," until the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Then complete it in seven days, and do not go beyond that."

(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5054; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1159)

⑤ Ḥadīth of ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها​

"I do not know that the Prophet ﷺ ever completed the Qur’an in a single night."

(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 746/139)

⑥ Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:​

"Complete the Qur’an every seven days."
(Faḍā’il al-Qur’ān by al-Firyābī: 131 – Authentic chain)

⑦ Practice of Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه in Ramadan​

His son said:
"He used to complete the Qur’an in three days during Ramadan, and weekly outside of Ramadan."

(Faḍā’il al-Qur’ān by al-Firyābī: 132 – Authentic chain)

❖ Predecessors' Practice of Completing Qur'an in Less Than Three Days​

Though not explicitly prohibited, the precedent from the early generations shows permissibility under certain conditions:

◈ Predecessors' Practice of Completing Qur'an in Less Than Three Days​

He recited the entire Qur’an in a single rakʿah of Witr.
(Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār by al-Ṭaḥāwī: 1/294; Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 2/34 – Reliable chain)

◈ 1. ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān رضي الله عنه​

Abū Jamrah would complete the Qur’an once or twice in a night. Ibn ʿAbbās advised:
"It’s better to recite one Sūrah with understanding than to rush through the entire Qur’an."
(al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī: 2/396 – Reliable chain)

◈ 2. Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه and Abū Jamrah​

He used to complete the Qur’an every two nights.

(Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd: 2/270; Sunan al-Dārimī: 3528 – Authentic)

◈ 3. Saʿīd ibn Jubayr رحمه الله​

He completed the Qur’an every 7 days, every 3 days in Ramadan, and daily during the last 10 nights.

(Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ by Abū Nuʿaym: 2/339 – Authentic)

◈ 4. Qatādah ibn Diʿāmah رحمه الله​

Completed it in 5 days, and once completed it in one night in Makkah.
(Faḍā’il al-Qur’ān by al-Firyābī: 139 – Authentic)

◈ 5. ʿAlqamah ibn Qays رحمه الله​

Completed the Qur’an every 2 nights in Ramadan and every 6 nights outside it.

(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/500 – Authentic)

◈ 6. Aswad ibn Yazīd رحمه الله​

Used to complete the Qur’an every night during Ramadan.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2/500 – Good chain)

◈ 7. ʿAlī al-Azdī رحمه الله​

Completed the Qur’an daily and nightly.

(Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd: 5/364 – Authentic)

◈ 8. Saʿd ibn Ibrāhīm رحمه الله​

Used to complete it once every day and night.

(al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl by Ibn Abī Ḥātim: 7/245)

◈ 9. Abū Hārūn al-Khazzāz رحمه الله​

Used to complete half the Qur’an nightly.
(Tārīkh Baghdād: 10/247 – Authentic)

◈ 10. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī رحمه الله​

Completed the Qur’an twice every day and night.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 4622)

◈ 11. Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Abū ʿAwn رحمه الله​

He stated:
"The appropriate duration depends on the individual's capacity for reflection and understanding. For those busy with scholarly or religious duties, it's better to limit to an amount that does not interfere with those obligations."

(al-Tibyān, p. 61; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 9/97; Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr: 1/81-82)

◈ 12. Ḥāfiẓ Nawawī رحمه الله​

"Many ḥadīth scholars completed the Qur’an in less than three days, indicating that it’s not impermissible."

(Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī: 4/63)

❖ The Virtue of Tartīl (Measured Recitation)​

As Imam Tirmidhī رحمه الله said:
"Tartīl (measured recitation) is preferred among the scholars."

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, under Ḥadīth: 2946)

❖ Conclusion​

Though the ideal and recommended minimum duration for completing the Qur’an is three days, as taught by the Prophet ﷺ, many righteous predecessors completed it in less time without neglecting understanding, reflection, or etiquette. Thus, reciting the Qur’an in less than three days is permissible for those capable of maintaining due reverence and reflection.