To be sure, if one who memorizes the Qur'an does not revise it frequently and consistently, he will forget the portions he memorized, for the Qur'an escapes quickly from the breasts of men. And for this reason, we must study and recite it as frequently as possible. Ibn 'Umar [RA] reported the that Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said:
"The example of the companion of the Quran is that of an owner of a tied camel: if he is vigilant over it, he will hold on to his camel; if he releases it, it will go away. "[Bukhari].
And from the hadeeth of Abu Musa [RA], the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said:
"Maintain the Qur'an [by revising it frequently], for by the One who has my soul in His Hand, it goes away more intensely than do camels from their hobble. "[Bukhari]
Don't say, "I forgot"; instead, Say, "I was made to forget." One night, when he heard a man reciting a chapter of the Qur'an, the Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said:
"May Allaah have mercy on him, for he has indeed reminded me of such and such verse, which I was made to forget, from such and such surah". [Muslim]
In another hadeeth, the Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said:
"Wretched is it for one of them to say, 'forgot such and such verses'; rather he was made to forget it" [Bukhar]
[some scholars have said that one says this 'I was made to forget" to recognize that he is being punished for not revising and maintaining the verse [or verses] as well as he should have done.
It is compulsory to contemplate the Qur'an
There are a number of revealed texts in which we are called upon to contemplate the verses of the Qur'an. Allaah says;
Do they not then consider the Qur'an carefully? Had it been from other than AIlaah, they would surely have found therein much contradictions" [4:82]
Ibn As-Sa'dee explained that contemplating the Qur'an means to contemplate the meanings, reflect on its teaching, aims, and wisdom. Contemplating the Ourans to and fountain-head of all knowledge. It is through the contemplation of the Qur'an that one's Eemaan [faith] increases in his heart. In contemplating the Qur'an, one becomes acquainted with his Lord, His perfect qualities and those qualities of perfection that He is far above from having. Furthermore, one learns how to worship Allaah and become able to distinguish between the people of righteousness and the people of evil. And the more one reflects on the Qur'an, the more will one's knowledge, foresight, and practical application of the religion increase. So important is it to contemplate the Qur'an that Allaah did not only encourage us to do so, but informed us that it is the purpose behind the Qur'an being revealed;
"[This is] a Book [the Qur'an] which we have sent that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember" [Q 38:29]
The way of the Companions of the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] is such that they would take ten verses from the Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] at a time.
Then they would not move on to the next ten until they learned the knowledge and the application of the ten they had with them. They said:
"And so we learned knowledge and action" [Musnad Imam Ahmad]
ONLY THE PURIFIED MAY TOUCH THE QUR'AN
This ruling is based on the saying of Allaah;
'Which [that Book with AIlah] none can touch but the Purified [i.e. the Angels)" [Q 56:79]
The Prophet .: [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] sent an important letter to 'Amr bn Hazm; it contained, in addition to other matters, legal rulings pertaining to inheritance law and punishments for crimes. In that letter is written,
"And that none touch the Qur'an except for the purified. "[Malik]
Question: Is it permissible for one who is in a state of impurity to hold the Qur'an via a barrier, such as a piece at cloth of the cloth of one's garment? Answer: Yes, one may hold the Qur'an via a barrier, because in doing so, one is not physically touching the Qur'an. Shaykh al-Islam issued this ruling and said that it applies regardless whether the cloth used is that of a man, woman, or child, and regardless of whether one holds it from above or below. And Allaah knows best.
Although it is permissible to carry the Qur'an in one's pocket, it is not permissible for one to carry it when one enters the toilet. Before entering the toilet, one should leave It in an appropriate place, so as to show honour and veneration for the Qur'an. But if one is forced to enter with it because he fears that, left outside, it will be stolen, he is allowed to take it into the washroom with him, for there is a necessity in this case.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited