The Ruling on Magic in Islam

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

All Praise is due to Allaah (ta'ala), the Forgiver of Sins, the Acceptor of Repentance; may He send salutations and exalt the mention of the seal of all Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam), his family and all his companions. 

Due to the increase in the number of magicians and fortunetellers lately, those who claim the ability to cure people by the use of magic and fortunetelling, and due to their spread in some of the Muslim countries and the way they take advantage of some simple-minded, ignorant people, it became necessary for me to clarify the great danger of these people on Muslims and Islaam, for it entails becoming attached to other than Allaah (ta'ala) and disobeying His commands and the command of the Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam). 

It is permissible to seek treatment of any sickness, and a Muslim may go to a physician for diagnosis for any type of disease and use the required Islamically lawful treatment prescribed for that. This is a means which does not contradict reliance on Allaah (ta'ala), and Allaah (ta'ala) is The One Who created sicknesses as well as their cures. He granted the knowledge of these cures to whomever He willed, and He did not place cures in anything which He prohibited. Therefore, it is not permissible for a sick person to seek the help of fortunetellers who claim the knowledge of Unseen. It is also prohibited to believe anything they tell him, for they only conjecture or use the Jinn to help them in their fortunetelling and magic. These people are disbelievers and misguided if they claim this knowledge of the Unseen. 

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever goes to a magician or a fortuneteller and believes in what he tells him disbelieves in what has been revealed to Muhammad." 

(Ahmad) 

The Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) also said 

"Whoever goes to a soothsayer or a fortuneteller and consults him, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days." 

(Muslim) 

'Imraan Ibn Husayn narrated that the Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: 

"He is not one of us who believes in evil omens or talismans, who goes to a fortuneteller, or goes to a sorcerer. Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and believes in what he says has disbelieved in what has been revealed upon Muhammad (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam}. " 

(Al-Bazzaar) 

These narrations warn against going to fortunetellers, soothsayers or magicians, asking them or believing what they say. One should not be deceived by fact that some of what they say is true, nor should they be deceived when they see the large number of people who seek their help. These masses are ignorant and should not be an example to imitate. The Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) forbade going to them or believing their words due to the great evil resulting from these people, and because they are liars. 

The narrations also indicate the disbelief of fortunetellers and magicians because they claim the knowledge of the Unseen, and this is a clear act of disbelief. These people cannot achieve their objectives without the help of the Jinn whom they worship besides Allaah (ta'ala), and the one who believes them in their claim of knowing the Unseen is exactly like them, and the Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) disowns him. A Muslim should not submit to what they claim to be his treatment, such as the humming sounds they make and the words they use which are like riddles, and other things they do; anyone who accepts what they do is in fact aiding them in their falsehood and disbelief. 

It is also prohibited for any Muslim to go to them inquiring about the one whom his son or relative should marry, or whether or not they will be a happy couple, because such things are the Unseen which only Allaah (ta'ala) knows. Magic is a prohibited act of disbelief, as Allaah (ta'ala) says regarding the two angels what means, 

"But neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us). And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah's Leave. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they but knew." 

(Al- Baqarah: 102) 

This verse proves that magic is an act of disbelief, and that magicians separate a man from his wife. It also proves that magic has no real effect and that Allaah (ta'ala) is the only One Who causes harm and can benefit people. Unfortunately, the harm of magicians, who inherited this knowledge from the polytheists, has increased and they were able to trick the weak-minded people. 

The verse also proves that those who learn magic actually learn that which harms them and does not benefit them, and that they will have no share (in reward) with Allaah (ta'ala) on the Day of Resurrection. This is indeed a terrifying warning which indicates the great loss in this life and the Hereafter, and that these people sold themselves for the cheapest price. That is why Allaah (ta'ala) dispraised them, saying what means, "And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they but knew." (Al- Baqarah:102) 

Allaah (ta'ala) legislated for His slaves things by which they can protect themselves against magic before it happens. He also clarified how they can treat themselves, out of His Mercy and Kindness, and as a way of completing His Bounties. The following are some of these ways of protection against magic before it happens, as well as the cure for magic after it afflicts people using Islamicaly lawful ways. 

Protecting Oneself with Qur'aan and The Prophetic Supplication

One of the most important ways to prevent magic before happening is protecting oneself with Qur'aan and the prophetic supplication, like reciting the verse of the throne {Aayat ul- Kursi} where Allaah (ta'ala) says what means, 

"Allaah! Laa ilaaha ilia Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists). Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never encompass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great" 

(Al-Baqarah:255)

This verse should be recited after each obligatory prayer after the regular recommended supplications, and also at bedtime. This verse is the greatest verse in the entire Qur'aan. 

Also, reciting 

"Say: He is Allaah, (the) One. Allaah [As-Samad] — the Self Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks)]. He begets not, nor was He begotten, And not for Him any[one] equivalent." 

(Al-Ikhlaas:l-4) 

"Say: I seek refuge with (Allaah), the Lord of the daybreak. From the evil of what He has created. And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness (or the moon as it sets or goes away). And from the evil of those who practice witchcraft when they blow in the knots, And from the evil (of) an envier when he envies." 

(Al-Falaq:l-5) 

and

"Say: I seek refuge with (Allaah) the Lord of mankind. The King of mankind — The Ilaah (God) of mankind. From the evil of the whisperer (devil who whispers evil in the hearts of men) who withdraws (from his whispering in one's heart after one remembers Allaah (ta'ala)). Who whispers in the breasts of mankind. Of jinn and men, " 

(An- Naas:l-6) 

once after each obligatory prayer, but thrice after the dawn and sunset prayer. 

Moreover, one should recite the last two verses of Al-Baqarah, where Allaah (ta'ala) says what means,

"The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) 'We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers' — and they say, 'We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all). Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. 'Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Mawlaa (Patron, Supporter and Protector) and give us victory over the disbelieving people'." 

(Al-Baqarah: 285-286) 

The Prophet (H)said, 

"He who recites the Aayat ul-Kursi (the verse of the throne) at night will continue to be guarded by Allaah (ta'ala), and Satan will not come close to him." 

He (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) also said, 

"It is sufficient (as a protection from all evil) for a person to recite the last two verses of chapter Al-Baqarah at night."

Also, exerting extra efforts in taking refuge in the perfect words of Allaah (ta'ala) from the evil He has created during daytime or night time, or when he arrives into a new place (during travel) whether by land, air or sea, as the Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, 

"He who arrives into a place (to rest during traveling) and says, 'A'oodhu bi Kalimaat-illaah-it-Taamaat min sharri maa khalaq (I take refuge in the perfect words of Allaah (ta'ala) from the evil that He has created),' will not be harmed until he departs that place."

The Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) encouraged us to say three times in the early part of the day (before sunrise) and in the evening,
"Bismillaah-illadhi laa yaduru ma'ismihi shayun fil-ardi wa laa fis- samawaati wa huwas-Samee'-ul-'Aleem (By the name of Allaah with whose name nothing is harmed on earth nor in the heavens, and He is The All-Hearing All-Knowing)." and said that these words will protect him from all evil. 

Supplications and Qur'aan are the best way to prevent the evil of magic and other evils, provided that one regularly adheres to saying them with sincerity and truly relies on Allaah (ta'ala) and depends on Him. They are also a great weapon to remove magic spells after they happen, in addition to humbling oneself to Allaah (ta'ala) asking Him to remove the evil and harm from you. 

There are authentic supplications said by the Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) to cure from magic and sickness in general, such as the one he used with his companion,
"Allahaahurmma Rabb-an-Naas. Adh-hib il-ba's washfi antash-Shaafi, laa shifaa'a ilia shifaa'uk, shifaa'an laa yughaadiru saqaman 
(O Allaah (ta'ala)! The Lord of all people, take away the harm; cure (from the sickness) You are the Only One Who can bring cure, there is no cure but Your cure, a cure which does not leave out any sickness; by the name of Allaah (ta'ala) I seek to treat you)." One should say this three times. 

Also, the supplication with which Jibreel used to treat the Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam), "Bismillahi arqeeka min kulli shay' in yu'dheek, wa min sharri kulli nafsin aw 'aynin haasidin Allahu yashfeek, bismillahi arqeek 
(By the name of Allaah (ta'ala) I seek to treat you from all that harms you, from the evil of every soul or envious eye Allaah (ta'ala) cures you; in the name of Allaah (ta'ala) I seek to treat you)." One should say this three times. 

The form, the cures for magic after it happens, which is also a beneficial cure for a man who feels that he cannot touch his wife in a sexual relation, is that one takes seven green Sidr (lote-tree) leaves, crushes them with a stone, places them in a plate, puts water on them, and recites on the plate the following:

1 . Aayat-ul-Kursi ': Al-Baqarah:255 

2. Surah Al-Ikhlaas: 1-4 

3. Al-Falaq: 1-5 

4. An-Naas:l-6 

. . .in addition to the verses of magic, 

1 . "And We revealed to Musaa (Moses) (saying): Throw your stick, and behold! It swallowed up straight away all the falsehood which they showed. Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no effect So they were defeated there and returned disgraced." 

(Al-A'raaf: 117-1 19) 

2. "And Fir'aun (Pharaoh) said: 'Bring me every well-versed sorcerer.' And when the sorcerers came, Musaa (Moses) said to them: 'Cast down what you want to cast!' Then when they had cast down, Musaa (Moses) said: 'What you have brought is sorcery; Allaah will surely make it of no effect. Verily, Allaah does not set right the work of Al-Mufsidoon (the evildoers and corrupters). And Allaah will establish and make apparent the truth by His Words, however much the Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists and sinners) may hate.' " 

(Yunus: 79-82) 

3. "They said: 'O Musaa (Moses)! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw.' [Musaa] said: 'Nay, throw you (first)!' Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Musaa conceived fear in himself. We (Allaah (ta'ala)) said: Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand. And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician's trick, and the magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain." 

(Taa Haa: 65-69) 

After reciting this on the water, he should drink from it three times and bathe with the rest. By doing so, Allaah (ta'ala) willing, all harm will disappear, and there is no harm in repeating this two or more times until he is cured. 

One of the best ways to treat magic spells is to know the place where the material used in the spell is hidden, whether in a mountain, the sea or elsewhere, because once this is known, it can be removed and spoiled, and by this the effect of the magic spill will disappear. 

These were some of the ways to protect and treat oneself against magic. 

Some magicians defuse the effect of magic by offering sacrifices to Jinn and slaughtering using their names, and this act is prohibited because it is from the work of Satan, and it is a major great act of Shirk (associating with Allaah (ta'ala)), so one must beware of this. It is also prohibited to ask a magician, soothsayer or a fortuneteller to cure you or do what they command you to do, because they are disbelievers, liars and sinners who claim to know the Unseen, and they confuse people. The Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) warned against going to them, asking them, or believing what they say, as we mentioned in the beginning. 

Once the Prophet (sallalahu ta'ala ‘alaihi wa sallam) was asked about An-Nushrah (which is seeking the aid of magicians to get rid of a magic spill by the use of another magic spill), so he replied,
"It is an act from Satan. " (Ahmad & Abu Daawood) 
On the other hand, it is permitted for someone to cure people from magic spells by the use of Qur'aan and authentic supplication from the Sunnah, as many scholars said, such as Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah (ta'ala) have mercy upon him, and others. 

Source: The Ruling on Magic

Angels Harut & Marut - City of Babylon - Origin of Magic

The Qur’an, the Family and Crime

The Qur’an, the Family and Crime

By Sheikh Imran Hosein

WHAT IS FAMILY?

The “Family” has been under a devastating, multi-pronged attack for many decades by the secularism-based prevailing culture.  “Family” used to be understood as the social unit based on the union of a male and a female, married to each other, and the offspring they beget or adopt (even if death of one of the partners, or divorce, subsequently, takes place).

BLUEPRINT FOR THE ATTACK ON MARRIAGE

Then the prevailing culture stepped in and launched a concerted attack on the institution of marriage and on its relevance in modern society.  The culture, invented in Hollywood and slowly foisted upon an unsuspecting world, was used with devastating effect.  And the blueprint for this freeing up of humanity from traditional restraints and allowing them previously unknown, undiluted sexual freedom and “happiness”, was provided by Alfred Kinsey “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male – 1948 and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female – 1953”,  purporting to show that there were no such things as “normality” or” abnormality” in sexual behavior.

What was touted as serious scientific research was later revealed to be fraudulent research in Kinsey, Sex and Fraud, the Indoctrination of a People – Judith A. Reisman and Edward W. Eichel “1990 – Lochinvar – Huntingdon House, USA”.  Among other things, it was shown that about a quarter of his male sample were prisoners, including hundreds of male prostitutes.  And that data from abusive and unlawful experiments conducted by paedophiles on children, some as young as two months old, was used.  By then, however, the damage had already been done.

 

RE-INVENTED EUGENICS MOVEMENT.

Eugenicists, like Marie Stopes in England and Margaret Sanger in America, had been endeavouring to stop “inferior” strains of human beings from breeding and damaging the racial stock, through birth control.  However when the truth about the Nazi programme to breed a master race emerged,  the eugenics movement went underground and re-invented itself as the Family Planning Movement.  The eugenicists, Margaret Sanger (who had coined the phrase “Birth Control” to create a race of Thoroughbreds) founded the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and then in 1952, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), with headquarters in London.

So as Kinsey’s reports were being accepted, the attack on marriage and marital fidelity was bolstered by this re-invented Eugenics Movement with the euphemistic name of International Planned Parenthood Federation, the policies of which, are carried out in each country by IPPF’s member bodies.  For example, as far as sexual permissiveness is concerned, an IPPF report published in 1984, The Human Right to Family Planning stated that children from age 10 should have full access to fertility regulation, information and services with guaranteed privacy and confidentiality – i.e. without the consent of the parents.  Earlier, in 1972, the British Family Planning Association (a founder-member of IPPF) had published a highly permissive book for adolescents entitled 'Learning to Live with Sex,' which ended with a list of contraception, abortion and homo-sexual agencies with the message, “All these places will treat your problems sympathetically and not tell your parents unless you want them to know.”

 

THE SEX INFORMATION AND EDUCATION COUNCIL OF THE UNITED STATES (SIECUS)

This body, closely linked to the population control movement, had its first director, Dr. Mary Calderone, re-iterate some objectives, which included:

merging or reversing the sexes or sex roles (interchangeability of male and female roles),

liberating children from their families.

abolishing the family as we know it.

[THE SIECUS Circle – A Humanist Revolution – Claire Chambers -1997]

 

RESULTS OF THE ATTACK

The attack on marriage and marital fidelity was so powerful that in many countries marriage was effectively removed from the equation.  So much so that when some teachers in the UK were asked whether they were teaching sex education from the point of view of married family life (as laid down in the UK Gov’t Circular 11/87), they said it was no longer possible for them to do so, because a large number of children came from parents who live together but are not married, and it would therefore be insulting to the parents of such children to invoke “married family life” in the classroom.

So the “family” came to be understood as the social unit based on the union of a male and a female together with their offspring (i.e. marriage removed from the equation).

 

FATHER FIGURE LAMPOONED OR IGNORED

While social engineering was proceeding through the attack on marriage and marital fidelity, the “father” in the family was being lampooned and/or ignored.  Is it only coincidence that for decades we were treated to cartoons like Dagwood, Jiggs, Andy Cap etc. portraying bungling buffoons as the father/husband figures?  And one consumer group in the US found that in prime time entertainment TV the majority of the programmes had no father figure and in the remaining minority, a majority had an ineffective father figure. Attack on the family from another angle!

 

YET ANOTHER ATTACK

Simultaneously there was a crusade to motivate mothers against breastfeeding their babies.  “Manufactured baby food is better”, “Breastfeeding will cramp your lifestyle”,  “Your figure will be damaged through breastfeeding” etc.  So, en masse, mothers turned to artificial baby “milk”, (giving up the Divinely provided nutrition for babies, always at the right temperature, always in the right concentration etc – mother’s milk).  This compromised the physical health of even those babies who were fed as per instructions.  And in the poor countries, where large numbers of mothers could not afford the amount of baby “milk” needed, they diluted it below recommended levels resulting in malnutrition.  Even worse, since clean drinking water in not available in much of God’s earth, babies were being fed polluted water.  By the time international agencies woke up the damage had already been done.  So now, only a minority of mothers nurse their babies on demand.

Apart from compromising the physical health of the young, the move away from breastfeeding caused serious, deleterious effects on the mental, emotional and social health and stability of children.  It has been found that non-breastfed children had greater difficulty in bonding with others, in establishing positive relationships with others, in respecting authority, etc.  This had the effect of, among other things, unraveling the social fabric of the family.

 

THE ATTACK CONTINUES

The prevailing culture continued with its attack relentlessly – now attacking “union of a male and a female”.  Homosexuality began to be vigorously promoted as acceptable alternative lifestyles and portrayed openly by the entertainment media.  So now there is no longer any need to have a union of a male and a female – there can be a union of two males or two females.

WHERE DO WE STAND TODAY?

After decades of attack, the “family” has deteriorated into a social group based on the union of two persons (a male and a female, or two females, or two males) together with their biological or adopted children.  Or it is a social group of one adult (male or female) and biological or adopted children where that adult chooses to live without a partner (and not as a result of death of the partner or divorce).

This disjointed, dysfunctional family, in a prevailing culture, that propagates that the individual makes his own values and that she/he is doomed to extinction, if not today, then tomorrow (as death is the total annihilation of life) cannot, and does not, provide the individual with the badly-needed emotional and mental stability and with the strong inter-personal relationships that bonding in the “family” of yester-year used to provide.  The individual, left to fend for himself/herself may very well gravitate towards criminal gangs and anti-social groups, where he/she is accepted and accorded some measure of respect.

 

SUGGESTED SOLUTION

Naturally, the obvious path for us to adopt is the striving to re-enthrone the “family” that is the social unit based on the union of a male and a female married to each other together with their biological or adopted children, in a culture that upholds and inculcates objective moral values and which teaches that every human being will be accountable for every single act of his or hers, on the Day of Judgment.  A concerted collective effort is essential to challenge our music and other forms of entertainment and our prevailing lifestyle, which all teach otherwise.  Are we bold enough to begin and continue such an effort?

 

THE QUR’AN ON THE FAMILY

The Final Revelation from the One True God to mankind is the Qur’an, which He, the Almighty, has preserved against any change or tampering by enthusiasts, translators and would-be interpolators.  In God’s Guidance, enshrined in this Final Revelation, the “family” is the building block of the community/society, as it provides the first and basic social environment for the individual.  The socio-moral discipline he/she acquires within the family would play a vital role in respect of his/her socio-moral behavior relating to the community, the country and humanity at large.

In constructing a strong community, we need to strengthen and re-inforce the building blocks – the families.  Any weakness in the family would, sooner or later, transfer itself to the community.

 

THE QUR’ANIC GUIDANCE FOR BUILDING STRONG FAMILIES

This includes :

• Strengthening the foundation of the family – marriage, the goal of which is the attainment of peace, solace, tranquility of the spouses in each other’s company.

• Uncompromising emphasis on marital fidelity i.e. chastity of both husband and wife.

• Moulding the husband-wife relationship in accordance with God’s Guidance.

• Establishing and developing parent-child and child-parent relationships in harmony with God’s Guidance.

• Unswerving devotion and submission to the One True God on the part of all members of the family.

May the Infinitely-Merciful, Ever-Bountiful, Absolutely-Loving Creator bless us with the capability to strive as we aught to strive. Ameen!

Source

Marriage In Islam By Sheikh Imran Hosein

Significance of The Obligations Muslims Owe to the Qur’an

A Direct Word with the Reader

In this booklet, I have given you an idea of the duties which we as Muslims owe to the Qur’an. In the end, I must urge you with all the emphasis at my command to make an earnest effort to discharge these duties with utmost care. We are the most fortunate people in the world in the sense that we possess the Book of Allah (SWT) perfectly intact in its original form.

Whereas it is a cause of great honor for us, it also lays upon us a heavy responsibility. Prior to the advent of Islam, the Israelites were the custodians of Allah’s Book, but when they did not discharge  their  responsibilities  and  proved  unworthy  of  the honor conferred upon them, Almighty Allah (SWT) raised a new Ummah (i.e., the Muslims) and vouchsafed His Book to them in the  form  of  the  Qur’an.  In  Surah  Al-Jumu‘ah  we  have  a similitude of the people who did not fulfill the duties that devolved upon them as custodians of Allah’s Book.

This similitude of those who were charged with the (obligation of) Torah, but who subsequently failed in this (obligation) is that of a donkey which carries huge volumes... (Al-Jumu‘ah 62:5)

In the subsequent part of the ayah, it has been plainly stated that their failure to discharge their obligations towards their Holy Book is tantamount to their denying its truth:

…How bad is the similitude of people who deny the ayaat of Allah…. 

(Al-Jumu ‘ah 62:5)

The ayah ends in the categorical declaration that it is not in Allah’s nature to grant guidance to such people:

…and Allah guides not the people who are wrongdoers. (Al- Jumu‘ah 62:5)

God forbid that you or I be included among the people who are guilty of denying and rejecting the Book of Allah (SWT) by their negligence in the discharge of their obligations towards it and thus incur Allah’s wrath. 

I most earnestly pray that Allah (SWT) may make us custodians of the Qur’an in the real sense of the term, and enable us to fulfill our duties towards it in the best way, which may enable us to win His good pleasure.

We should remember the time when Allah’s Messenger (SAW) will appear as a prosecution witness in the Court of the Almighty and charge his people with forsaking the Qur’an:

And the Messenger will say: “O my Lord! Verily my people deserted this Qur’an. 

(Al-Furqan 25:30)

Although in this ayah the words “my people” refer to the unbelievers who turned a deaf ear to the Qur’an and treated it with disdain, nevertheless it applies with equal cogency to people like us who believe in the Qur’an but have practically rejected it as a thing of least moment or consequence.

Let me quote for your what Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani has to say on this point.

Although the ayah really refers to the conduct of the unbelievers, yet (it has a wider application, and) all those who do not confirm the truth of the Qur’an (by actually following its teachings in their life), do not ponder over its meanings, do not recite it properly, do not try to learn its correct reading; but indulge in all sorts of vain and frivolous pursuits turning their back upon it (also come under its purview and) would be considered guilty of abandonment of the Qur’an.18

Note-18:  By a strange coincidence that indicates the Maulana’s spiritual and intellectual kinship with the Holy Prophet (SAW), we have a similar wording in a tradition which runs as follow:

“O people of the Qur’an! Do not make the Qur’an a pillow (that you may sleep over it and put it behind your back). You should rather recite it day and night; propagate it (all over the world), read it in a pleasing voice; ponder over its meaning so that you may prosper.”

What  a  noble  title  has  been  conferred upon us!  How succinct the tradition that so beautifully sums up the duties that devolve upon us as “People of  the  Qur’an”! In fact, this masterpiece of conciseness is hundred times more expressive than any number of our long, pompous speeches on the subject. True was the claim of the Holy Prophet (SAW) that he was gifted with the power of laconic speech.

Let me once again seek Almighty’s protection against our being included among such people, and conclude my discourse with the following prayer which is generally offered on completing the recitation of the whole Qur’an but which, I believe, should frequently be offered so that Allah (SWT) may grant us strength to fulfill the duties we owe to His Book.

O my Lord! Be merciful to us because of (our link) with the Qur’an; 

make it for us a leader, (and a source of) light, guidance, and mercy, 

cause us to recall from it what we have failed to understand; 

give us strength to recite it day and night; 

and make it a plea for our salvation, 

O Lord of the worlds. 

Ameen!

Let me in the end present you the gift of a prayer which appears in a tradition narrated by Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (RAA). It is actually a prayer which the Holy Prophet (SAW) prescribed for his Companions (RAA) as a remedy for cares and worries. But it is a splendid supplication that shows the attitude of an ideal bondsman towards his Master and describes the curative effect of the Qur’an on the human soul. It also indicates how deep a devotion the Holy Prophet (SAW) had for the Qur’an and in how high an esteem he held it. The prayer runs as follows:

O Allah! Verily I am Your bondsman, 

the son of Your bondsman, and the son of Your bondsmaid. 

I am under Your Control. My fore-lock is in Your Hand. 

Your decision is to be executed about me, 

and just shall be Your judgment in my case. 

I beg You — 

addressing You with all those names that You have named Yourself with, 

or that You have taught any of Your creatures, 

or that You have revealed in Your Book, 

or that You have preferred to keep secret in the realm of the Unseen — 

to make the Qur’an a source of delight for my heart 

and of light for my breast, 

and an instrument of dispelling my grief, 

and driving away my cares and worries. 

Accept this prayer of mine, 

O Lord of the Words!

Ameen!

Source: The Obligations Muslims Owe to the Qur’an by Dr Israr Ahmad