The pious Predecessors & the Quran
in Ramadan

I will remind you dear brothers & sisters in Islam of two actions of the pious Predecessors of this Ummah:

Undertaking Much Recitation of the Qur 'an
The month of Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an. The Muslim must therefore recite the Qur'an a great deal. The pious Predecessors used to pay particular attention to the Book of Allah, and angel Jibreel(alaiyhis salaam) used to recite the Qur'an with the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) during Ramadan.

Uthman Ibn Afan(R.A.) used to complete reciting the Qur'an once each day. Some of the pious Predecessors also completed the Qur an in their qiyam prayer every three nights. Others completed it every seven days, while some others completed it every ten nights.

They used to recite the Qur'an during prayers and at other times. During Ramadan, Al-Shafi'i(R.A.) used to complete reciting the Qur'an sixty times, excluding prayer times. AI-Aswad(R.A.) used to complete reciting the Qur'an every two nights. Qatada regularly completed the Qur'an within seven nights, while during Ramadan, he completed it every three nights, but in the last ten days of Ramadan, he completed it every night. When Ramadan came, Al-Zuhri(R.A.) left studying the hadith and study circles with scholars and he concentrated on reciting the Qur'an from the book (i.e. not from memory). Also, when Ramadan came, Sufyan Al-Thawn left all other acts of worship and concentrated on the Qur'an.

Weeping During the Recitation of the Qur'an
It was not reported from the Salaf that they chanted the Qur'an like poetry without pondering and understanding (its meanings); rather, they were moved by the Words of Allah, and they in turn changed the hearts of others with it.

In a hadith in AI-Bukhari, Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said, 'Recite (the Qur'an) to me.' Then I said, 'How can I recite to you when it was revealed to you?' The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said, 'I like to hear it from someone else."' Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud said, "I recited the Qur'an from Surah Al-Nisa' until I reached the verse that says, 'How will it be then, when We bring from every nation a witness and bring you to witness over all of them"' [Qur'an 4:41]. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said, 'That is enough.' I turned to the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) and found his eyes flooding with tears."'

Al-Bayhaqi related from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said, "When the verse of the Qur'an that says 'Do you then wonder at this recital (the Qur'an) and you laugh at it and weep not.' [Qur'an 53:59-60] was revealed, the Companions residing in the Suffah, (the courtyard of the Prophet's mosque) wept until tears began to trickle down their cheeks." When the Prophet (pbuh) heard their weeping, he wept with them and his weeping made us weep. The Messenger of Allah said, "The person who weeps in humility to Allah will not enter Hell."

Ibn Umar read surah Al-Mutaffifin until he reached '...the Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds...' [Qur'an 83:6]. He wept to such an extent that he fell to the ground and could not move on to the next verses. Furthermore, Muzahim Ibn Zafar related, "Sufyan Al-Thawn lead us in maghrib prayer, and when he
reached 'You (Alone) do we worship and You (Alone) do we ask for help' [Qur'an 1:5], he began to weep so that his recitation was disrupted. So he started from Alhamduliltah again."

It has been reported that Ibrahim Al-Ash'ath said, "One night, I heard Fudhayl Ibn Ayadh reciting this verse of the Qur'an, repeatedly as he wept, 'And We shall try you until We test those among you who strive their utmost and persevere in patience, and We shall test your facts (whether true or false)' [Qur'an 47:31] But he kept on saying the words of Allah, 'And We shall test your facts', then he would say, 'And You will test our facts? If You test our facts, You will disgrace us and expose our secrets. Indeed if You do that, You will destroy us and punish us,' and he would continue crying. Sitting in the Mosque Until Sunrise

"When the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) prayed fajr prayer, he sat in his prayer place until sunrise." [Related by Muslim]. AI-Tirmidhi narrated from Anas that the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said, "Whoever prays fajr in the congregation and remains seated, remembering Allah until sunrise, then performs two rakat; it will be for him as the reward of complete...complete...complete Hajj and Umarah." [Verified by AlAlbani as sahih]. This is the reward promised for everyday, so how will it be for Ramadan?

Dear brothers and sisters may Allah protect you, have a good sleep at night to assist you in getting this great reward and awakening in the latter part of the night. Also, emulate righteous people and train your soul to strive for the pleasure of Allah. Have high aspirations to reach the highest of the grades of Paradise. Insha-Allah.

Source: iisna
Courtesy: www.everymuslim.com