Are the hadiths regarding the virtue of the Qur'an intended to refer only to memorization?
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Question:
The questioner asks: Regarding what is reported that it is said to the one who has the Qur'an on the Day of Resurrection,Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2914Hasan (Darussalam) "You recite it." He asks: Is this specific to the one who dies having mastered the memorization of the Qur'an? Or is it general for anyone who memorized the Qur'an, even if he forgot some of it?
Answer:
Allah knows best, but I do not know the chain of narration for this hadith. However, there is no doubt that memorizing the Qur'an is a great blessing and has great virtue. But what is intended is not memorization alone; the intention is memorization, understanding, and acting upon the Qur'an, so that one becomes among the people of the Qur'an. Mere memorization without understanding its meaning, or memorization with understanding but without action, does not benefit a person in any way. Indeed, there are those who recite the Qur'an and master it.
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "They raise it like raising an arrow; it does not pass their throats. It does not pass their throats; they do not act upon it. They are the Khawarij and their like, and I seek refuge in Allah. They are more arrogant than they are in their recitation of the Qur'an, but they contradict it and do not act upon it as Allah the Exalted and Majestic intended. Yes.
The questioner asks: Regarding what is reported that it is said to the one who has the Qur'an on the Day of Resurrection,
Recite, and rise up, recite (melodiously) as you would recite in the world. For indeed your rank shall be at the last Ayah
اقرأ وارق ورتل كما كنت ترتل في الدنيا، فإن منزلتك عند آخر آيةAnswer:
Allah knows best, but I do not know the chain of narration for this hadith. However, there is no doubt that memorizing the Qur'an is a great blessing and has great virtue. But what is intended is not memorization alone; the intention is memorization, understanding, and acting upon the Qur'an, so that one becomes among the people of the Qur'an. Mere memorization without understanding its meaning, or memorization with understanding but without action, does not benefit a person in any way. Indeed, there are those who recite the Qur'an and master it.
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "They raise it like raising an arrow; it does not pass their throats. It does not pass their throats; they do not act upon it. They are the Khawarij and their like, and I seek refuge in Allah. They are more arrogant than they are in their recitation of the Qur'an, but they contradict it and do not act upon it as Allah the Exalted and Majestic intended. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [23] هل الأحاديث الواردة في فضل القرآن يراد بها الحفظ فقط؟ - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.