What is your opinion regarding those who rely on listening to the recitation of the Qur'an without a chain of transmission?

The questioner : And even with regard to the Noble Qur'an, many of those who recite the Qur'an rely on listening to it without a chain of transmission.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is how it was until recently. However, in the past, they received it by listening, just as they did with the hadith.

The questioner : Yes, is there no way to revive this matter?

The Shaykh : I do not think so—may Allah bless you—because the chain of transmission would be broken. It would be broken. This sequence no longer continues. Perhaps there are rare cases of readers whom we have not known to have, to this day, continuous chains of transmission for all the recitation they received from their teachers, but rather they rely on books. Yes.

The questioner : And is it not possible now that some of the great scholars have, for example, a listening transmission for the six books of hadith, or the nine, and can be heard from them?

The Shaykh : As for the possibility, it is not hidden from you that it is possible. And it is possible that the matter is as it was said: "In the corners are hidden treasures." But who can reveal these people? It means it requires people who specialize in traveling around the Islamic world, perhaps they will find some individuals.

The questioner : And you do not see it as having great importance?

The Shaykh : I do not see it as having importance. It remains a formal matter, because the books of hadith have sufficed us for that.