Its meaning is that whoever reads Surat al-Baqarah is "protected from Satan and sorcery, and Satan does not enter his home." Is it necessary to read the entire surah in one day?
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The questioner : The third question: In the hadith, the meaning is that whoever reads Surat al-Baqarah is protected from Satan and sorcery, and Satan does not enter his home. Is it necessary to read the entire surah in one day, or does this protection apply if one reads it over two or three days if a person is unable to finish the surah in one day? And if one plays a recording of Surat al-Baqarah, does that protection apply?
The Shaykh : It does not apply. The apparent meaning of the hadith is that one should read it in one night. The benefit that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) linked to the reading is the reading of the surah in its entirety in one night, with the effort of the person who is obligated. As for the recorded tape, it is a parrot that repeats what it hears. I fear that people will become in a state of ignorance so profound that they will appoint mosque imams whose prayers are recorded on tapes, and these tapes will substitute for their presence. This is a matter whose signs have appeared, and I do not say its omens, in some Arab countries that have dispensed with the mu'adhdhins in mosques by recording the adhan, which they call the "unified adhan." This is undoubtedly one of the most evil religious innovations that have occurred in this age.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good... meaning it is obligatory... It is understood from the hadith, Shaykh, from the answer, that we sit in one session in one day.
Another questioner: ...
The Shaykh : ...the course of the year... the course of the months, this is not what is intended.
Another questioner: If he cannot do it in one session.
The Shaykh : O my master, if he is unable, he is not obligated to do it. This is among the virtues of deeds. To obtain that virtue, he reads it in its entirety. It is not that he must read it; he does not read it.
The Shaykh : It does not apply. The apparent meaning of the hadith is that one should read it in one night. The benefit that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) linked to the reading is the reading of the surah in its entirety in one night, with the effort of the person who is obligated. As for the recorded tape, it is a parrot that repeats what it hears. I fear that people will become in a state of ignorance so profound that they will appoint mosque imams whose prayers are recorded on tapes, and these tapes will substitute for their presence. This is a matter whose signs have appeared, and I do not say its omens, in some Arab countries that have dispensed with the mu'adhdhins in mosques by recording the adhan, which they call the "unified adhan." This is undoubtedly one of the most evil religious innovations that have occurred in this age.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good... meaning it is obligatory... It is understood from the hadith, Shaykh, from the answer, that we sit in one session in one day.
Another questioner: ...
The Shaykh : ...the course of the year... the course of the months, this is not what is intended.
Another questioner: If he cannot do it in one session.
The Shaykh : O my master, if he is unable, he is not obligated to do it. This is among the virtues of deeds. To obtain that virtue, he reads it in its entirety. It is not that he must read it; he does not read it.