What is the ruling on one who continues to memorize the Qur'an but leaves off reading it from the book? Is he considered to have abandoned the Qur'an?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your Eminence, if a person continues to memorize the Qur'an and leaves off reading it from the book, is that considered abandoning the Qur'an? And what is the concept of abandoning the Qur'an?
The Shaykh : Yes, if Allah grants a person the ability to memorize the Qur'an by heart and he limits himself to that, then that is better.
The questioner : Even if he continues with the memorization.
The Shaykh : That is better. And were not the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) mostly relying on the memorization in their chests? Most of them did not write, or many of them did not write. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself relied in preserving the Qur'an on what? On the memorization of the heart. He did not write, (peace and blessings be upon him), nor did he read from a book.
Therefore, we say: if a person memorizes the Qur'an by heart and then does not read except from memory, he is not one who has abandoned the Qur'an; rather, he is a preserver of the Qur'an who is constant with it.
As for the concept of abandoning the Qur'an, abandoning the Qur'an is of two types: abandoning the action upon it, and abandoning its recitation. The second is more severe and greater, because arrogance in acting upon what is in the Qur'an may be disbelief. As for abandoning the recitation, it is not possible for any one of the Muslims to abandon the recitation of the Qur'an ever, even the old women in their homes do not abandon the Qur'an, because there is no Muslim who does not recite al-Fatihah and whatever is easy of the Book of Allah. And if he recites al-Fatihah and whatever is easy, al-Fatihah is the Mother of the Qur'an, so he is not one who has abandoned the Qur'an.
And on this basis, we say: abandoning the Qur'an is of two types:
Abandoning the recitation, and this is not conceivable from any one of the Muslims, except one who grew up in a remote town and came to know not even al-Fatihah; otherwise, he will recite in the prayer al-Fatihah and whatever is easy. And abandoning the action upon it, and this is the dangerous one. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Furqan 25:30] meaning they recite it but do not act upon it. And this is the dangerous one that is feared for the Ummah.
And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said in describing the Khawarij that they recite the Qur'an, but it does not pass their throats, and I seek refuge in Allah, because they do not act upon it. And even if they act upon it outwardly, the hearts are in ruins from it. Yes.
Your Eminence, if a person continues to memorize the Qur'an and leaves off reading it from the book, is that considered abandoning the Qur'an? And what is the concept of abandoning the Qur'an?
The Shaykh : Yes, if Allah grants a person the ability to memorize the Qur'an by heart and he limits himself to that, then that is better.
The questioner : Even if he continues with the memorization.
The Shaykh : That is better. And were not the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) mostly relying on the memorization in their chests? Most of them did not write, or many of them did not write. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself relied in preserving the Qur'an on what? On the memorization of the heart. He did not write, (peace and blessings be upon him), nor did he read from a book.
Therefore, we say: if a person memorizes the Qur'an by heart and then does not read except from memory, he is not one who has abandoned the Qur'an; rather, he is a preserver of the Qur'an who is constant with it.
As for the concept of abandoning the Qur'an, abandoning the Qur'an is of two types: abandoning the action upon it, and abandoning its recitation. The second is more severe and greater, because arrogance in acting upon what is in the Qur'an may be disbelief. As for abandoning the recitation, it is not possible for any one of the Muslims to abandon the recitation of the Qur'an ever, even the old women in their homes do not abandon the Qur'an, because there is no Muslim who does not recite al-Fatihah and whatever is easy of the Book of Allah. And if he recites al-Fatihah and whatever is easy, al-Fatihah is the Mother of the Qur'an, so he is not one who has abandoned the Qur'an.
And on this basis, we say: abandoning the Qur'an is of two types:
Abandoning the recitation, and this is not conceivable from any one of the Muslims, except one who grew up in a remote town and came to know not even al-Fatihah; otherwise, he will recite in the prayer al-Fatihah and whatever is easy. And abandoning the action upon it, and this is the dangerous one. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said:
And the Messenger has said, "O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur'an as [a thing] abandoned."
وقال الرسول يا رب إن قومي اتخذوا هذا القرآن مهجوراAnd the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said in describing the Khawarij that they recite the Qur'an, but it does not pass their throats, and I seek refuge in Allah, because they do not act upon it. And even if they act upon it outwardly, the hearts are in ruins from it. Yes.