The Status of the Noble Quran and Adhering to the Prophet's Sunnah

“In the name of Allāh, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.”

“[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -” (Quran 1:1-2)

Who revealed the Quran as clear signs,

and filled with it the hearts of those given knowledge among believing men and women.

He made it a clarification of all things,

and sealed His books with it in truth and excellence.

He revealed it as guidance for mankind and mercy for the worlds,

guidance for the righteous, and a beacon for those journeying to the Day of Judgment.

It guides to that which is most upright,

and Allah guides by it those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace,

and brings them out of darkness into light,

and made it their guide to the Gardens of Bliss.

Blessings and peace be upon His servant and Messenger, upon whom He revealed it,

and made it the most eloquent sign guiding to Him,

who followed it in recitation and explanation,

so knowledge and faith were perfected through it,

and upon his family and companions— the chosen, the guided—

and whoever follows the straight path until the Day of Judgment.

To proceed:

The Prophets left behind neither a dinar nor a dirham,

rather, they left behind knowledge.

So whoever takes it has taken an abundant share,

and their uprightness is sufficient, as Allah has commended them

and called them to witness the greatest testimony.

“Allāh witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge - [that He is] maintaining [creation] in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (Quran 3:18)

"...and the angels and those of knowledge, maintaining justice."

Dear brothers,

as part of the activities of the Prince Sultan International Competition for Memorization of the Noble Quran for Military Personnel,

in its seventh edition,

the Religious Affairs Department at the General Directorate of Armed Forces Medical

Services is pleased to welcome His Excellency Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan

to deliver a lecture on the occasion of this competition.

On behalf of the Director General of the General Directorate of Medical Services, and on behalf of all staff of the General Directorate,

we are pleased to welcome His Excellency the Sheikh and invite him to deliver a lecture,

followed by answering your questions. May His Excellency please proceed.

“In the name of Allāh, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.”

“[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -” (Quran 1:1-2)

...Lord of all the worlds,

and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and all his family and companions.

There is no doubt that this is a noble occasion and a precious

opportunity—this meeting that has gathered us with you

on the occasion of the Prince

Sultan bin Abdulaziz Award for

memorizers of the Book of Allah among military personnel.

It is indeed a great source of pride.

We ask Allah to record for him its reward and treasure,

and to make it among the deeds that continue to benefit its author after his death.

Furthermore, we thank those in charge of organizing

this award, and we welcome our brothers in the military,

who have been honored with memorizing the Noble

Quran and attending the

occasion of this award.

We ask Allah to grant them the ultimate prize:

the prize of Paradise, promised to whoever

memorizes His Noble Book and acts upon it.

O brothers,

there is no doubt that the Noble Quran is the Book of Allah revealed to His sent Prophet ﷺ.

He ﷺ conveyed it to his Ummah,

and they, after his passing ﷺ,

undertook spreading it,

teaching it,

and acting upon it.

The Muslims inherited this generation after generation,

and they will continue to inherit it, Allah willing, until the Hour is established.

For it is Allah's proof over His creation, and it is the Straight Path and the Wise Reminder.

In it is the news of what came before us, the foretelling of what comes after us, and the judgment for what is between us.

Allah ﷻ commanded holding fast to it, saying ﷻ:

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allāh all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allāh upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allāh make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.” (Quran 3:103)

The "rope of Allah" refers to the Noble Quran,

as exhorted by the Prophet ﷺ

when he delivered an eloquent sermon to his Companions,

causing hearts to fear and eyes to overflow with tears.

They said, "O Messenger of Allah, it is as if this were a farewell sermon, so advise us."

They felt that this was toward the end of his life ﷺ,

and that this sermon was his farewell to his Ummah.

So they asked him for advice,

because it is standard Islamic practice for one

approaching death to advise those left behind.

He ﷺ said, "I urge you to fear Allah." This was the first matter,

which means obeying Him, avoiding disobedience to Him,

deeming lawful what He made lawful, and forbidding what He forbade.

"I urge you to have taqwa of Allah ﷻ,

and to hear and obey." This is the second exhortation:

"Listen and obey, even if a slave is placed in authority over you."

Listening and obeying the ruler, whoever he may be—

one does not look at his person, but rather at his position,

because he is the leader of the Muslims and their guide.

Leadership and authority cannot function without hearing and obedience,

and not rebelling against him or disobeying him,

as long as he does not command a sin.

He ﷺ said, "Whoever obeys the ruler has obeyed me,

and whoever disobeys the ruler has disobeyed me."

"Listen and obey, even if a slave is placed in authority over you.

For whoever among you lives long—

meaning reaches an advanced age—

will see much differing among

differing within the Ummah,

in opinions and in schools of thought.

and in creed.

There will be division within the Ummah.

"Whoever among you lives will see much differing."

What is incumbent upon us in times of differing?

It is adhering to the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ.

That is why he said: "So stick to my Sunnah,"

The Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left us upon.

And it comes after the Noble Quran.

"I advise you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey.

And whoever among you lives will see much division, so stick to my Sunnah.

Adhere to it."

Whoever adheres to the Sunnah is saved from division,

and whoever abandons the Sunnah falls into division and disunity.

Nothing protects from division except holding fast to the Book and the Sunnah.

"Stick to my Sunnah" means: adhere to it.

As he ﷺ said:

"I am leaving among you that which, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray after me:

the Book of Allah and my Sunnah."

And he ﷺ said:

"I have left you upon a clear path, its night is like its day;

no one deviates from it except one who is doomed."

And the Sunnah of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs.

Because the Rightly-Guided Caliphs clarify for us

the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ in word and deed,

and their Sunnah is part of the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ.

And the Rightly-Guided Caliphs are four:

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA),

'Umar al-Faruq (RA),

'Uthman Dhu an-Nurayn (RA),

and 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA),

the cousin of the Messenger ﷺ and his son-in-law.

These are the Rightly-Guided Caliphs.

Then he emphasized that,

saying: "Adhere to it and bite onto it with your molar teeth."

Then he warned against innovations and newly invented matters.

He said, "Beware of newly invented matters, for every innovation is misguidance,

and every misguidance is in the Fire."

Every innovation is misguidance.

What is an innovation? It is what is newly invented in religion and is not part of it,

which the Messenger ﷺ did not legislate.

So every innovation is misguidance.

In this is a refutation of those who divide innovations into good and bad ones.

There is nothing good in innovations; all of them are bad,

supported by his ﷺ saying:

"For every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance."

Then he explained its outcome, saying: "And every misguidance is in the Fire."

This is how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed us.

And at the forefront of that is holding fast to the Noble Qur'an.

The Noble Qur'an is the source of this Sharia.

And the Sunnah explains the Qur'an and clarifies it.

We cannot act upon the Qur'an or hold fast to it

unless we learn it and receive it correctly from its bearers.

This is what Muslims in every age have inherited:

taking great care to memorize the Noble Qur'an,

and preserving it for those after them.

Thus they pass on the Book of Allah in knowledge and action, memorization and recitation.

This is how our connection with the Noble Qur'an should always be.

And this award is one of the greatest means

and strongest incentives for memorizing the Noble Qur'an.

And whoever memorizes this Qur'an, acts upon it, and follows it,

will have the ultimate reward with Allah ﷻ.

"Whoever recites a letter..."

As in the hadith: "Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah will have a good deed, and each good deed is rewarded tenfold.

I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter,

Lam is a letter, and Mim is a letter."

How many letters are in the Noble Quran?

For every letter there is a good deed, and every good deed is multiplied tenfold,

for whoever learns it, memorizes it, recites it, reads it, and acts upon it.

This is a great virtue and a bountiful reward.

These prizes offered for Quran memorization are merely an encouragement,

an incentive for memorizing the Quran, and an assistance in memorizing the Quran.

Otherwise, the honor that the memorizer of the Quran receives,

and the ultimate reward with the Lord of the worlds are far, far greater than this.

So this is a noble deed,

encompassing both the teacher and the student,

encompassing the teacher of the Book of Allah and the memorizer who memorizes and studies the Book of Allah,

until the Day of Resurrection; the virtue is continuous and abundant, praise be to Allah.

And memorizing and reciting the Quran does not

prevent us from engaging in other endeavors

that serve our interests, such as military service, soldiering, commerce,

and other crafts and industries. It does not hinder; rather, it helps.

Praise be to Allah. Allah ﷻ said: "And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance," so it is facilitated

for whoever seeks goodness; it is facilitated.

That is why young children memorize it, and even non-Arabs memorize it,

because it is made easy for anyone who desires it.

“And We have certainly made the Qur’ān easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?” (Quran 54:17)

Is there anyone who will learn?

This contains an exhortation from Allah ﷻ

to memorize this Quran, recite it, ponder it, and act upon its teachings.

It is Allah's proof in our hands,

and it is Allah's rope in our hands—

Allah's strong rope in our hands.

We hold fast to it and protect ourselves with it from tribulations and evils.

Through it, we know our religion,

through it, we know our life,

and through it, we know our near and distant future.

A light from Allah.

“O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There has come to you from Allāh a light and a clear Book [i.e., the Qur’ān]”

“By which Allāh guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path.” (Quran 5:15-16)

This magnificent Quran is a great blessing before us.

It is made easy for us, printed in accessible copies,

within your reach anywhere.

And part of Allah's facilitation of this Quran is what we now have of these recordings—

recordings of the Noble Quran that you can obtain with the utmost ease.

They accompany you on your travels, at home, and even in your bed.

You listen to this Quran from these recordings or from these radio broadcasts and stations.

You listen to it, but the main thing is to turn to it and be eager for it.

May Allah grant everyone success in what He loves and is pleased with.

May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

May Allah reward the Sheikh with the best reward.

Now we move to questions, most of which will be about the topic of the Sheikh's talk.

Honorable Sheikh, what books of tafsir do you recommend for students of knowledge, especially those focused on the Noble Quran?

Books of tafsir are numerous, praise be to Allah,

and varied, but the most accessible and comprehensive are:

first the concise tafsirs, then the medium-length ones, then the detailed ones.

Among the concise, easy,

modern tafsirs is the Tafsir of Sheikh Ibn Sa'di (RH).

Then after it, the Tafsir of Imam Al-Baghawi—a concise,

easy summary of sound tafsirs.

Then more detailed and comprehensive than it is Tafsir Ibn Kathir.

Then the most comprehensive of all, which is the reference for all:

the Tafsir of the chief of exegetes, Imam Ibn Jarir At-Tabari (RH).

So tafsir, praise be to Allah, is accessible and available.

Yes. Honorable Sheikh, is the Basmalah a verse of Al-Fatiha?

The correct view is that it is a verse of the Quran, not from Al-Fatiha or any other surah;

rather, it is an independent verse recited before the surah,

except for Bara'ah.

Surah Bara'ah is not opened with the Basmalah because it was not revealed before it;

as for other surahs, the Basmalah is recited before them at their beginning.

It is an independent verse, not part of a specific surah except in Surah An-Naml,

where it is part of a verse, as in His ﷻ saying: "Indeed, it is from Solomon

“Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it is [i.e., reads]: 'In the name of Allāh, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,” (Quran 27:30)

is part of a verse in Surah An-Naml,

and other than that, it is an independent verse that came to separate between surahs.

Yes.

Respected Sheikh, many ruqyah practitioners recite over people via the phone.

Is this practice correct?

No, this is not correct; this is from blameworthy excess and overstepping.

Ruqyah must be done directly upon the afflicted person,

reciting and blowing on him in his presence.

This is what has been transmitted in the Sunnah.

As for this absurd practice of reciting ruqyah over the phone,

with the reciter in the East and the patient in the West,

this is absurdity, it is of no benefit, and this is not ruqyah.

Yes.

Respected Sheikh, what is meant by abandoning the Quran?

Leaving off acting upon it.

Abandoning the Quran is of various types.

Linguistically, "abandonment" means leaving.

Abandonment of the Quran includes: either abandoning its memorization, recitation, and learning,

or abandoning its recitation,

or abandoning acting upon it.

So abandonment has types, some worse than others.

Yes.

Respected Sheikh, what is the ruling on setting a Quranic verse as a phone ringtone?

No, the Quran should not be used as a ringtone on mobile phones; this is disrespecting the Quran.

There are alerts suitable for mobile phones,

such as a sound that is not loud so as to disturb people,

but rather alerts the owner and can be heard by him,

a light chime on the phone, for example.

Without music,

and without using any remembrance, Quran, or supplications in it.

All of this is disrespect to the Quran.

or disrespect to the remembrance of Allah ﷻ, because the purpose of it is not to draw near to Allah,

but rather just to alert you to the phone call,

and there is a substitute for that, which is the alert tone.

Yes. Respected Sheikh, what is the ruling on reciting the Quran to musical scales (maqamat)?

We seek refuge in Allah from that! It is not permissible

to recite the Quran with melodic tunes and turn it into songs.

These musical scales are for songs among the Sufis,

and it is not permissible to recite the Quran to them, nor to turn the Quran into songs.

Rather, the Quran should be recited as the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions (RA), and the scholars recited it.

As for reciting it like the Sufis, innovators, and singers do, this is haram.

Yes. Respected Sheikh, what is the meaning of the hadith: "Ruqya, amulets, and love spells are shirk"?

Yes. "Ruqa" is the plural of ruqyah,

referring to incantations that involve seeking refuge in other than Allah or invoking the jinn and devils.

As for ruqyah using the Quran, this is prescribed.

Rather, [prohibited] ruqyah is that which involves seeking refuge

such as the jinn, devils, the dead, and the absent.

This is a ruqyah of shirk, Allah forbid.

Amulets (tama'im) is the plural of tamimah, which is what is hung on the body to ward off the evil eye.

One might hang a patch, a bead, or a string.

hanging an ayah from the Quran or a supplication.

This is not permissible. This is not permissible; these amulets must not be hung.

Hanging an amulet. He ﷺ said: "Whoever wears an amulet, may Allah not fulfill his goal for him."

meaning: "May Allah not grant him success in his affair." This was a supplication from the Messenger ﷺ.

And he ﷺ saw a man

with a thread around his hand, and he asked, "What is this?"

He replied, "For al-wahinah," meaning for fever, to protect him from fever.

He ﷺ said, "Take it off,

for it only increases you in weakness.

'And if you were to die while wearing it, you would never succeed.'"

As for al-tiwalah, it is a charm made for affection,

for creating repulsion or affection between spouses.

They make things to cause love between a man and his wife, or to cause hatred,

and it is from the work of sorcerers.

They learn from them; it is from the work of sorcerers:

"that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife."

"- that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife." This is al-tiwalah.

Virtuous Sheikh, what is the ruling on reciting the Quran without ritual purity, or touching the Mus-haf without purity?

As for touching the Mus-haf directly without purity, it is not permissible: "None touch it except the purified."

The Prophet ﷺ said: "No one should touch the Quran except one who is pure."

However, touching it through a barrier is fine,

even if one does not have wudu; through a barrier, there is no harm.

As for reciting the Quran from memory,

a person may recite while in a state of minor ritual impurity.

Even if he does not have wudu, it is permissible,

because the Prophet ﷺ used to recite the Quran at all times,

and nothing used to prevent him from reciting the Quran except major impurity.

So one in major ritual impurity is not allowed to recite the Quran until he performs ghusl. Yes.

Esteemed Sheikh,

from time to time,

we see campaigns in the media by some disbelievers to burn the Quran or mock it.

What is the required Shar'i stance from us, through which we can defend the Book of Allah?

Most of what is rumored is false and untrue; rather, it is intended as provocation.

Even if this were true of some disbelievers, this does not harm the Noble Quran.

If they burn one copy, how many copies are in the world?

All praise is due to Allah; they do not harm the Quran, but only themselves.

Nevertheless, all Muslims—rulers and subjects alike—must denounce this act.

This is obligatory. Yes.

Esteemed Sheikh, what are the factors that help in memorizing the Noble Quran?

Is there also a specific time for memorizing the Quran that aids in memorization?

The factors that help in memorizing the Quran: first, sincere intention.

If a person intends and resolves with a sound intention,

Allah ﷻ will help him. Second,

joining one of the Quran memorization circles, which are widely available, praise be to Allah.

Joining a circle of the Noble Quran. If he does not find a circle,

he should ask a Quran memorizer to teach him. In sha Allah,

he will find benevolent people to teach him all or part of it.

Yes. Virtuous Sheikh, is it permissible to go to a raqi who seeks help from the jinn to treat people,

even if he recites the Noble Quran?

I ask Allah for well-being. This is a fortune-teller—whoever relies on jinn and devils is a fortune-teller.

The Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and believes what he says...

...has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad."

And whoever relies on the jinn and seeks their help is a polytheist—

a polytheist associating partners with Allah ﷻ.

Even if he recites the Quran, that will not benefit him alongside polytheism.

If he prayed, fasted, performed Hajj and 'Umrah while practicing shirk, all his deeds are void,

including his recitation of the Quran.

Yes. Virtuous Sheikh, is it true that Allah ﷻ

has combined the previous divine scriptures into the Noble Quran?

Their meanings were gathered. The Quran is dominant over previous scriptures,

because it combined their meanings.

As for having gathered their exact words, I do not know of this. Yes.

Virtuous Sheikh, what is the ruling on playing a tape recorder at home

with a Quranic recitation, such as Surah Al-Baqarah, to expel jinn and devils?

There is no basis for this, my brother.

Whoever wants to recite should recite himself with his own tongue.

Don't let the recorder recite for you; recite yourself.

He should recite the easy surahs, such as Ayah al-Kursi,

"Say, 'He is Allah, [Who is] One,'" and al-Mu'awwidhatayn.

He should recite these surahs.

As for playing a recording, it does not suffice at all,

because a recording... Reciting the Quran is worship.

Worship is not fulfilled by a recording—it's just metal and tape. Yes.

Virtuous Sheikh, a recurring question regarding misgivings (waswas),

whether in wudu or prayer, such as repeating Surat al-Fatihah multiple times in prayer.

No, it is not permissible to repeat Surat al-Fatihah in prayer. If one intentionally repeats al-Fatihah, the prayer is invalidated,

because reciting al-Fatihah is a pillar (rukn), and a pillar is not repeated in prayer,

except for what has been prescribed to be repeated, like two rak'ahs or two prostrations.

As for what is not prescribed to be repeated, repeating it is impermissible and invalidates the prayer if done intentionally,

unless one was forgetful or ignorant; so one must not repeat al-Fatihah.

If one experiences misgivings (waswas), he should dispel it by seeking refuge with Allah from Satan, as waswas comes from Satan.

He should dispel it by reciting Ayat al-Kursi, Surat al-Ikhlas,

and the Mu'awwidhatayn, repeating this until it leaves him, Allah willing. Yes.

Virtuous Sheikh,

some of the worshippers in this mosque carry work IDs that have a personal photo displayed on their chest.

What is the ruling on that? May Allah reward you.

If they need to carry them and fear losing them, no harm.

But they should not display them; they should keep them hidden in their pockets. Yes.

Virtuous Sheikh, what is the ruling on driving away a beggar in the mosque if he stands up during prayer or right after it?

Expelling him with violence, no.

Allah ﷻ said: "And as for the beggar, do not repel."

"And as for the beggar, do not repel him." So it is not permissible to scold him; rather, it should be explained to him and he should be advised gently.

Unless he is in need. If you know he is in need,

or you do not know—he might be in need—then

guide him gently and do not scold him.

Yes.

Final question, Virtuous Sheikh: these days people circulate different fatwas regarding catching the prayer.

What is the Sharia ruling on catching the prayer?

Is it caught by joining the last rak'ah? Or if a group arrives when the imam has finished the last rak'ah,

and is currently in the final Tashahhud, should they wait until he performs Taslim, or join him while he is in the final Tashahhud?

The correct view is that the congregation is only caught by what catches Jumu'ah,

for the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever catches one rak'ah of Jumu'ah,

let him add another to it, and his Jumu'ah is complete."

Likewise, prayers other than Jumu'ah are only caught by catching one rak'ah.

So if one arrives after the imam rises from ruku' in the last rak'ah of the prayer,

he has missed the congregation.

Then, if he knows that someone else will come, he should wait, and when the imam performs Taslim, they pray together.

If he is not expecting anyone, he should join the imam in whatever he catches to earn the reward.

But the congregation was missed. Yes.

Should they wait until the congregation finishes, or join directly?

No, they wait until it finishes, then establish their own congregation.

They must not establish one during it.

That is forbidden.

While the prayer hasn't ended.

It is forbidden. Having two congregations at the same time in one mosque is not allowed.

May Allah reward you with goodness. We ask Allah ﷻ to reward your Eminence

May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet ﷺ.

May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.