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Unit 1 · Lesson 6 of 7

The People of the Qurʾān

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Lesson Content

The Qurʾān is a mirror, not a trophy: the letters are the door, the limits are the house.

Watch the lesson video first, then study this sheet. It holds everything you need for the lesson quiz and the final exam.

Main points

  • "The best of you is the one who learns the Qurʾān and teaches it" (al-Bukhārī).
  • Abū Mūsā: the Qurʾān is a treasure or a burden; follow it and do not let it follow you.
  • Three recite it: the believer acts by it, the sinner eats by it, the hypocrite disbelieves in it.
  • The sincere reciter asks "When will I understand?", the worldly one "When will I finish?"
  • One who memorizes a little and acts on it is better than one who memorizes much and neglects its limits (p. 38).
  • Student of the Qurʾān: sit humbly, take what you can keep, thank the teacher, keep his way of recitation, review on the way home.

Key words

ArabicTermMeaning
حَمَلَةُ الْقُرْآنِḤamalat al-QurʾānThose who carry the Qurʾān
حُدُودḤudūdThe limits: commands and prohibitions
تَرْتِيلTartīlSlow, clear recitation
خَتْمَةKhatmaCompleting the Qurʾān
مُحَاسَبَةMuḥāsabaTaking account of oneself

Key concepts

The mirrorThe believer holds himself up to the Qurʾān and sees his good and bad deeds (p. 33).
The teacherRich and poor equal; full attention; gentle with mistakes; no personal benefit (pp. 46-55).
RecitingPurity and siwāk; reflection over speed; respond to the verses; stop when sleepy.

Key ayat, ahadith and sayings

خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ"The best of you is the one who learns the Qurʾān and teaches it."ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; al-Bukhārī
"This Qurʾān can be a reward for you or a burden upon you. Follow it and do not let it follow you."Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī; Akhlāq pp. 20-21
"Three recite the Qurʾān: the believer, the hypocrite and the sinner."Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī; Akhlāq pp. 43-44

A little memorized and lived by is above much memorized and lived against.

Quiz

8 questions

Test your understanding of this lesson.

1. Where did Imām al-Ājurrī dictate his book on the character of the people of the Qurʾān?
2. Abū Mūsā said: "Follow the Qurʾān, and do not let the Qurʾān follow you." What happens to the one whom the Qurʾān follows?
3. Match each reciter to what he does with the Qurʾān.
Items
The believer
The sinner
The hypocrite
Matches
Disbelieves in it
Acts by it
Eats by it
4. Someone gets upset over one wrong letter because of his reputation, but does not care about the commands he breaks. Whose description is this in al-Ājurrī's book?
5. According to al-Ājurrī, how much should a student of the Qurʾān take in a lesson?
6. What did Ibn ʿAbbās prefer: reciting al-Baqara in one night with reflection, or finishing the Qurʾān in three days without it?
7. Put the student's manners in the order of a Qurʾān lesson.
Thank the teacher and make duʿāʾ for him
Sit humbly and pay attention
Take only what you can keep
Leave with dignity and review on the way home
Drag items here in correct order
8. Ibn Masʿūd saw that a blind student had been seated behind rich merchants. What did he say?

Discussion

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