Remembrance of Allah — Page 42
42 not yield any benefit. Thus, with regard to the reading of the Holy Quran, a certain portion should be fixed and that should be com- pleted every day. Whether that portion is one part, or half of one part, or three or four parts, it must be recited daily and one should not fail in completing that. The Holy Prophet s as says, ‘Allah loves that worship the most which one adopts as a routine and doesn’t allow hiatus’ ( Mishk ā t al-Ma sā b īh , Kitābu s-S alāt, Bāb al-Qa s du fil ‘Amal; Hadith 1242)7 because a break discloses that he is not passionate about it, and the heart cannot be purified without enthusiasm and heartfelt love. I have observed that whenever the Holy Quran is not recited due to being preoccupied with some writing or for any other reason, the heart suffers on account of it and its effect is felt in other acts of worship as well. 8 So, firstly, the Holy Quran should be recited daily, and secondly, the Holy Quran should be read with understanding and it should not be recited so hastily that its meanings are not understood at all. It should be recited with tart i l [slowly, clearly, and distinctly] so that its meaning is under- stood and the respect due to the Holy Quran is also kept in mind. Thirdly, as far as possible, wu du [ablution before offering Prayer] should be performed before the recitation of the Holy Quran, although reciting the Holy Quran without ablution is also per- missible in my opinion. It is true, however, that some scholars have disliked the recitation of the Holy Quran without first per- forming the ablution. In my view, recitation of the Holy Quran without ablution is not forbidden, but it is appropriate to perform ablution for greater effect and spiritual merit. A friend asks what should be done if one does not understand the meanings of the Holy Quran. Such people should try to read