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Loving & Honoring the Qur'ān
Chapter Two from The Miracle of the Qur'ān — a profound call to reflect on our relationship with Allah's Book, drawing on the wisdom of the earliest scholars.
Chapter 2
Abandoning the Qur'ān
How many have abandoned the Qur'ān in this age of distraction and false amusement? No sane person can claim to meaningfully love something they ignore. The earliest scholars cautioned against prioritizing lesser areas of religious knowledge over the Qur'ān — so how much more so for wasting time with harmful matters?
"There will come a time upon people when there will be an abundance of narrations, to the extent that the Qur'an will be left covered in dust, and no one will pay attention to it."
— Al-Dhaḥḥāk b. Muzāhim (d. 102 h.)
The Five Types of Abandonment
Al Imām Ibn al Qayyim (d. 751 h.) identified five distinct ways one may abandon the Qur'ān — all included in the Messenger's complaint: "O my Lord, my people have taken the Qur'ān as an object of abandonment." Some forms are less severe than others, but all are forms of neglect.
1
Abandoning Listening
Abandoning listening to it, believing in it, and giving it attention.
2
Abandoning Action
Abandoning acting by it and restricting oneself to what it allows and forbids — even if one recites and believes in it.
3
Abandoning Judgment
Abandoning using it for judgment in the fundamentals and subsidiary matters of the religion, believing it does not amount to certain knowledge.
4
Abandoning Contemplation
Abandoning contemplating over it, working to understand it, and comprehending what Allah intended from it.
5
Abandoning Healing
Abandoning using it for healing the sicknesses of the heart, while seeking the cure from something else.
The Consensus of the Salaf: Prioritizing the Qur'ān
The tradition of giving highest priority to the Qur'ān throughout the history of this Ummah makes the Muslim community exceptional. It is the cultural heritage of scholars and commoners alike. Al Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Rajab al Ḥanbalī (d. 795 h.) wrote in al Istighnā' bil Qur'ān:
"The scholars unanimously hold that it is blameworthy to be preoccupied away from the Qur'ān — even if it be with ḥadīth or other Islamic sciences — to an extent that results in abandoning or leaving off contemplating it. What is praiseworthy is what the Salaf were upon: giving due importance to memorizing the Qur'ān and being occupied with what aids in understanding its meanings, such as Tafsīr, ḥadīth, and reported traditions. This is because all of knowledge is in the Qur'ān."
Warnings Against Alternatives to the Qur'ān
Scholars also warned against turning away from the Qur'ān in favor of innovated approaches for cultivating belief and character.
Imām al-Shāfi'ī (d. 204 h.) on Nashīds
"I left behind something in Iraq called al-taghbīr (a form of nashīd accompanied by percussion) which was introduced by the Zanadiqah (heretics), which they used to distract people from the Qur'ān."
Imām Abu Zur'ah al-Rāzī (d. 264 h.) on Speculative Books
"Beware of these books — they are innovations and misguidance. Upon you is to abide by the prophetic narrations. Whoever does not have an admonition from Allah's book will not receive admonition from these books."
Ibn Mas'ūd (d. 32 h.) on the Home
"Fully devote yourselves to the Qur'ān, so that your young grow upon it and your elders do not forsake it. For indeed, Shayṭān flees from a home in which the recitation of al-Baqarah is heard."
Voices of the Salaf: Give the Qur'ān Precedence
"Give exclusivity to the Qur'ān and limit your reporting of narrations from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and I will do the same."
— Abūl Ḥuṣayn (d. 127 h.)
"I advise you with Allah's book. For indeed people have strayed away from it and opted for the statements of men."
— Maymūn b. Mahrān (d. 153 h.)
"Do not joke around me... Speak with words based on Allah's book. If you find that too difficult, then speak as men."
— 'Umar b. 'Abd al 'Azīz (d. 101 h.)
Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī (d. 463 h.) — Baghdad
"It is befitting of the student to begin with memorization of Allah's Book, which is the most illustrious knowledge and the most deserving of priority and precedence. Once Allah has blessed him to memorize His Book, let him be cautious not to be occupied by Ḥadīth or any other knowledge in such a way that causes it to be forgotten."
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (d. 463 h.) — Cordoba
"Seeking knowledge is of multiple levels and stages that must not be bypassed. Whoever bypasses them has bypassed the way of the Salaf. The first part of knowledge is memorizing and understanding Allah's Book, and all that aids in its comprehension is mandatory to pursue along with it."
Later Scholars on Prioritizing the Qur'ān
Al-Qurṭubī (d. 671 h.)
"Since Allah's book is the guarantor of all religious knowledge, containing all that is recommended and obligatory, and since it was brought by the one trusted in the heavens to the one trusted in the earth, I believed that I should busy myself with it for as long as I live."
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 h.)
"During this time of imprisonment, Allah has opened for me the meanings of the Qur'ān and fundamentals of knowledge that many scholars would wish for. I regret having wasted most of my time on things other than the meanings of the Qur'ān."
Al Imām Ibn al Qayyim (d. 751 h.)
"If people knew the benefits of reading the Qur'ān with contemplation, they would busy themselves with it above everything else. Reading a single āyah with contemplation and understanding is better than reading the whole Qur'ān without contemplation and understanding."
Knowledge, Love & Enjoyment — An Inseparable Connection
The more a person increases in knowledge about Allah and His Book, the more their love of the Qur'ān will grow. Al Imām Ibn al Qayyim explains this profound connection:
"One's pleasure follows in accordance with their love; it grows stronger with its strength and weakens with its weakness. Love and longing are dependent on knowledge and awareness about the beloved. The more perfect the knowledge of the beloved, the more complete their love becomes."
1
Knowledge of Allah
Knowing His Names, Attributes, and Book
2
Love of Allah
Love grows in proportion to knowledge
3
Complete Pleasure
Bliss in this life and the next, perfected by both

"The perfection of a servant depends on these two powers: knowledge and love. The best knowledge is the knowledge of Allah, and the highest love is the love for Him. Every pleasure and bliss in contrast to that is like a drop in the ocean." — Ibn al Qayyim
Loving the Qur'ān is Proof of Loving Allah
The Salaf unanimously connected love of the Qur'ān with love of Allah Himself. These sayings make that bond unmistakably clear.
'Uthmān bin 'Affān (d. 35 h.)
"If your hearts were pure, you would never get enough of the words of your Lord."
Ibn Mas'ūd (d. 32 h.)
"Whoever loves the Qur'ān, then he loves Allah and His Messenger." And: "Whoever loves the Qur'ān, let him rejoice — for that is an evidence of pure faith."
Khabbāb b. al Aratt (d. 37 h.)
"Get close to Allah as much as you are able and know that you can never get close to Him with something more beloved to Him than His speech."
Sahl bin 'Abd Allah (d. 283 h.)
"The sign that one loves Allah is loving the Qur'ān."
"Whoever wants to know that he loves Allah, then let him look at himself as it relates to the Qur'ān. If he loves the Qur'ān, then he loves Allah. For certainly the Qur'ān is nothing but the speech of Allah." — Ibn Mas'ūd
Loving the Qur'ān & Loving Allah Are Inseparable
Ibn al Qayyim draws a striking parallel: those who do not find Allah's book sufficient — preferring human intellect over it — are like those who do not find Allah sufficient as a deity and assign rivals to Him.
"The two matters are inseparably connected: whoever is not sufficed with His book is not sufficed with Him. When one makes a rival for His book, then he has made a rival for Him. You will not find someone who opposes the revelation with his opinion except that such a person associates partners with Allah."
— Al Imām Ibn al Qayyim (d. 751 h.)
Sufficiency of the Book
The Qur'ān is complete guidance — preferring other sources above it is a form of making rivals for Allah's speech.
Love as a Mirror
One's love for the Qur'ān is a direct reflection of one's love for Allah. The two cannot be separated.
Protection Through Devotion
Abū Sa'īd al-Kharāz: "Whoever loves Allah loves His speech and never gets his fill of reciting it."
Honoring Allah's Book is Proof of Venerating Allah
"The excellence of the Qur'ān over all other speech is like the excellence of Allah over His creation."
— Abu 'Abd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 74 h.)
"You are even smaller and most blameworthy. All of the Qur'ān is tremendous."
— Abul 'Utāhiyyah (d. 121 h.), when told a Surah was "small"
"How could it be light when Allah said: 'Indeed, We shall cast upon you a heavy statement.' Rather say it is easy, for Allah says: 'Certainly We have eased the remembrance of the Qur'ān.'"
— Ibn Sīrīn (d. 110 h.)

"The servant has a level of reverence for Allah commensurate with his piety, and has an understanding of His speech according to his knowledge and awe of the One speaking. All speech is dependent on its speaker — its magnificence in the heart is equivalent to the magnificence of the speaker. Allah says: 'There is nothing like unto Him' — just as His speech is not like any other speech in its decisiveness and clarity."
What the Qur'ān Reveals About Allah's Greatness
Al Imām Ibn al Qayyim invites us to contemplate the discourse of the Qur'ān and discover within it a King unlike any other:
Absolute Sovereignty
All dominion and praise belong to Him. All matters originate from Him and return to Him. Not an atom moves except by His permission. Not a leaf falls except by His knowledge.
Perfect Knowledge & Care
He knows what is within the inner-selves of His servants. He extolls His allies, warns His enemies, sets forth similitudes, and responds to doubts with the best responses.
Mercy & Guidance
He sincerely advises His servants, directs them to happiness and success, warns them of destruction, and invites them to Dār al-Salām — mentioning its beauty and bliss.
"When the hearts witness from the Qur'ān One who is a Tremendous, Merciful and Beautiful King — how could they not love Him? How could loving Him, longing to meet Him and finding comfort with Him not be their nourishment, sustenance and cure, such that if it were missing, their hearts would become ruined and destroyed?" — Ibn al Qayyim
The Qur'ān as Letters from Your Lord
Al-Ḥasan bin 'Alī (d. 50 h.)
"Indeed those who were before you saw the Qur'ān as being communications from their Lord that they subsequently reflected over by night and gave careful attention to by day."
Sahl bin 'Abd Allah al-Tustarī (d. 283 h.)
"If the slave were granted one thousand understandings with every letter, he would not reach the furthest extent of what Allah has left in a single verse. Just as Allah has no limit, understanding His speech has no limit."
A Divine Rebuke
It is said that Allah revealed something to the effect of:
"Oh my servant! If a book came to you from one of your brothers while you were walking, you would stop and read it letter by letter. Yet this is My book that I sent down to you whilst you show disinterest? Am I less significant to you than one of your brothers?"
Iyās b. Mu'awwiyah (d. 121 h.)
"Those who recite the Qur'ān without knowing its tafsīr are like people who receive a letter from their king at night without a lantern. One who knows the tafsīr is like the man who brings them the lantern so they can read what is in the letter."
"Oh you who are being rebuked by the Qur'ān whilst his heart is heedless! Know the status of the One who is speaking and you will realize the status of the speech. Because of what they knew about the One who spoke it, the Salaf would be resolute in reciting the Qur'ān." — Abul Faraj Ibn al Jawzī (d. 597 h.)