Ibn Mas’ood (رضي الله عنه‏) is one of the most well-known companions of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). (Can someone suggest some good links that detail his biography?) Orientalists–who do not generally fabricate–claim that, prior to the Second Compilation, Ibn Mas’ood’s (رضي الله عنه‏) mushaf had two extra surahs that our mushafs today don’t have. If you investigate this claim, you find that, indeed, it’s authentically report that his mushaf had two extra chapters.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

Translation: Indeed, Allah prescribed ihsaan in all things. Thus, if you kill, kill well; and if you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters. [Saheeh Muslim]

If you, or someone you know, is planning on studying overseas, this information may prove useful. Most of the time, there’s a language barrier between people here and the staff. A lot people apply blindly, especially when it comes to the faculties–which seem to be pretty standard across Islamic institutes–not knowing what exactly to expect.

So we’ve put together a small list of the common faculties, and what they teach you in each. And of course, regardless of which faculty you study in, you will learn the basics of everything–how to pray, recite, etc.

The Qur’an was first compiled during the lifetime of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (رضي الله عنه‏), the first khalifa, whose rule lasted from the death of the last messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) for two years.

Why wasn’t it compiled during the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) himself?

• On-Going Revelation: Revelation was still coming down. If you wrote two verses next to each other, and Allah revealed one in the middle–or an extension to the end of a surah–what then? They didn’t have staplers to staple pages into the middle!
• No Need: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) was still alive, and so were his companions, and they were all there with him. What need was there to compile it? The knowledge was there in the community.
• Arrangement was not Finalized: New verses would come down and be added to the middle of surahs. If it’s already written in a book, what do you do? How can you fit it in?
• Abrogation: Although abrogated verses are very few, sometimes a verse would be abrogated–so what if it was written down? What do you do with it?

In any case, in Abu Bakr’s time, there was a big battle, where 70 huffadh were martyred. After this one battle, ‘Umar convinced Abu Bakr–who was hesitant at first–to compile the Qur’an into one book. Prior to this, it was written down in scraps and fragments; and some of it was only memorized, not written down. And ‘Umar feared that the unwritten parts would be lost.

Qira’aat. Recitations. Like other parts of Islam, Qira’aat have been codified–it’s a science, just like the science of hadith.

And, just like ahadith, qira’aat have different types. What kind of types? Four types, actually:

1. Saheeh: Authentic qira’aat. To be saheeh, a qira’ah must have an authentic chain of narration back to the Prophet (S), and it must conform with the Uthmanic mushaf. There are ten of these puppies–not seven, as is the common misconception.
2. Shaadh: These qira’aat have an authentic chain of narration back to the Prophet (S), but they don’t fit into the Uthmanic mushaf. By consensus of the ‘ulama, you cannot recite shaadh qira’aat in salaah. Why are they considered so, if they have an authentic chain? Perhaps because of the importance of the second compilation of the Qur’an. The sahaba made ijmaa, and we have to respect it.
3. Da’eef: weak. These qira’aat don’t have an authentic chain of narrators, but a broken chain.
4. Baatil: these are qira’aat that others invented. (Yes, people forge qira’aat, just like they forge ahadith. It’s disgusting, I know.)

Which are these ten qira’aat that are authentic? That’s another topic for another post!

If you live in a western society, such as Canada, America, England, and so on, be aware that some scholars have said that, for people living in these societies, da’wa is fard ‘ayn–an obligation on each and every Muslim. But don’t be scared–because the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: “By Allah, if Allah were to guide one man through you, it would be better for you than a red camel.” [Saheeh Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim] Better then a shiny red Ferrari!

Route 114: Qur’anic Sciences is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Yasir Qadhi.

The science of the Qur’an: one of the sciences that reaches out into and forms a foundation for almost every other Islamic science. Topics include: the definition of the Qur’an, the rewards of the Qur’an, the blessings of the Qur’an, the origin of the Qur’an, the recitation of the Qur’an (tajweed); the science of qira’at; ahruf; the science of tafseer; wahiy (revelation); Mecci and Madani verses; the arrangement of surahs and ayahs; abrogation; the miraculous nature of the Qur’an; translation; memorization.

So what exactly is the Qur’an?

Scholars define the Qur’an as this: The Arabic speech of Allah that was revealed to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) both in word and in meaning. It is collected between the two covers of the mushaaf, was narrated in mutawaatir chains, and is a challenge to humankind.

We can learn five important things about the Qur’an from this definition.

1. The Arabic speech of Allah: The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, in Arabic. This means that anything that’s not Arabic isn’t the Qur’an. You can’t pray in English, in French, in Swahili, in Urdu–it has to be in Arabic.
2. Revealed to the Prophet: We know that Allah revealed many revelations–including the Injeel and the Tawrah and the Zabur. Those are also revelation of Allah–but they’re not the Qur’an. Only what Allah revealed to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) is Qur’an.
3. Revealed in Word and Meaning: Not Only is the meaning of the Qur’an the same as what Allah meant; but the words themselves are also from Allah. (Unlike Hadith Qudsi, where the meaning is from Allah, and the words are from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم))
4. Collected between Two Covers: Hadith Qudsi is also the speech of Allah, but it’s not Qur’an. Similarly, there are verses that used to be in the Qur’an, but aren’t anymore–even though they were once! These are the abrogated verses, and they’re not considered Qur’an anymore, even though we still know what some of those revelations were.
5. Mutawaatir: The Qur’an was related in a mutawaatir fashion–so many narrators narrated it, at every single step in the chain of narration, that it’s impossible that they all lied or made a mistake.
6. A Challenge to Humankind: The Qur’an is an ongoing challenge to the human race–create a book, a surah, a verse like it; but nay, we will NEVER be able to. Allah Himself says so.

One other important part of the definition of the Qur’an is that Allah promised that He will protect it, until the end of time–and that promise doesn’t apply to anything else (such as the sunnah, or the Hadith Qudsi).

Bismillah

The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “How can I feel comfort while the angel responsible for The Trumpet has placed The Trumpet to his mouth and lowered his forehead, awaiting when he will be commanded (by Allah to blow in it)?”

‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه‏) was the second khalifa, and one of the ten companions promised Jannah in their lifetimes.

‘Umar (رضي الله عنه‏) used to be a soldier–one of the best. But when he became the khalifah, the other companions refused to let him fight–he disagreed with them, but in the end, he stayed back in Medinah while the battles waged. Yet he always made one du’a, publicly and privately, throughout his khilafah: “Allahumma ruziqniy shahaadah,” “O Allah, provide me with martyrdom.”