Etiquette of Recitation

Etiquette and Recommended Practices for Reciting the Holy Quran

1. Sincerity of Intention for Allah Alone, Avoiding Showing Off and Seeking Reputation

'Imran ibn Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported that he passed by a reciter reciting, then asked about him and said "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon" (an expression of grief), then said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: "Whoever recites the Quran, let him ask Allah by it, for there will come people who recite the Quran and ask people by it." (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as good; authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb.)

2. Purity from Both Types of Ritual Impurity

3. Cleanliness of the Place, Body, and Clothing

4. Cleaning the Mouth with the Siwak

'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Your mouths are pathways for the Quran, so purify them with the Siwak." (Narrated by Ibn Majah; authenticated by Al-Albani.)

5. Facing the Qiblah Is Recommended, Though Reciting While Walking, Lying Down, or Standing Is Permissible

Allah says: ﴾Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, or lying on their sides, and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth﴿ (Aal-'Imran: 191).

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Every matter has a leader, and the leader of gatherings is [the seat] facing the Qiblah." (Narrated by At-Tabarani with a good chain; graded good by Al-Albani in Saheeh At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb.)

6. Seeking Refuge from the Accursed Satan

Based on Allah's words: ﴾Fa'idha qara'ta-l-Qur'ana fasta'idh billahi mina-sh-shaytani-r-rajeem﴿ (An-Nahl: 98).

7. Reciting with a Humble Heart and Stillness of the Limbs, Sensing the Majesty of the One Whose Words Are Being Recited

Based on Allah's words: ﴾Had We sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and coming apart from fear of Allah. And these examples We present to the people that perhaps they will reflect﴿ (Al-Hashr: 21).

And His words: ﴾And they fall down upon their chins, weeping, and it increases them in humility﴿ (Al-Isra: 109).

8. Reflecting and Contemplating the Meanings of the Verses Being Recited

Based on Allah's words: ﴾Then do they not reflect upon the Quran, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?﴿ (Muhammad: 24).

And His words: ﴾[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding might be reminded﴿ (Sad: 29).

'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "There is no good in worship without understanding, nor in recitation without reflection."

Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "That I recite Surah Az-Zalzalah and Al-Qari'ah while reflecting on them is more beloved to me than reciting Al-Baqarah and Aal-'Imran carelessly."

Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Whoever wishes for the knowledge of the earlier and later generations, let him reflect upon the Quran."

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "Those before you saw this Quran as messages from their Lord to them, so they would reflect on them at night and act upon them by day."

9. Reciting the Quran Measuredly (Tarteel), without Rushing, Not Completing It in Fewer Than Three Days, and Not Making the Goal of Recitation Merely Reaching the End of the Surah

Based on Allah's, Glorified and Exalted, words: ﴾Warattili-l-Qur'ana tarteela﴿ (Al-Muzzammil: 4).

And the words of His Messenger, peace be upon him: "Whoever recites the Quran in fewer than three days does not understand it." (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi — who classified it as good and authentic — and Ibn Majah; authenticated by Shaykh Al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him.)

10. Asking Allah for His Mercy When Passing Verses of Mercy, and Seeking Refuge from His Punishment When Passing Verses of Punishment

'Awf ibn Malik Al-Ashja'i reported: I stood with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, one night; he stood and recited Surah Al-Baqarah, and he would not pass a verse of mercy without stopping to ask [for it], nor a verse of punishment without stopping to seek refuge [from it]. (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and An-Nasa'i; authenticated by Al-Albani.)

11. Beautifying One's Voice with the Quran

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "He is not one of us who does not beautify his voice with the Quran" — and others added, "reciting it aloud." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari.)

He also reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Beautify the Quran with your voices." (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah; authenticated by Shaykh Al-Albani.)

12. Pausing Verse by Verse

Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, described the recitation of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, as: "Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Raheem. Al-hamdu lillahi Rabbi-l-'alameen. Ar-Rahmani-r-Raheem. Maliki yawmi-d-deen," pausing verse by verse. (Narrated by Abu Dawud; authenticated by Shaykh Al-Albani.) In another narration: he would pause verse by verse, [reciting] "Al-hamdu lillahi Rabbi-l-'alameen," then pausing, "Ar-Rahmani-r-Raheem," then pausing.

13. Acting Upon the Quran, Obeying Its Commands, Avoiding Its Prohibitions, and Observing Its Limits

Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: "We lived for a period of time in which a man among us would be given faith before the Quran, and a surah would be revealed to [the Prophet], and he would learn its lawful and unlawful matters, its commands and prohibitions, and what he ought to pay attention to within it. But we have since seen men given the Quran before faith, reciting from the opening of the Book to its end without knowing what commands and prohibitions it contains, or what deserves attention — scattering it carelessly, like scattering poor, dried-out dates."

Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "A man among us, when he learned ten verses, would not go beyond them until he knew their meanings and acted upon them."

14. Listening Attentively to Another's Recitation Without Being Distracted from It

Based on Allah's, Glorified and Exalted, words: ﴾And when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and remain silent that you may receive mercy﴿ (Al-A'raf: 204).

15. Not Interrupting the Recitation Except for Necessity

Jabir reported: We went out with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, during the expedition of Dhat Ar-Riqa'. A man's wife from among the polytheists was captured, and he swore he would not stop until he shed blood among the Companions of Muhammad. He set out following the Prophet's trail. The Prophet, peace be upon him, camped somewhere and asked who would keep watch for them. A man from the Muhajirun and a man from the Ansar volunteered, and he told them to guard the mouth of the pass. The Muhajir lay down to sleep while the Ansari stood praying. The [enemy] man came, and upon seeing his silhouette, recognized him as a lookout, so he shot an arrow at him, which struck him. He pulled it out, and the man shot two more arrows at him, but he continued in his prayer through bowing and prostration before waking his companion. Once the attacker realized he had been discovered, he fled. When the Muhajir saw the blood on the Ansari, he exclaimed, "Glory be to Allah! Why didn't you wake me at the first arrow?" He replied: "I was reciting a surah, and I did not want to interrupt it."

16. Prostrating Upon Reciting or Hearing a Verse of Prostration (Sajdah)

Abu Rafi' said: I prayed the night prayer ('Isha) with Abu Hurayrah, and he recited "Idha-s-Samaa'u-nshaqqat" and prostrated. I asked him about it, and he said: "I prostrated at it behind Abu-l-Qasim [the Prophet], and I will keep prostrating at it until I meet him." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, prostrated in "Idha-s-Samaa'u-nshaqqat" and "Iqra' bismi Rabbik." (Narrated by Muslim.)

Zayd ibn Thabit said: I recited "An-Najm" to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and he did not prostrate at it. (Narrated by Al-Bukhari.)

Rabee'ah ibn 'Abdullah reported that 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab recited Surah An-Nahl on the pulpit on a Friday, and when he reached the verse of prostration, he came down and prostrated, and the people prostrated with him. The following Friday, he recited it again, and when he reached the verse of prostration, he said: "O people, we pass by the [occasion for] prostration; whoever prostrates has done right, and whoever does not prostrate incurs no sin" — and 'Umar did not prostrate [that time]. Nafi' added, from Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both: "Allah has not made prostration obligatory except that we wish [to perform it]." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari.)

Shaykh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Ritual purity is not a condition for [this prostration of recitation] according to the more correct of the two scholarly views, nor is there a closing salutation or Takbeer upon rising from it, according to the more correct view... The prostration of recitation, whether within or outside of prayer, is a recommended Sunnah, not obligatory, since this is established from the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the hadith of Zayd ibn Thabit indicating so, and it is likewise established from 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. Allah is the Grantor of success." (Majmoo' Fatawa wa Maqalat Samahat Ash-Shaykh Ibn Baz, 11/406.)

Note: the hadith of Ibn 'Umar — that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would recite the Quran to them, and when he passed a verse of prostration, he would say the Takbeer and prostrate, and they would prostrate with him — narrated by Abu Dawud, Al-Bayhaqi, and Al-Hakim, is weak, as stated by Ibn Hajar in At-Talkhees and An-Nawawi in Al-Majmoo'. Al-Albani likewise weakened it, saying in Tamam Al-Minnah: "A number of Companions have reported his prostration, peace be upon him, at many verses on various occasions, and none of them mentioned his saying the Takbeer for the prostration; we therefore incline towards this Takbeer not being a legislated practice" — a view also reported from Imam Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him.