عَنْ عُثْمَانَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اﷲِ ﷺ” خَیْرُکُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَہٗ “(رواہ البخاری جلد۲ ابواب فضائل القرآن)
Narrated Hazrat Uthman (R.T.A.) : The Prophet ﷺ said, “The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.”
Explanation:
The same tradition mentioned above also appears in Bukhari Shareef in other words:
اِنَّ اَفْضَلَکُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآن وَ عَلَّمَہٗ
)ھذاحدیث حسن صحیحٌ) ترمذی جلد۲ صفحہ ۱۱۸، ابواب فضائل القرآن ۔
On the other hand, a tradition to the same effect is also recorded in Tirmizi in these words:
’’خَیْرُکُمْ اَوْ اَفْضَلُکُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَہٗ‘‘ (ھذاحدیث حسن صحیحٌ(
“The best of you or, the most excellent of you is he who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.”
Explanation: The word ‘خیرکم’ is noun derived from the infinitive خاريخير خيراmeaning ‘to be good’. The word ‘خير’ refers to the goodness which reaches its peak. The plural of it is ‘خيور’.
‘خیر’ is the abbreviated form of the superlative degree of ‘اخير’, the female danger of which is ‘خيرةً’ as it is said ‘فلان خيرةُ الناس وَ خَيرُهُم’ meaning ‘he is best among others.’ (Misbahullughat, Page: 225 – 224)
In the tradition mentioned above, the people are clearly described as the best are those who keep themselves engaged in teaching and learning Allah’s words, the Holy Qura’n.
At many several places in the Holy Qura’n and Hadith, those believers have been admired and given superiority who are in touch with the Book of Guidance, the Holy Qura’n, it says:
’’قُلْ ھَلْ یَسْتَویْ الَّذِیْنَ یَعْلَمُوْنَ وَ الَّذِیْنَ لاَ یَعْلَمُوْنَ‘‘(سورۃ الزمر:۹)
Say, “Can those who know and those who do not know become equal?”
At another place it appears:
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَآبِّ وَالْاَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ اَ لْوَانُهٗ كَذٰلِكَ اِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللّٰهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمٰٓؤُا اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزِيْزٌ غَفُوْرٌ (28)
Quran Ayah Data not found….for Surah:35, Ayah:28 and Translation:24
Quran Surah:35 Ayah:28
Only those of His creatures fear God who have knowledge.
In the verses appearing above, those people have been duly declared superior to others who possess the knowledge of the Holy Qura’n. However, this kind of knowledge must be linked with the characteristic of practice.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said:
’’اَلْمَاھِرُ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَعَ السَّفَرۃِ الکِرَامِ البَرَرَۃِ وَ الَذِّیْنَ یَتَتَعْتَعُ فِیْہَ وھُوَ عَلَیہِ شَاقٌ لَہٗ اَجْرَانِ‘‘ (مسلم، ترمذی ، ابوداؤد (
One who is proficient in the Qur’an is associated with the noble, upright, recording angels; and he who falters in it, and finds it difficult for him, will have a double reward.
The phrase ‘proficient in the Holy Qura’n’ means that the person referred to must be able to recite the Holy Qura’n taking its phonetic rules into consideration, keeps it memorized well, understand its meanings and deliberates in them, more importantly, is able to solve the day-to-day issues in the light of it. Thus, all types of these meanings are included in the explanation of the tradition mentioned above. It is the same person who will have the greatest rank on the Day of Resurrection and honoured to be among the choices slaves of Allah, the Almighty.
Similarly, the very person who is worthy of Allah’s special attention of mercy is one who never ceases to recite the Holy Qura’n despite stammering, rather continues to do so facing all types of difficulties and deems it necessary to learn its teachings.
The word ‘تعلّم’ means ‘to learn’. It encompasses all the possible explanations as learning how to recite and read the Holy Qura’n, its phonetic rules, memorizing it and getting mastery in understanding its meanings and sciences.
Similarly, ‘عَلَّمَ: عَلَّمَہٗ تَعْلِیْماً وعِلاّماً الصنعۃ وغیرھا’ (Misbahullughat: 573) meaning ‘to teach’. In other words, it includes the sense like to teach how to read the Holy Qura’n, explain its meanings, extracting the solution of issues from it and propagating its teachings. As regard to those who are engaged in serving the Holy Qura’n through teaching and learning it, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said:
’’وَمَا اجْتَمَعَ قَوْمٌ فِیْ بَیْتٍ مِنْ بُیْوتِ اﷲِ یَتْلُوْنَ کِتَابَ اﷲِ وَ یَتَدَارَسُوْنَہٗ بَیْنَھُمْ اِلاَّ نَزَلَتْ عَلَیْھمْ الْسَکِیْنَۃُ وَ غَشِیَتْھُمُ الرَّحْمَۃُ وَ حَفّتْھُمُ الْمَلَائِکَۃُ وَ ذَکَرَھُمُ اﷲُ فِیْمنْ عِنْدَہٗ‘‘ (مسلم ، ترمذی(
“Those persons who assemble in the house among the houses of Allah (mosques) and recite the Book of Allah and they learn and teach the Qur’an (among themselves) there would descend upon them the tranquillity and mercy would cover them and the angels would surround them and Allah makes a mention of them in the presence of those near Him.”
In reality, the Holy Qura’n, the Book of Guidance, is the base foundation of Islam. As for the status in the sight of Allah, the Almighty of those who recite it collectively and deliberate in its verses and try to find out the solution to the issues facing mankind is so elevated that it is said:
- They are bestowed with tranquility of their hearts.
- Allah’s mercy covers them.
- The angels surround them.
- Allah makes a mention of them in the presence of those near Him saying, “See how my slaves are absorbed in deliberating in the verses of my words.
According to another tradition, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: Allah, the Almighty says, “A person who is not able to make my remembrance and beg anything from me due to being engage in reciting and deliberating in the verses of the Holy Qura’n, I will grant him more than to anyone else.” (Tirmizi-Abwab-ul-Qura’n)
The most important point we come to know in the light of the explanations mentioned above is that, among Muslims, the best one is he who is engaged in teaching and learning the Holy Qura’n which may be categorized in different possible forms as follows:
- The person referred to be the best keeps himself engaged in learning it with its phonetic rules.
- Recites and memorizes it.
- Acquaints himself with its meanings.
- Takes guidance through it in his day-to-day life.
- Tries to get mastery in its scinces.
- Exerts his possible attempts to be the practical embodiment of its teachings and so on.
Similarly, those are also considered to be the best of all who:
- To teach people how to read the Holy Qura’n with its phonetic rules.
- Trains people in memorizing the Holy Qura’n and explain to them its meaning and messages.
- Propagates Qura’nic teachings and exhorts people to abide by them.
- One who imparts the Qura’nic verses and the message containing in them to others and guide them how to put them in to real practice.
- Tries his level best promote Qura’nic sciences and teachings among the society he lives in.
As regard to the excellence of teaching and learning the Holy Qura’n, it is certainly for those who, together with its knowledge, try to abide by its teachings with their true and heart and suol and revert to it when it comes to seek guidance furnished by it.
As for those who are heedless of its teaching and learning and are neglectful of abiding by its teachings, there is a stern warning for them in the words:
وَمَنْ بَطَّأَ بِهِ عَمَلُهُ لَمْ يُسْرِعْ بِهِ نَسَبُهُ (مسلم، ترمذي)
And he who is slow-paced in doing good deeds, his (high) descent does not make him go ahead.
Time to think: On one hand, a person who teaches and learns the Holy Qura’n is declared to be the best of Ummah while, on the other hand, it is a hard fact that a major part of the Ummah still is unaware of how to read the Holy Qura’n, since those who teach it, turn heedless to it looking down upon this enormous task. In fact, this kind of tendency is really dangerous. The way those who teach and learn the Holy Qura’n are declared to be the best among Ummah, the opposite meaning of it is that those who disregard to pay their attention towards them despite being it necessary, are considered to be the lowest of the Ummah.
Lastly, may Allah, the Almighty grant us Taufique to teach and learn the Holy Qura’n and try to propagate the teachings containing in it! (Ameen!)