Etiquettes of the Quran: Attentive Listening | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Etiquettes of the Quran: Attentive Listening

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم — We send peace and blessings upon His noble Messenger. Dear brothers and sisters, we find that in this world one of the highest forms of disrespect and rudeness is when a person is speaking to you and he or she is addressing you and you turn away from them — or you simply look the other way, turn the cheek, or look through them and not at them — and you show signs of negligence and complete unawareness in that conversation, as if you are passively listening. This is perhaps the epitome of disrespect. Complete disrespect. Absolute disrespect. A mother wouldn't like it if a child does that to her. A husband wouldn't like it if a wife does it to him, and vice versa. A teacher wouldn't like it if a student does it to them. It's the highest form of disrespect.

Dear brothers and sisters, what do we think happens when we as the slaves of Allah listen to the Quran but with passive minds? The Quran is on, but the valves of the hearts are shut off. The Quran is being recited, but our mind is swaying away, thinking of different things — speaking to our family members, having full-on conversations and laughter. What effect will the Quran have on me? The Quran may still have an effect, but is that truly respectful to the words of Allah — that the Quran is on and I'm laughing over it? The Quran is being recited and I am having a more important conversation than the conversation that Allah is having with me? Is that how we treat it?

Does the Quran become background music for us, where it is simply a form of soothing ourselves and just relaxing? Is that all it serves for us? There is a more important benefit, there is a more important reality of listening to the Quran. Dear brothers and sisters, in this episode we will be speaking about how we should listen to the Quran as an etiquette of the Quran — not just reading it, not just opening the mushaf — how should we listen to it?

The Quranic Command: Listen Attentively

Allah says in the Quran:

And when the Quran is being recited — and this ayah is coming down to the Prophet ﷺ, and he is reciting it to the Sahabah — when the Quran is being recited, listen attentively. Allah did not say فَاسْمَعُوا — just listen. The verbal form that Allah is using for this ayah is اسْتَمِعُوا — listen with complete attentiveness. Let your ears, your hearts, and your mind be present when the Quran is being recited.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه would say: whenever you hear the phrase يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا, let your ears perk up — because perhaps Allah is ordering you to do something or prohibiting you from something else. Let your ears be there. Let your heart be present. فَاسْتَمِعُوا — give your entire mind to the Quran. Even if we are listening to it less and we are not always available, whenever we do listen, for the small portions that we are able to — give it our full mind.

No companion in life will allow us to continue living with them if we don't give our mind, our heart, and our ears when they're having a conversation with us. So we listen with our entire body being there, present-minded. And also — don't just listen — remain silent. Some people may say, "Yeah, I'm listening to the Quran, but I'm still talking. I'm multitasking." Allah tells us in this ayah that it's oxymoronic. It's not possible. It's not feasible. It is not doable that you are listening and you are not quiet. If you're speaking, you're having a conversation — and the Quran is being recited — you need to be quiet.

How the Companions Listened to the Quran

We're going back into the masajid now after a long period of time during COVID-19. And throughout our lives, whenever we enter the masjid and the Quran is being recited — whether we're putting on our shoes, taking them off, or making wudu — and we're having a full-on conversation, we must remember: the Quran is being recited. Allah is delivering a speech to me. وَأَنصِتُوا — remain silent.

The Sahabah رضي الله عنهم أجمعين — how were they when the Quran was recited upon them?

When the ayat of Allah were recited upon them, they would fall into sajdah and they would start crying — just by hearing the words of Allah.

Allah says that when they would hear the Quran — just by understanding the truth that is coming from the Quran — you would see their eyes tearing up. Not from reading it, but just from listening to the Quran.

The hair on their arms and on their backs would stand up. Their skin — they would feel a form of connection with the Quran because they were listening with their entire body.

The Prophet's Own Example of Attentive Listening

This was not only a sunnah of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم أجمعين. The Prophet ﷺ himself acted upon this and brought it to life. One day he came to his dear companion Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and said to him: "O Abdullah, اقرأ عليّ — recite the Quran to me."

And Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه replied: أَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكَ وَأَنْتَ أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْك؟ — "You want me to recite the Quran whilst it was revealed upon you? You heard it from Jibreel عليه السلام from Allah. You want to hear it from me?" It doesn't really make sense — it's like a teacher asking a student to recite a speech in front of them. The Prophet ﷺ said: "No, وَلَكِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَسْمَعَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِي — I want to hear it from someone else."

So Abdullah ibn Mas'ud began reciting from Surah an-Nisa and continued to read until he reached the ayah:

He looked up and the Prophet ﷺ said: "Stop. That is enough." فَالْتَفَتَ مِنِّي — Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said that the Prophet turned away from him, وَعَيْنَاهُ تَذْرِفَانِ — and in his eyes, the tears were just streaming. He listened to the Quran, and this was what it did to him.

One day the Prophet ﷺ went to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه and said to him: "Last night you were reciting the Quran in the masjid and I was listening. You have been given the voice of Dawud عليه السلام. Your voice is so beautiful — I was mesmerized. I started listening and I didn't leave. I was listening the entire night. My mind was there. My ears were attentive."

And Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه said: "If I knew you were listening, I would have beautified my voice even more. I was just relaxing — on cruise control, not going into fifth gear. But if I knew you were listening, I would have gone to another level." The Prophet ﷺ himself made it a norm to listen to the Quran correctly.

The Fear of the Enemies of Islam

It was the goal and objective of the mushrikoon to not allow people to listen to the Quran with full attentiveness. They could listen — but they shouldn't fully give it their hearts. Because if they did, the Quran would take them. And they would say: "Don't listen to the Quran. Try to think of something else when the Quran is being recited. Put something in your ears. Talk over it. Because if you don't do that, the Quran will overtake you and you will become Muslim."

The Quran had this effect on non-Muslims. This is why Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was leaving Mecca and moving to Habesha — because the people of Mecca said: "Abu Bakr cannot live here, because when he recites the Quran, our children and the people of our household are affected and they desire to become Muslim." These are non-Muslims saying this! Because when they would hear the Quran, their hearts would open up, their ears would perk, and they would allow the blessings — all the jewels and gems of the Quran — to enter into their hearts. But their ears were there. They were listening. And they said: "If he wants to stay here, he can't recite out loud. He has to recite from within his home."

There is a story of Abu Jahl and Abu Sufyan — great enemies of Islam — that one day, all three of them found themselves sitting outside of the Prophet's ﷺ home while he was reciting the Quran. Some say it was in the Haram. They each went there and heard the Prophet ﷺ reciting the Quran. They were the greatest enemies of Islam — and when they finished, they didn't even know who was sitting next to them. The hadith mentions that neither of them knew all three of them were there. Finally, when they got up, they bumped into each other. "Hey, what are you doing here?" "I was just listening." "Don't come back — we can't come back. If we come back, the word's going to spread that we are listening to the Quran." The next day they came again. The third day they came again. For three days straight, they continued to come to hear the Quran being recited — because they just enjoyed it.

Allah did not open the doors of hidayah for them, but Allah opened the doors of hidayah for us. What changed the life of the great Umar رضي الله عنه? He left his home with a clear intent — his sword was unsheathed. There was no second question about where he was going or what he was doing. And then a few verses from Surah Taha reached him:

The Quran was not revealed to you so that it could become a form of difficulty for you. Rather, it is just a reminder for those who have any fear in their hearts. And those verses did it for him — he went to the Prophet ﷺ and became Muslim.

Stories of the Companions' Attentiveness to the Quran

Dear brothers and sisters, while we are listening to the Quran, this Quran should and will become a source of continual and perpetual guidance for us — if we allow ourselves to listen to it with attentiveness and not while ignoring it and being attentive toward something completely different.

It is mentioned in the tafsir of Surah al-Ghashiyah that the Prophet ﷺ was walking and as he was walking he heard someone reciting. He heard a woman reading, and the Prophet ﷺ stopped and continued to respond — as the warning of the Hour had come to him. The news of the Day of Judgment had reached him. And the lady continued until she fainted. And the Prophet ﷺ continued to respond, saying: "Yes, the time of the Hour has come to me."

One day the Sahabah reached the masjid for Salat al-Fajr at the time of Umar رضي الله عنه. When they reached the masjid, the Amir al-Mu'mineen was not there. He wasn't present. So they waited and waited — not like how it sometimes is today, where if the Imam isn't there, five seconds in, someone else is standing up. That would have been a form of disrespect. So they waited until they couldn't wait any longer. They left the salah and started looking for him.

They went to his home, knocked on his door. His wife said: "No, I haven't seen him. He's been gone since the night. He goes on night patrol — he never came back." They started looking for him and finally found him with his head on the floor, laying down, his face in the dust, as if he had fainted. So they woke him up: "Ya Amir al-Mu'mineen, what's going on?" He woke up. "Ya Amir al-Mu'mineen, are you okay? Did something happen?" "No, nothing happened to me. I was walking back to the masjid after my patrol and I heard someone reciting the verses of Surah at-Tur. And when I heard those verses, it just did something to me."

How many people have we heard say: "What changed your life?" "I just heard someone reciting the Quran. Something happened inside — something just happened." Rather than waiting for that story to happen to us, if we start actually listening with that intention, it will happen to us every single time we open up the Quran. What verses did Umar رضي الله عنه hear?

The punishment of Allah is going to take place — no one can stop it. "When I heard this verse, I just collapsed." This is how they would listen to the Quran — with full attentiveness — and they would engage with it in this manner.

Five Magnificent Benefits of Listening to the Quran

Dear brothers and sisters, there are five beautiful and significant benefits that we can take through just listening to the Quran. A lot of times we think that reciting the Quran brings benefits — and it does — but simply listening to the Quran with attentiveness brings its own benefits.

Benefit One: The Mercy of Allah

The first and most important benefit — the most important objective of the Hereafter — is that Allah grants us His mercy. As He says:

When the Quran is being recited, remain silent and listen attentively. What is your benefit? Allah will bless you with His mercy. And when لَعَلَّ is used for Allah, it means أَوْجَبَ لَكُمْ رَحْمَتِي — "My mercy has become compulsory for you." If you listen to the Quran with attentiveness — your heart and mind present, not passively walking around talking and having a conversation — Allah says: My mercy becomes wajib for you. My mercy will manifest in your life in this world, and it will be there for you when you require it the most in the Hereafter.

Benefit Two: The Glad Tidings of Guidance

Allah blesses us with His glad tidings of guidance. Who is receiving these glad tidings?

Allah says: Give glad tidings to My servants. Which ones, Ya Allah? The ones that listen to the Quran. Those are the ones that Allah has made their guidance concrete — Allah has made them people of guidance and lanterns of hidayah because they listen to the Quran with attentiveness.

Benefit Three: Peace and Tranquility in the Heart

The third benefit we can derive from simply listening to the Quran — such magnificent benefits from something so simple. So the next time we are driving in the car and we want to put something else on, think about these benefits. We're not talking about what is haram and what is halal — but think about these benefits: "I'm driving. Let me put the Quran on. These benefits will internalize themselves in my life."

Allah says:

That we find ease, solace, and peace in our life — in our soul, within our family — because we give the Quran some time. We give it a lending ear.

Benefit Four: Protection from Hardship and Disease

The fourth benefit of listening to the Quran — Ibn Taymiyyah says it becomes a source of protecting us from the daily hardships we can go through: the daily headaches, the daily fevers, the daily stomach aches, the daily pains in the heart, the pain in the arm. All of this — we are protected from it by simply listening to the Quran.

And We have revealed in the Quran every single cure for a disease or a hardship. It's there for us. So when I'm listening to the Quran, I'm reminding myself: because I'm listening, Allah will protect me from a headache, Allah will protect me from that hardship. Not just the Motrin or the Tylenol pill that I'm taking — this will also help. This will be a form of comfort for me.

Benefit Five: Increase in Iman

The final benefit — and perhaps one of the most important — is this: we are all believers, alhamdulillah. Do we ever think that we don't need more Iman? No — we all want more Iman. Does the person making five million dollars a year say, "I'm content"? No — he wants to make ten million dollars a year. Even in sports, when a person becomes an all-star, now he wants to become a superstar. He wants to become the G.O.A.T. — the greatest of all time. Progression is synonymous with success. We always want more. This is why we tell Allah:

Or we ask Allah: continue to guide us — increase our guidance. And from this, Allah tells us that those who listen to the Quran, Allah continues to increase their Iman. Allah makes their Iman flourish. Allah amplifies their Iman:

Summary of the Five Benefits

These are the five benefits, dear brothers and sisters, that we get from simply giving the Quran our full attention:

Number one — Allah shows His mercy to us, which we are all in dire need of in every moment of our lives. Without the mercy of Allah, we are lost creatures.

Number two — Allah gives us the glad tidings of being guided.

Number three — Allah allows comfort and peace to enter into our hearts, into our homes, into our families — just by listening to the Quran.

Number four — Allah makes the Quran a source and a barrier that protects us from hardships and diseases.

Number five — Allah allows this Quran to be a perpetual source of guidance for us and allows our Iman to increase from it.

Our Promise to the Quran

Dear brothers and sisters, the next time we listen to the Quran, let us promise ourselves: no more background music. The Quran is not background music. No more talking and laughing over the Quran. No more ignoring the Quran when it is being recited. If I can't listen to it properly, I will turn it off — I will just turn it off for that moment. It's not a big deal. And when I am listening, I listen and I give it my full attention, keeping in mind these five great benefits. Because if we keep this in mind, it will come to us — insha'Allah.

JazakAllah Khair. وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ