Finding Joy in the Qur’an | Hidden Treasures Episode 16 | Shaykh Furhan Zubairi

The Prophet's Love for Listening to the Qur'an

The treasure I'm going to be sharing is the Prophet ﷺ listening to the Qur'an. All of us know that the Prophet ﷺ is our role model.

Indeed, for you in the Messenger of Allah is a beautiful model, a beautiful example.

And he provided the perfect example when it comes to worshiping Allah. He modeled how we are supposed to engage in ibadah. And one of the acts of worship he enjoyed engaging in is listening to the Qur'an, the divine, uncreated, eternal speech of Allah ﷻ. The words of Allah are extremely powerful, profound, beautiful, eloquent, and emotive.

That when we listen to the words of Allah ﷻ and engage with them, they have a profound impact upon us both internally as well as externally. And we see this in the life of the Prophet ﷺ, that when he would listen to the Qur'an, it would have a visible impact upon him ﷺ.

The Prophet ﷺ Asks Ibn Mas'ud to Recite

There's a very beautiful narration where one day he met Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه and he said:

Recite the Qur'an to me.

And Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه was a little bit surprised. He was shocked. He was amazed. And he asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

You want me to recite the Qur'an to you, when the Qur'an was revealed upon you?

And the Prophet ﷺ said, yes:

That I love — or I enjoy — listening to the Qur'an from others. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5055; Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 1903)

So the Prophet ﷺ himself is expressing that he enjoyed listening to others reciting the Qur'an. The Prophet ﷺ found joy. He found comfort. He found tranquility in listening to the divine speech of Allah ﷻ being recited.

The Verse That Moved the Prophet ﷺ to Tears

So Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه then started reciting Surah An-Nisa. And he continued to recite until he reached a particular verse — a verse highlighting the rank and status of the Prophet ﷺ:

So how is it going to be on that day — the Day of Judgment — when We bring a witness upon every single community and every single nation, and We bring you as a witness upon all of them?

When Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه recited this verse, the Prophet ﷺ said:

That's enough for now.

And Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه then said: I looked up at the face of the Prophet ﷺ and his eyes were flowing with tears.

Lessons and Benefits

This is a very instructive incident from the life of the Prophet ﷺ that highlights several different fawa'id — several different benefits.

One is that the Prophet ﷺ enjoyed listening to the Qur'an. As human beings, we find enjoyment in several activities. And oftentimes, we find enjoyment in leisure. We find enjoyment in entertainment. We enjoy watching sports. We enjoy watching certain series, perhaps on Netflix. We enjoy watching things on YouTube. We enjoy doing whatever it may be. We might enjoy eating. But the Prophet ﷺ — he found joy. He found happiness in ibadah. He found joy. He found happiness in engaging in worship, obedience, and servitude.

And that's something that all of us should develop within ourselves — that we should try our best to actually enjoy and find happiness in acts of worship. Particularly, listening to the Qur'an.

Listening with Understanding

And when listening to the Qur'an, we're not just listening for the sake of it sounding good, or the qari — the reciter — having a beautiful voice. For a lot of us, that might be the case because we don't understand the language of the Qur'an. We might enjoy listening to someone because they recite in a very beautiful voice. They know the qira'at. They might recite in these maqamat, whatever it may be. That shouldn't be the case.

We should enjoy it because we understand the meaning. That the meaning is actually penetrating our hearts. And it's having an impact upon our emotions. And it's something that leads towards reformation. And that can only come by putting an effort to learn the Qur'an. So that when I hear a reciter reciting Allah's divine speech, I actually understand it. I use my mind to reflect on the meanings. And the deeper meanings then penetrate my heart. And it stirs my emotions. It pulls on my emotional strings. And it brings me to tears.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give all of us the tawfiq — the ability — to start listening to the Qur'an in a more meaningful manner. May Allah soften our hearts.