Praise be to Allaah.

There is nothing wrong with quoting Quraanic verses as

proverbs, if that is for a valid purpose, such as saying This
is something that will neither nourish nor avail against
hunger or saying Thereof (the earth) We created you,
and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring
you out once again, if one wants to remind people of
their relationship with the earth, from which they were
created and to which they will return. If quoting Quraan
as a proverb is not intended by way of mockery and
making fun, there is nothing wrong with it. But if it is done
by way of mockery and making fun, as the questioner
mentions, then this is regarded as apostasy from Islam,
because the one who makes fun of the Quraan or of any
mention of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, has
apostatized from Islam, as Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):

Say: Was it at Allaah ( ) , and His Ayaat (proofs,

evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and
His Messenger ( ) that you were mocking?

66. Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had

believed

[al-Tawbah 9:65-66]

It is essential to venerate and respect the Quraan, but

that does not mean that one cannot quote it as a proverb
in a proper and respectful manner. There is nothing wrong
with that, but using it by way of mockery and making fun
is apostasy from Islam. And Allaah knows best.

Majmoo Fataawa al-Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (1/127).

Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with reading from the Mushaf whilst lying down.
Al-Bukhaari (7549) and Muslim (301) narrated that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to lie in Aaishahs lap and recite
Quraan.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said
in Sharh Saheeh Muslim:
This indicates that it is permissible to read Quraan
when reclining and lying down. End quote.

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan said:

There is nothing wrong with reading the Quraan
when lying down, whether one is lying on a bed or
on the ground. There is nothing wrong with that. A
person may recite Quraan whatever position he is
in, standing or sitting or reclining, and whether he
has wudoo or is in a state of minor impurity, if he
is reciting from memory. But if he is reading from
the Mus-haf, then it is not permissible for the one
who does not have wudoo to touch the Mus-haf
unless he has done wudoo. End quote.
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Fawzan.
And Allaah knows best.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

Islam Q&A

Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be

upon him) with a religion that covers all aspects of life, as
Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) left us and no bird flapped its wings in the sky
except that he had taught us some knowledge about it.

(Narrated by Ahmad, 20399. See Majma al-Zawaaid,

8/263. al-Haythami said: it was narrated by al-Tabaraani
and its men are the men of saheeh apart from
Muhammad ibn Abd-Allaah ibn Yazeed al-Muqri who is
thiqah (trustworthy)).

Islam came to meet the needs of people in all aspects of

their lives.

Secondly:

What is narrated in the Sunnah from the Prophet (peace

and blessings of Allaah be upon him) complements what
is in the Quraan. These two sources are the principal
sources for Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) has told us that Allaah has not sent
down any disease but He has also sent down a cure for it.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be

pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: Allaah has not sent down
any disease but He has also sent down a cure for it.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5678.

Thirdly:

What the questioner has mentioned, that some Muslims

say that many remedies were discovered through the
Holy Quraan, we say that this is somewhat exaggerated.

The Quraan is not a book of medicine or geography or

geology as some Muslims like to say to westerners.
Rather it is a book of guidance for mankind and one of
the greatest of its miracles is its eloquence and the ideas
and concepts that it contains. This is the main aspect of
its miraculous nature. Allaah revealed it to His Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at a time
when eloquence had reached great heights, so this book
came to amaze those people and challenge them in their
area of expertise, to prove to them that it was from
Allaah.

This is not strange, and it is nothing new in religion. The

signs of Moosa (peace be upon him) his stick and his
hand were of the kind that was prevalent during his
time, which was magic (sihr). The signs of Eesa (peace
be upon him) raising the dead and healing the blind and
lepers were of the kind that his people were skilled in
and that was widespread among them, which was
medicine.

Hence we say that the greatest feature of the Quraan is

its eloquence. Scholars nowadays are still discovering
new aspects of its eloquence through their study of its
verses.

This does not mean that there is no other miraculous

aspects to the Quraan. Rather in some verses Allaah
mentions things about the design of the human body, the
stages of its creation and development, some natural
phenomena, etc.

But with regard to cures for various diseases, as the

questioner mentions, the Quraan is a healing for the
believers. This includes healing the heart (mental or
spiritual disease) and physical healing. Allaah mentions
honey in the Quraan and says that it is a healing for
mankind. And He mentions the principle of preserving
good health and guarding against sickness. So whoever

says that the Quraan says a lot about medicine in this

regard is right, but whoever goes beyond that is
exaggerating. Rather this is a kind of exaggeration coined
by some Muslims. The Quraan is not a book of medicine.
There are some diseases that did not exist previously, so
how could their cure come according to what the
questioner says before they appeared?

Fourthly:

(a) The following are some of the verses which indicate

that the Quraan is healing:

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

And We send down of the Quraan that which is a healing

and a mercy to those who believe

[al-Isra 17:82]

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Allaah says And We send down of the Quraan that which

is a healing and a mercy to those who believe. The
correct view is that the word min (translated here as of)
serves to explain the nature of the Quraan as a whole,
not to refer to parts of it and not other parts.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from

your Lord (i.e. the Quraan, enjoining all that is good and
forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that which is
in your hearts

[Yoonus 10:57]

The Quraan is the complete healing for all mental,

spiritual and physical diseases, all diseases of this world
and the Hereafter. But not everyone is guided to use it for
the purpose of healing. If the sick person uses the
Quraan for healing in the proper way, and applies it to
his disease with sincerity, faith, complete acceptance and
firm conviction, fulfilling all its conditions, then no disease
can resist it.

How can disease resist the words of the Lord of heaven

and earth which, if He had revealed it to the mountains
they would have crumbled and if He had revealed it to
the earth it would have broken it apart? There is no
sickness, spiritual or physical, but in the Quraan there is
that which indicates its remedy, its cause and how to
protect against it for those who are blessed with
understanding of His Book.

Zaad al-Maaad, 4/352

(b) The Quraan contains the treatment for hearts and

souls, and as such it is a means of expelling all sicknesses
from the body. In this regard the Quraan is a healing and
a remedy for many diseases.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

We and others have tried this on many occasions and we

have seen that it works in ways that physical remedies do
not. Indeed we now regard physical medicine as the
doctors regard folk medicine. This is in accordance with
the law of divine wisdom, not contrary to it, but the
causes of healing are many and varied. When the heart is
in contact with the Lord of the Worlds, the Creator of the
disease and the remedy, the Controller of nature Who

directs it as He wills, he has other remedies apart from

the remedies that are sought by the heart that is far away
from Him and that turns away from Him. It is known that
when a persons spirits are high and his body is in good
shape, they cooperate in warding off disease and
suppressing it, so if a person is in high spirits and physical
good shape, finds comfort in being close to his Creator,
loving Him, enjoying remembrance of Him (dhikr),
devoting all his strength and power for His sake and
focusing on Him, seeking His help, putting his trust in
Him, how can anyone deny that this is the greatest
medicine or that this spiritual power gives him the means
to ward off pain and defeat it completely? No one would
deny this but the most ignorant of people, those who are
furthest away from Allaah and the most hard-hearted and
unaware of human nature.

Zaad al-Maaad 4/12

(c) In the Quraan there is Soorat al-Faatihah which is a

ruqyah to be recited as a prayer for healing.

It was narrated that Abu Saeed (may Allaah be pleased

with him) said: A group of the companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set out on a
journey and traveled until they stopped in (the land of)
one of the Arab tribes. They asked them for hospitality

but they refused to welcome them. The chief of that tribe

was stung by a scorpion and they tried everything but
nothing helped them. Some of them said, Why dont you
go to those people who are camped (near us), maybe you
will find something with them. So they went to them and
said, O people, our chief has been stung by a scorpion
and we have tried everything but nothing helped him.
Can any of you do anything? One of them said, Yes, by
Allaah, I will recite ruqyah for him, but by Allaah we asked
you for hospitality and you did not welcome us, so I will
not recite ruqyah for you until you give us something in
return. Then they agreed upon a flock of sheep. Then he
went and spat drily and recited over him Al-hamdu
Lillaahi Rabb il-Aalameen [Soorat al-Faatihah]. (The chief)
got up as if he was released from a chain and started
walking, and there were no signs of sickness on him. They
paid them what they agreed to pay. Some of them (i.e.
the companions) then suggested to divide their earnings
among themselves, but the one who performed the
ruqyah said, Do not divide them until we go to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
tell him what happened, then wait and see what he tells
us to do. So they went to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told him what
had happened. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked, How did you
know that it (al-Faatihah) is a ruqyah? Then he added,
You have done the right thing. Share out (the flock of
sheep) and give me a share too. And the Messenger of

Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

smiled.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2156; Muslim, 2201

Ibn al-Qayyim said concerning Soorat al-Faatihah:

Whoever is guided by Allaah and is given good insight to

understand the deep meaning of this soorah and what it
contains of Tawheed, understanding of the Divine nature,
the names, attributes and actions of Allaah, the Divine
decree, the Resurrection, rejecting any misconception
that undermines the concept of the Oneness of the Divine
Lordship and Divine nature, complete trust in Allaah and
referring all ones affairs to the One Who has full control
of all things to Him be all praise, for all goodness is in
His hand and to Him all things return and feeling in
need of Him in seeking guidance that is the root of
happiness in this world and in the Hereafter, will realize
the connection between the contents of this soorah and
bringing good and warding off evil. He will understand
that ultimate goodness and blessing is connected to this
soorah and is dependent upon understanding it and
acting upon it. Then this soorah will make him
independent of many other kinds of medicine and ruqyah,
and it will open the door to a great deal of goodness and
ward off a great deal of evil.

Zaad al-Maaad, 4/347

(d) The Quraan mentions the principle of maintaining

good health.

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

The basic principles of medicine are three: prevention,

maintaining good health, and removing harmful
substances from the body.

Allaah has mentioned them all together, to His Prophet

and his ummah in three places in His Book.

He prevented the sick person from using water lest it

harm him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you comes

after answering the call of nature, or you have been in
contact with women (by sexual relations) and you find no
water, perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub
therewith your faces and hands (Tayammum)

[al-Nisa 4:43]

Allaah allowed the sick person to do tayammum to

protect him, just as He permitted it to the one who has no
water.

Allaah says concerning the maintenance of good health:

and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of

days which one did not observe Sawm (fasts) must be
made up] from other days

[al-Baqarah 2:185]

The traveller is allowed to break his fast during

Ramadaan, to protect his health lest the combination of
fasting and the difficulties of travel weakens him and
affects his health.

And Allaah said concerning the removal of harmful things

by shaving the head of the person in ihraam (for Hajj or
Umrah):

And whosoever of you is ill or has an ailment in his scalp

(necessitating shaving), he must pay a Fidyah (ransom) of
either observing Sawm (fasts) (three days) or giving
Sadaqah (charity feeding six poor persons) or offering
sacrifice (one sheep)

[al-Baqarah 2:196]

So if a person has an ailment in his scalp when he is in

ihraam, he is permitted to shave his head and remove the
harmful thing or the bad substance that is causing lice to
develop as happened to Kab ibn Ajrah or if it is
causing sickness to develop.

These three matters are the basic principles of medicine.

We have mentioned an example of each one in order to
point out the blessing of Allaah to His slaves in preventing
sickness, protecting their health and removing harmful
substances from them, as a mercy and kindness towards
His slaves, for He is the Most Kind, Most Merciful.

Zaad al-Maaad, 1/164, 165

Ibn al-Qayyim said: On one occasion I discussed this with

one of the chief doctors of Egypt, and he said: By Allaah if
I had to travel to the west to obtain these benefits that
would not be too much or words to that effect.

Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/25

(e) Mention of honey in the Quraan, and that it is a

healing for mankind.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

There comes forth from their [bees] bellies, a drink of

varying colour wherein is healing for men

[al-Nahl 16:69]

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

With regard to the Prophets guidance concerning

drinking, it is the most perfect guidance that maintains
good health. He used to drink honey mixed with cold
water. This is very healthy and no one can understand

how healthy it is except the most prominent doctors. For

drinking honey on an empty stomach dissolves phlegm,
cleanses the stomach, reduces its viscosity, washes away
waste matter, warms it up a little and opens its inlet and
exit. It has a similar effect on the liver, kidneys and
urethra. It is more beneficial to the stomach than any
other kind of sweet that enters it. However it may cause
side effects in people who are suffering from jaundice
because it is hot and jaundice is hot, so it may aggravate
it; in order to avoid this effect vinegar may be added,
then honey will become beneficial and drinking it will be
more useful than many or most of the drinks that are
made from sugar, especially for those who are not used
to these drinks, for if they drink them they will not suit
them as well as honey does, or even come close.

With regard to drinking it when it is collected and wellprepared, this is one of the most beneficial things for the
body, and one of the greatest means of preserving
health; it is very refreshing and energizing, and it is good
for the liver and heart. If it is well-prepared it provides
nutrition and makes food reach all parts of the body in
the most effective manner.

Zaad al-Maaad, 4/224, 225

And he said (may Allaah have mercy on him):

Honey contains great benefits, for it cleanses impurities

from the veins and stomach etc, whether it is eaten or
applied to the skin. It is good for the elderly, the
phlegmatic and those whose humours are cold and wet. It
is nourishing, aids digestion, energizes, makes unpleasant
medicine palatable, is good for the liver and chest, is a
diuretic and helps to ease coughs caused by phlegm. If it
is drunk warm mixed with rosewater it is beneficial for
one who has been bitten by a scorpion or who has
consumed opium. If it is drunk on its own mixed with
water, it is good for the one who has been bitten by a
rabid dog or eaten poisonous mushrooms. If fresh meat is
placed in honey, it will stay fresh for three months, as will
cucumbers, pumpkins and eggplants. Many fruits can be
kept in it for six months. It will also preserve a dead body,
and it is known as the trustworthy preserver. If the body
of one who is afflicted with lice is painted with honey, it
will kill the lice and their eggs. It makes the hair long,
beautiful and smooth. If used on the eyes like kohl it
clears the vision. If the teeth are brushed with it, it
whitens the teeth and makes them bright, and keeps the
gums healthy. It opens the veins and induces
menstruation. If taken on an empty stomach it takes
away phlegm and cleanses the stomach, clearing away
waste matter and restoring the correct temperature. It
does likewise to the liver, kidneys and urethra.

As well as all this, it has no side effects and causes little

harm. It may cause side effects in one who is suffering
from jaundice, but that may be counteracted by vinegar
and the like, in which case it becomes very beneficial for
him.

It is a kind of nourishment, a kind of medicine, a kind of

drink, a kind of sweet, a kind of cream. There is nothing
that has been created for us for a similar purpose that is
better than it, or even comes close. The ancient peoples
relied on it, and in most of the books of the ancients there
is no mention of sugar at all and it was unknown to them,
for it is something that is very new. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to drink honey
mixed with water on an empty stomach, and this is the
secret of maintaining good health that no one can
understand except one who is intelligent and blessed.

Zaad al-Maaad, 4/33, 34.

Islam Q&A
Praise be to Allaah.
Reading Quraan is an act of worship, pure and
simple, an act by means of which a person seeks to

draw

close

to

his

Lord.

The

basic

principle

concerning this and similar acts that are only

worship is that the Muslim does them seeking
thereby the pleasure of Allaah and seeking the
reward that is with Him, and not to seek reward or
appreciation from any other person. Hence it was
unknown among the righteous salaf to hire people
to read the Quraan for the dead or on weddings or
at parties. There is no report from any of the
imams of Islam that they enjoined such a thing or
allowed it. Neither it is known that any of them
accepted payment for reading Quraan.

Rather

they would read it in the hope of attaining that

which is with Allaah, may He be glorified. The
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon
him) commanded the one who reads the Quraan to
ask of Allaah thereby, and he warned against

seeking anything from people. Al-Tirmidhi narrated

in his Sunan from Imraan ibn Husayn that he
passed by a reader who was readingthe Qur'aan,
then

he

asked

(for

something).

He

said Inna

Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raajioon (verily to Allaah we

belong and to Him is our return -- said when faced
with calamity), and then he said: I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah
be upon him) say: Whoever reads the Qur'aan, let
him ask of Allaah thereby, for there will come
people who will read the Qur'aan and ask of people
thereby.
As

for

accepting payment for

teaching

it,

or

performing ruqyah in which the Quraan is recited,

and other things in which the benefit goes to
someone

other

than

the

reader,

the

saheeh

hadeeths indicate that it is permissible, because of

the hadeeth of Abu Saeed who accepted a flock of

sheep as payment for performing ruqyah for the
man who had been stung by a scorpion, and he
recited Soorat al-Faatihah for him as a ruqyah; and
the hadeeth of Sahl about when the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) gave a
woman in marriage to a man in return for his
teaching her what he had memorised of the
Qur'aan. So the one who accepts payment just
for reading or hires a group of people to read the
Qur'aan is going against the Sunnah and against
what the righteous salaf (may Allaah be pleased
with them all) were agreed upon.
And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah
sent blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and
his family and Companions. End quote

Standing Committee For Academic Research and

Issuing Fatwas
Islam Q&A

Praise be to Allaah.

This is an important verse which indicates that

Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted, in His
perfect justice and wisdom does not change the
condition of the people from good to bad or from
bad to good, from ease to hardship or from
hardship

to

ease,

unless

they

change

their

condition themselves. So if they are in a state of

righteousness and goodness and they change,
Allaah

will

change

things

for

them

with

punishment, calamities, hardship, drought, famine,

disunity

and

other

kinds

of

punishments

as

appropriate requital. Allaah says (interpretation of

the meaning): And your Lord is not at all unjust to
(His) slaves [Fussilat 41:46].

Or He may give them respite and give them time so

that they might truen to the right path, but if they
do not then they will be seized unexpectedly, as He
says (interpretation of the meaning): So, when
they forgot (the warning) with which they had
been reminded, We opened for them the gates of
every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their
enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a
sudden, We took them (in punishment), and lo!
They were plunged into destruction with deep
regrets and sorrows [al-Anaam 6:44]., meaning
despairing of all goodness -- we seek refuge in
Allaah from the punishment and wrath of Allaah.
Or they may be given respite until the Day of
Resurrection, when their punishment will be more
severe,

as

meaning):

Allaah

says

(interpretation

of

the

Consider not that Allaah is unaware of that which

the Zlimn (polytheists, wrongdoers) do, but He
gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will
stare in horror[Ibraaheem 14:42], meaning that
they are given respite until after death, and that
will be a greater and more severe punishment.
Or they may be in a state of evil and sin, then they
repent to Allaah and turn back to Him, and they
regret their sins and adhere to obedience, so
Allaah

changes

hardship

and

their
poverty

state
to

of

wretchedness,

ease,

unity

and

righteousness because of their good deeds and

their repentance to Allaah, may He be glorified and
exalted. It says in another verse (interpretation of
the meaning): That is so because Allaah will never
change a grace which He has bestowed on a
people

until

they

change

what

is

in

their

ownselves [al-Anfaal 8:53]. This verse tells us

that if they are in a state of ease, comfort and
goodness, then they change and turn to sin, their
situation will be changed -- there is no power and
no strength except with Allaah -- or they may be
given respite, as stated above. The opposite is also
true: if they were in a state of evil and sin, or
disbelief

and

misguidance,

then

they

repent,

regret their sin and adhere to obedience to Allaah,

Allaah will change their situation from bad to good;
He

will

change

their

disunity

into

unity

and

harmony; He will change their hardship to ease,

well

being

and

plenty;

He

will

change

their

situation from draught, famine, , lack of water and

so on to rainfall, fertile land and other kinds of
goodness. End quote.
Majmoo Fataawa Ibn Baaz (24/249-251

Praise be to Allaah.
Soorat al-Isra is called Soorat Bani Israaeel in two
saheeh mawqoof hadeeths, in which it is the words
of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with
them):
The first hadeeth was narrated from Abd-Allah ibn
Masood (may Allah be pleased with him), who said
concerning (the soorahs) Bani Israaeel, al-Kahf,
Maryam, Ta-Ha and al-Anbiya: They are among the
best and earliest and they are among the first I
received.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4994
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: Itaaq (translated above as best) is the
plural ofateeq, which means ancient, or it may
mean

everything

that

reaches

the

utmost

of

excellence; the second meaning was preferred by a

number of scholars in this hadeeth.
and they are among the first I received (tilaadi)
i.e., among that which I memorized a long time
ago.Tilaad means long-standing possession; it is
the opposite of taarif (recent acquisition). What
Ibn Masood meant was that they were among the
first soorahs he learned of the Quraan, and that
they possess virtue because of what they contain
of stories of the earlier Prophets and nations.
End quote from Fath al-Baari, 8/388
The second hadeeth was narrated from Aaishah
(may Allah be pleased with her) who said: The
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
used not to sleep until he had recited Bani
Israaeel and al-Zumar. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi,
3402, who said: It is a hasan hadeeth. It was also

classed as hasan by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Nataaij

al-Afkaar, 3/65; and it was classed as saheeh by alAlbaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
The scholars said that this soorah was better
known by the name Soorat Bani Israeel at the time
of the Sahaabah and Taabieen, because the first
verse of Soorat al-Isra speaks of the Isra (Night
Journey) to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, then in the second
verse it starts to speak of an important stage in
the story of BaniIsraeel (the Children of Israel)
and their mischief in the land, which is not
mentioned

in

any

of

the

stories

of

Bani Israeel anywhere else in the Quraan. That is

in the passage where Allah, may He be exalted,
says (interpretation of the meaning):
Glorified (and Exalted) is He (Allh) [above all
that (evil) they associate with Him]. Who took His

slave (Muhammad SAW) for a journey by night

from Al-Masjid-al-Harm (at Makkah) to Al-Masjidal-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof
We have blessed, in order that We might show him
(Muhammad SAW) of Our Ayt (proofs, evidences,
lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer,
the All-Seer
2. And We gave Msa (Moses) the Scripture and
made it a guidance for the Children of Israel
(saying): Take not other than Me as (your) Wakl
(Protector, Lord, or Disposer of your affairs).
3. O offspring of those whom We carried (in the
ship) with Nh (Noah)! Verily, he was a grateful
slave.
4. And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the
Scripture, indeed you would do mischief in land

twice and you will become tyrants and extremely

arrogant!
[al-Isra 17:1-4].
Al-Allaamah al-Taahir ibn Ashoor (may Allah have
mercy on him) said:
In many Mushafs it is called Soorat al-Isra. AlAloosi

stated

that

it

is called by

this

name,

because at the beginning it mentions the Isra

(Night Journey) of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) and that is the only
place where it is mentioned. But at the time of the
Sahaabah it was called Soorat Bani Israaeel, the
reason for that being that it mentions things about
Bani Israeel that

are

not

mentioned

in

other

soorahs, namely their subjugation by those who

were given to terrible warfare (cf. 17:4) -- the
Assyrians;

then

their

subjugation

by

another

people

--

namely

the

Romans.

It

is

also called SooratSubhaan, because it begins with

this word.
End quote from al-Tahreer wal-Tanweer, 15/5
See also the answer to question no. 131664
And Allah knows best.
Praise be to Allah.
The belief of the Salaf concerning the Quran is like
their belief in all the names and attributes of Allah,
which is a belief that is based on what is indicated
by the Book of Allah and the sunnah (teachings) of
His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
We all know that Allah, may He be glorified and
exalted, has described the Quran as being His
Word and that it was sent down from Him. Allah,
may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):

And if anyone of the Mushrikoon (polytheists,

idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of
Allah)

seeks

your

protection

then

grant

him

protection, so that he may hear the Word of Allah

(the Quran), and then escort him to where he can
be secure. [9:6].
Undoubtedly what is meant by the Word of Allah
here is the Noble Quran.
And He, may He be exalted, says:
Verily, this Quran narrates to the Children of
Israel most of that about which they differ.
[27:76].
So the Quran is the Word of Allah in both wording
and meaning. Allah spoke it in a real sense and
gave

it

to

Jibril

(peace

be

upon

him)

the

trustworthy, then Jibril brought it down to the

heart of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah

be upon him), so that he might be one of the

warners, in a plain Arabic tongue.
The Salaf believe that the Quran was revealed;
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, revealed it
to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) piecemeal, i.e., bit by bit, over twentythree years, in accordance with the wisdom of
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
Moreover, some of the revelation was revealed for
a specific reason for which it was sent down, and
some of it was revealed without a specific reason.
And some of it was revealed to tell of something
that happened to the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) and his companions. Some of
it was revealed concerning shari (legal) rulings,
according

to

what

concerning this matter.

the

scholars

have

said

Then the Salaf say that the Quran is from Allah in

the first place and it will return (to Him) at the end
of time. This is the view of the Salaf concerning the
Noble Quran.
It is clear to us that Allah has described the Noble
Quran in superlative terms. He has described it as
wise (hakeem), noble (kareem), great (azeem),
and glorious (majeed). These qualities, in terms of
which Allah has described His Book, may be
attainable by one who adheres to this Book and
acts upon it both inwardly and outwardly. Allah will
give him some share of glory, greatness, wisdom,
honour and authority that is not given to the one
who does not adhere to the Book of Allah, may He
be glorified and exalted. Hence I call all Muslims,
rulers and ruled, scholars and ordinary folk, to
adhere to the Book of Allah, may He be glorified

and exalted, both inwardly and outwardly, so that

they may attain honour, happiness and glory, and
prevail in the east and in the west. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on
him). Fatawa Kibar Ulama al-Ummah.
Fataawa Kibaar Ulama al-Ummah, p. 45
Praise be to Allaah.
The Muslims did not disagree that Allah, may He be
exalted, has preserved His Book from additions
and

subtractions,

in

fulfilment

of

His

words

(interpretation of the meaning):

Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr
(i.e. the Quran) and surely, We will guard it (from
corruption)
[al-Hijr 15:9].
The Muslims are unanimously agreed that anyone
who disagrees with this and claims that there is

something in the Book of Allah that is not part of

it, or that something that Allah revealed has been
taken away from it, is a disbeliever.
Al-Qaadi Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him)
said:
The Muslims are unanimously agreed that the
Quraan which is recited in all parts of the world
and is written in the Mushaf that the Muslims
have, that is contained between the two covers,
from the first soorah All the praises and thanks be
to Allah, the Lord of the Alameen (mankind, jinns
and all that exists)to the last soorah, Say: "I
seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of mankind, is
the Book of Allah and His Revelation that He sent
down to His Prophet Muhammad (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), and that everything in
it is true, and that anyone who deliberately takes

away a single letter from it or changes one letter

for another or adds a letter to it, that is not
included

in

the

Mushaf

on

which

there

is

consensus, and there is consensus that it is not

part of the Quraan the one who does any of
these things deliberately is a disbeliever. End
quote.
ash-Shifa bi Tareef Huqooq al-Mustafa, 2/304, 305
With regard to the difference of opinion among the
scholars as to whether the Basmalah is counted as
a verse of the Quraan or not, this does not come
under

this

heading,

because

the

scholars

of

Quraan recitation did not differ with regard to

reciting it at the beginning of the soorahs. And the
Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were
unanimously agreed that it must be written at the
beginning of all soorahs apart from Soorat at-

Tawbah, and that is in the Mushaf that was written

by Uthmaan ibn Affaan (may Allah be pleased with
him) and sent to all regions.
Ash-Shawkaani (may Allah have mercy on him)
said, when discussing the Basmalah:
It should be noted that the ummah is unanimously
agreed that neither the one who affirms it nor the
one

who

denies

it

is

to

be

described

as

disbeliever, because of the difference of scholarly

opinion concerning it. This is different from the
case of a person who denies a letter on which
there is consensus or who affirms something that
no one said; he is to be regarded as a disbeliever
according to scholarly consensus.
There is no difference of opinion concerning the
fact that it is a verse in Soorat an-Naml, or that it
is a line to be written at the beginning of the

soorahs in the Mushaf, apart from the beginning of

Soorat at-Tawbah.
Nayl al-Awtar, 2/215
Some of the scholars regard the difference of
opinion as to whether the Basmalah is a verse of
the Quraan as being like the difference of opinion
among the leading scholars of recitation about
some words and letters that may be proven in
some recitations and not in others.
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen ash-Shanqeeti (may
Allah have mercy on him) said:
The scholars differed concerning the Basmalah: is
it a verse at the beginning of each soorah, or only
at the beginning of al-Faatihah, or is it not a verse
at all? As for the words of Allah in Soorat anNaml, Verily! It is from Sulaiman (Solomon), and
verily! It (reads): In the Name of Allah, the Most

Beneficent, the Most Merciful [an-Naml 27:30],

this

is

verse

of

the

Quraan

according

to

scholarly consensus.
With regard to Soorah Baraaah (at-Tawbah), the
Basmalah is not a verse thereof, according to
scholarly consensus. But there is a difference of
scholarly opinion concerning other cases. Some of
these scholars of Usool stated that the Basmalah is
not part of the Quraan, and some said that it is
part of it in al-Faatihah only. And it was said that it
is a verse at the beginning of every soorah. This is
the view of ash-Shaafai (may Allah have mercy on
him).
One of the best things that have been said
concerning this matter, to reconcile between all
the opinions, is that in some recitations, such as
the recitation of Ibn Katheer, the Basmalah is a

verse of the Quraan, and in some other recitations

it is not a verse, and there is nothing strange
about that.
In the verse in Soorat al-Hadeed, Fa inna Allaha
huwa al-Ghaniy ul-Hameed (then Allah is Rich (Free
of all wants), Worthy of all praise) [al-Hadeed
57:24], the word huwa is part of the Quraan
according to the recitations of Ibn Katheer, Abu
Amr, Aasim, Hamzah, and al-Kasaai, and it is not
part of the Quraan according to the recitations of
Naafi and Ibn Aamir, because they recited it Fa
inna Allaha al-Ghaniy al-Hameed. And in some
Mushafs the word huwa is present and in others
it is not present.
In the passage so wherever you turn yourselves
or your faces there is the Face of Allah (and He is
High above, over His Throne). Surely! Allah is All-

Sufficient for His creatures needs, All-Knowing.

And they (Jews, Christians and pagans) say: Allah
has begotten a son (children or offspring) [alBaqarah

2:115-116],

the waw (in

the

phrase wa qaalu attakhadha Allahu waladan/and

they say: Allah has begotten a son) is present in
the recitation of the seven, except for Ibn Aamir;
according to the recitation of Ibn Aamir it is not
part of the Quraan, because he recited it as
Qaalu attakhadha Allahu waladan (They say Allah
has begotten a son), without the waw. So it is
omitted in the Mushaf of the people of ash-Shaam
(greater Syria), and there are other exaples.
Thus it is known that it does not matter whether
the Basmalah is regarded as a verse in some
recitations and not others. The scholars are agreed
on this point.

End quote from al-Madhkarah fi Usool al-Fiqh, p.

66, 67.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.

Islam Q&A

It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace

of Allah be upon him) named some of the surahs of
the Quran, such as al-Faatihah, al-Baqarah, Aal
Imraan and al-Kahf.
The scholars differed as to whether the names of
all the surahs of the Quran are proven to be from
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him), or are some of them proven to be based on
the ijtihaad of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased
with them)?
The majority of scholars are of the view that the
names of all of the surahs of the Quran are proven

to be from the Prophet (blessings and peace of

Allah

be

upon

him)

and

are

the

matter

of

Tawqeef [i.e., they can only be known through

divine Revelation and sound texts of hadeeth, with
no room for ijtihad].
Imam Ibn Jareer at-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on
him) said:
The surahs of the Quran have names that were
given to them by the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him). End quote.
Jaami al-Bayaan (1/100)
Az-Zarkashi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
We should discuss the issue of when a surah has
more than one name: is this the matter of tawqeef,
or does it have to do with the stories mentioned in
the surah?

If the latter is the case, then any smart man could

derive from each surah many names based on its
contents, and this is unlikely. End quote.
Al-Burhaan fi Uloom al-Quran (1/270)
As-Suyooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It is proven that all the names of the surahs are
the matter of tawqeef, based on hadiths and
reports. Were it not that I fear it would take too
long, I would have explained that. End quote.
Al-Itqaan (1/148)
Shaykh Sulaymaan al-Bujayrami (may Allah have
mercy on him) said:
The names of the surahs are the matter of tawqeef
and are narrated from the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), because the names of
the surahs, the order in which they appear, and the

order of the verses each of these three things is

the matter of tawqeef and is narrated from the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him). Jibreel (peace be upon him) told him that this
is how they were in al-Lawh@ al-Mahfooz. End
quote.
Tuhfat al-Habeeb ala Sharh al-Khateeb (2/163)
Al-Allaamah at-Taahir ibn Ashoor (may Allah have
mercy on him) said:
With regard to the names of the surahs, they were
given to them during the period of Revelation. The
purpose of naming them is so as to make it easy to
refer to them and discuss their meanings. End
quote.
At-Tahreer wat-Tanweer (1/88)

This

is

the

view

favoured

by

number

of

contemporary scholars who have written about the

sciences of Quran, such as Dr. Fahd ar-Roomi
in Diraasaat fi Uloom al-Quran (p. 118), and Dr.
Ibraaheem al-Huwaymil in his paper al-Mukhtasar
fi

Asma

as-Suwar,

in Majallat

Jaamiat

al-

Imam (issue no. 30, p. 135).

Some of the scholars are of the view that some of
the names of the surahs in the Holy Quran were
given to them by the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him), and some of them were the
result of the ijtihaad of the Sahaabah (may Allah
be pleased with them).
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daaimah (4/16):
We do not know of any text from the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to
suggest that he named all of the surahs, but it is

narrated in some saheeh hadiths that some of

them were named by the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), such as al-Baqarah
and Aal Imraan. As for the other surahs, what
appears to be the case is that they were named by
the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them).
End quote.
This is what was deemed most likely to be correct
by Dr. Muneerah as-Dawsari in her essay: Asma
Suwar al-Quran al-Kareem wa Fadaailuha.
And Allah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Praise be to Allaah.
The Standing Committee was asked about whether
it is permissible to accept payment for teaching
Quraan. They replied:
Yes, it is permissible to accept payment for
teaching Quraan according to the more correct of

the two scholarly views, because of the general

meaning of the hadeeth:
The thing for which you most deserve to take
payment is the Book of Allaah, (narrated by alBukhaari), and because there is a real need for
that. And Allaah is the Source of strength. May
Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Praise be to Allaah.
In prayer, it is better to recite from memory. See
question no. 3465.
Outside of prayer, it is better for a person to do
that which will increase his khushoo (humility,
focus). If his khushoo will be increased by reciting
from memory, then that is better; if his khushoo
will be increased by reading from the Mus-haf,
then that is better. If it is the same in either case,
then reading from theMus-haf is better, because it
combines reading and looking, and his eyes will be

protected from looking at things that may distract

him from reciting and pondering the meaning.
Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar (p. 90-91):
Reading Quraan from

the Mus-haf is better than

reciting from memory; this is the view of our

companions and it is well known from the salaf
(may Allaah be pleased with them). This does not
apply in all cases however; if the reader can focus
and ponder the meanings more when reciting
from memory than when reading from the Mus-haf,
then reciting from memory is better. If it is the
same in both cases, then reading from the Mushaf is better. This is what the salaf meant.
There are weak (daeef) ahaadeeth narrated from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) which

cannot

be

used

as

proof

that

it

is better to look at the Mus-haf. We mention them

only to draw attention to the fact that they are

weak. These include:
Looking at the Mus-haf is an act of worship; for a
child to look at his parents is an act of worship;
looking at Ali ibn Abi Taalib is an act of worship.
This is a fabricated (mawdoo) hadeeth, as alAlbaani said in al-Silsilah al-Daeefah, 1/531.
Give your eyes their share of worship: looking at
the Mus-haf, thinking about it and pondering its
wonders. This is also fabricated (mawdoo). AlSilsilah al-Daeefah, 4/88.
Five things are acts of worship: eating little,
sitting in the mosque, looking at the Kabah,
looking at theMus-haf and looking at the face of a
scholar. This is a very weak (daeef jiddan)
hadeeth. Daeef al-Jaami al-Sagheer, no. 2855.
And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A
Praise be to Allaah.
Undoubtedly the Quraan is miraculous, and there are
many facets to its miraculous nature, such as linguistic,
legislative, and so on. Its challenge to mankind and the
jinn to produce something similar to it still stands. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):

Say: If the mankind and the jinn were together to

produce the like of this Quraan, they could not produce
the like thereof, even if they helped one another

[al-Isra 17:88].

Ibn al-Qayyim discussed the number 7 in his book Zaad

al-Maaad fi Huda Khayr al-Ibaad (4/90) when he
discussed the hadeeth in al-Saheehayn: The one who
eats seven dates of al-Aaliyah in the morning will not be
harmed that day by poison or witchcraft. He said: As for
specifying the number seven, it has to do with the
creation and sahri commands of Allaah. Allaah created
seven heavens, seven earths and seven days, and mans
creation is completed in seven stages; Allaah has
prescribed that His slaves should walk around the Kabah
seven times (tawaaf) and go back and forth between Safa

and Marwah seven times (saai), and stone the jamaraat

with seven pebbles each, and the takbeeraat of Eid are
seven in the first rakah. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Instruct your
children to pray when they are seven. When the boy
reaches the age of seven he should be given the choice
between his parents according to one report, and
according to another report, his father has more right to
him than his mother; according to a third report his
mother has more right to him. When he was sick, the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
ordered that water from seven skins be poured on him.
Allaah sent the wind against the people of Aad for seven
days. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) asked Allaah to help him by sending upon his people
seven (years) like the seven years of Yoosuf i.e., seven
years of famine. Allaah likened the reward of one who
gives charity to a grain that produces seven ears, in each
of which are one hundred grains. The number of ears of
grain seen by the companion of Yoosuf (in the dream) was
seven, the number of years for which they were
cultivated was seven, and (the reward for charity) is
multiplied seven hundred fold or more. Seventy thousand
of this ummah will be admitted to Paradise without being
brought to account.

Then Ibn al-Qayyim commented: Undoubtedly this

number has some special qualities that are not shared by

other numbers. Allaah knows best about His wisdom,

laws and decree in singling out this number. End quote.

Based on this, the correct view is to refrain from indulging

in discussion of the reason why this number is singled out
for mention, except on the basis of clear, sound evidence.

For more information please see the answer to question

no. 69741.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A