The real purpose of human creation is to worship and obey the Creator of the universe. In other words, human beings were created so that they may live according to the commands of Allah and, through this, reach the highest levels of success and perfection. For the completion of this purpose, Allah arranged guidance for mankind from the very beginning. The sending of prophets and the revelation of divine books were all part of this guidance.
In different periods of history, different Shari’ahs (divine laws) were revealed according to the needs of the time, and as time passed, the previous laws were replaced by new ones. Finally, the chain of prophethood reached its completion with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and now his Shari’ah will remain until the Day of Judgment. For this purpose, the Holy Qur’an was entrusted to the Prophet as an eternal miracle and a complete code of life. After this, no new prophet, no new book, and no new Shari’ah will come.
Since the Holy Qur’an is a book of guidance for all times, Allah Himself has taken the responsibility of preserving it. By declaring great reward for reciting, memorizing, and writing the Qur’an, Muslims were encouraged to stay attached to it and the Muslim Ummah has always embraced this great blessing with love and devotion. This is why the Qur’an is the most recited book in the world today.
The Holy Qur’an has many unique qualities that no other divine book possesses in the same way. For example, it is an everlasting miracle, free from doubt, universal in message, beneficial for every class of people, and in complete harmony with human nature. It guides toward scientific truths, offers teachings for moral and spiritual growth, and its message remains fresh and powerful in every era. These qualities are found only in the Holy Qur’an.
How fortunate is the person whose tongue remains engaged in the recitation of the Divine Book and whose gatherings are beautified by the Qur’an. The Qur’an commands:
“Recite, then, as much of the Qur’an as is easy for you.”
(Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:20)
There are many hadiths about the virtues of reciting the Qur’an. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever recites even one letter from the Book of Allah will receive a reward, and each reward will be multiplied ten times. I do not say that ‘Alif-Lam-Meem’ is one letter, rather Alif is one letter, Lam is one letter, and Meem is one letter.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, vol. 5, p. 175; Tafsir al-Qurtubi, vol. 1, p. 7)
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
“Recite the Qur’an, for the levels of Paradise are equal to the number of verses of the Qur’an. On the Day of Judgment, the reciter of the Qur’an will be told: recite and rise higher. With every verse he recites, he will ascend one level.”
(Al-Amali by Shaykh al-Saduq, p. 359)
Imam Sadiq a.s also said:
“The house in which the Qur’an is recited and Allah is remembered becomes filled with blessings, angels attend it, and devils stay away from it. That house shines for the people of the heavens just as the shining stars glow for the people of the earth. And the house in which the Qur’an is not recited and Allah is not remembered becomes deprived of blessings; angels leave it, and devils reside there.”
(Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 498)
We pray to Allah, the Almighty to grant us the ability to recite the Qur’an, understand its message and act upon its teachings throughout our lives. Ameen.