Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

AOA. I `ve heard that one should not take less than 3 days and more than 40 days to complete the recitation of all the chapters of the Quran ? Is it true and has any basis from the Sunnah of our Prophet (saws). over to you with regards

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Answer:

Quran must be recited in 3-40 days

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His  forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

There is absolutely no time restriction in Islam that a believer must recite the whole of the Quran in more than three days or less than forty days! One may recite as much or as little of the Quran one wishes, or how much is easy for him/her to do so.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 73 Surah Muzzammil verse 20: The Lord doth know that thou standest forth (to prayer) nigh two-thirds of the night, or half the night, or a third of the night; and so doth a party of those with thee. But Allah doth appoint Night and Day in due measure. He knoweth that ye are unable to keep count thereof. So He hath turned to you (in mercy): Read ye therefore of the Qur'an as much as may be easy for you. He knoweth that there may be (some) among you in ill-health; others travelling through the land seeking of Allah's bounty; yet others fighting in Allah's Cause. Read ye therefore as much of the Qur'an as may be easy (for you); and establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and loan to Allah a Beautiful Loan. And whatever good ye send forth for your souls Ye shall find it in Allah's presence; Yea! Better and greater in Reward. And seek ye the Grace of Allah: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verse 78: Establish regular prayers at the sun's decline till the darkness of the night, and (recite) the Quran at dawn (fajr prayers); for indeed, the recitation of the Quran at dawn is ever witnessed.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2137 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "If anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim are one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter, and Mim is a letter."

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2210 Narrated by Abidah al-Mulayki

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Do not make the Qur'an a pillow, but recite it as it deserves to be recited during the night and the day. Recite it aloud, chant it, and consider its contents, perhaps you may prosper; but do not seek to obtain reward for it in this world, for it provides rewards."

Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet (saws) asked, "Can anyone of you recite a third of the Qur'an during the night?" The Companions considered this rather difficult and they said, "Who among us can do so, O Prophet of Allah?" Thereupon the Prophet (saws) said, "(Say:) He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is he begotten; and there is none like unto Him. (Surah 112 Suratul Ikhlas), which the Prophet (saws) described as equivalent to reciting one-third of the Qur'an.” (Reported by Bukhari, Muslim, and Nasa'i)

Sahih Muslim Hadith 1757 Narrated by Abu Umamah

Abu Umamah heard Allah's Messenger (saws) say: “Recite the Qur'an, for on the Day of Resurrection it will come as an intercessor for those who recite it. Recite the two bright ones, Al-Baqarah and Surah al-Imran, for on the Day of Resurrection they will come as two clouds or two shades, or two flocks of birds in ranks, pleading for those who recite them. Recite Surah Al-Baqarah, for to take recourse to it is a blessing, and to give it up is a cause of grief, and the magicians cannot confront it.”

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 829 Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah

The Messenger of Allah (saws) came to us while we were reciting the Qur'an, and there were among us Bedouins and the non-Arabs. He said: “Recite, all is well. In the near future there will appear people who will straighten it (the Qur'an) as an arrow is straightened. They will recite it quickly and not slowly.”

It is Sunnah to make one's voice beautiful and nice while reciting the Qur'an. The Prophet (saws) said, "Beautify your voices with the Qur'an." He (saws) also said, "He is not one of us who does not chant the Qur'an. The one with the best voice with the Qur'an, is the one that when you hear him, you feel that he fears Allah," and "Allah never listened to anything like he listened to his Prophet chanting the Qur'an with a beautiful voice."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan