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:

assalamuaikum,i want my child to become quran hafiz,so for that i would like to know that understanding of quran is more important or to hafiz quran.But i want after hifzing quran he should continue his studies.

After becoming quran hafiz ,if i will continue with his understanding of quran then he will not get time for studing.so please suggest me regarding to this.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Memorize or understand quran

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The seeking of ‘ilm’ (knowledge) is obligatory for every Muslim.’

The Arabic word and term ‘ilm’ implies both, religious as well as worldly knowledge, and the seeking of both are obligatory upon the believers.

Obligatory deeds in Islamic Jurisprudence are divided into two categories:

1. ‘Fard-Ayn’ or absolutely obligatory on each and every individual.
2. ‘Fard-Kifaayah’ or partially obligatory.

For example, the offering of the five obligatory prayers, fulfilling one’s duty to one’s parents, the fasting of Ramadan, the offering of Friday Jumuah or mid-day prayers for the men, etc. are what is known as ‘fard-ayn’….these deeds are absolutely obligatory on each and every muslim, and they must do so themselves.

The offering of funeral prayers, the two Eid prayers, etc. are also ‘fard’ or obligatory…but they are what is known in Islamic Jurisprudence as ‘Fard-Kifaayah’…..if some believers fulfill this obligation, it would suffice for the whole believing Ummah; but if none of the believers fulfill this obligation, the whole believing Ummah will share in the sin.

The scholars and jurists in Islam are absolutely unanimous in their opinion that the seeking of basic Islamic Knowledge is ‘fard-ayn’ and absolutely obligatory on each and every believer; and the seeking of worldly knowledge and sciences is ‘fard-kifaayah’….it is not obligatory on every believer to seek worldly knowledge, if some amongst the believers seek this knowledge, it would suffice for the believing Ummah.

Your Question: i want my child to become quran hafiz,so for that i would like to know that understanding of quran is more important or to hafiz quran

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 249 Narrated by Al-Hasan al-Basri

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘He whom death overtakes while he is engaged in acquiring (religious) knowledge with a view to reviving Islam with the help of it, there will be one degree between him and the Prophets in Paradise.’

Sahih Muslim HadithHadith 6518 Narrated byAbuHurayrah

Allah's Messenger (saws) as saying: ‘He who alleviates the suffering of a brother from the affections of the world, Allah will alleviate his affections from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection. He who finds relief for one who is hard pressed, Allah will make things easy for him in the Hereafter, and he who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother. He who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah will make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him and those persons who assemble in one of the houses of Allah (mosques), recite the Book of Allah and learn and teach the Qur'an (among themselves). There will descend upon them tranquillity, mercy will cover them, the Angels will surround them and Allah will mention them in the presence of those near Him. He who is slow-paced in doing good deeds, his (long) descent does not make him go ahead.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 256 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘Acquiring (religious) knowledge in company for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole night in prayer.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 220 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘One who goes out to search for (religious) knowledge is (devoted) to the Cause of Allah till he returns.’

Respected sister in Islam, if one has the time and the resources, then obviously the ultimate best would be for one to strive to memorize the Glorious Quran as well as strive to understand it…that obviously would be the absolute best choice.

But if one, for any reason, does not have time, energy, or the resources to do both: memorize as well as study the Glorious Quran, and one has to chose between memorizing the whole of the Glorious Quran or striving to understand it….in light of the above quoted guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), the one who strives to understand the Glorious Quran with the intention to implement the guidance in his life and to revive Islam in the land through it, is superior and more meritorious in the Sight of Allah Subhanah than one who secures the Quran to memory and recites it. Make no mistake sister, although both of these strivings are extremely good and beneficial and acceptable to Allah Subhanah, one is obviously superior and more meritorious than the other.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 257 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr

Allah's Messenger (saws) happened to pass by two groups (of muslims) in the mosque and he (saws) said: ‘Both of them are good, but one is superior to the other. One group is supplicating Allah and praying to Him. If He so wills, He will confer upon them and if He so wills He will withhold. So far as those who are acquiring the understanding of religion and its knowledge and are busy in teaching the ignorant, they are superior. Verily I have been sent as a teacher.’ He (saws) then sat down amongst them.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 217 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘A single scholar of religion is more formidable against the Shaytaan than a thousand devout people.’

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan