Completing the Qur’aan in Ramadaan

 

May we understand from the fact that Jibreel (peace be upon him) reviewed the entire Qur’aan with the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Ramadaan that it is preferable to complete the Qur’aan (during the month)?

Praise be to Allaah, and blessings and peace be upon the
Messenger of Allaah.

 

 What may be understood from that is that we should study the
Qur’aan, and that studying the Qur’aan is useful and beneficial, because the
Messenger SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) reviewed it with
Jibreel in order to study it and benefit from it, for Jibreel was the one
who brought it from Allaah and was the “ambassador” between Allaah and the
Messengers, so undoubtedly Jibreel would be able to teach the Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) how to recite the Qur’aan and
understand the meanings of its verses. So if a person studies the Qur’aan
with someone who can help him to understand it and recite it, this is what
is required, just as the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) studied with Jibreel. This does not mean that Jibreel is better than
the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but Jibreel
was the Messenger who came from Allaah and conveyed to the Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that which Allaah commanded him
to convey of the Qur’aan, its wordings and meanings. So the Messenger SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) benefited from Jibreel in these
ways. But it does not mean that Jibreel is superior to him SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather he is the best of mankind and
superior to the angels (upon whom be peace). But this teaching brought a
great deal of good to the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and to the ummah, because it was the study of that which had been
brought from Allaah, so that he might benefit from that which had been
brought from Allaah.

 There is also another lesson to be learned, which is that
studying it at night is better than during the day, because this reviewing
took place at night, and it is known that at night the heart is more focused
and can benefit more from studying than it can during the day. Another
benefit is the fact that studying is prescribed and it is a righteous deed,
even at times other than Ramadaan, because it brings benefit to both
parties; if there are more than two people, that is fine, because each one
can benefit from his brother and encourage him to read. For a person may not
bother to read if he is sitting alone, but if he has someone else there to
study with him, or other companions, that will be more effective in
encouraging him to read. There is also the great benefit that all of them
will find of discussing things that they did not understand, etc… all of
that brings a great deal of good.

 It may also be understood from
this that for the Imaam to recite the whole Qur’aan to the congregation in
Ramadaan is a kind of this studying together, because in that way they may
benefit from hearing the whole of the Qur’aan. Hence Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah
have mercy on him) used to like the one who led them in (Taraaweeh) prayers
to complete the whole Qur’aan (during the month). This is akin to the
actions of the Salaf who loved to hear the whole Qur’aan. But this should
not make us hasten in reading Qur’aan, rather we should feel humble and at
ease when reading Qur’aan; paying attention to that is more important than
thinking of completing the Qur’aan