The Book of Prayer (Travellers)

'A'isha reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) heard a person reciting the Qur'an at night. Upon this he said: May Allah show mercy to him; he has reminded me of such and such a verse which I had missed in such and such a surah.

'A'isha reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) listened to the recitation of the Qur'an by a man in the mosque. Thereupon he said: May Allah have mercy upon him; be reminded me of the verse which I had been made to forget.

'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The example of a man who has memorised the Qur'an is like that of a hobbled camel. If he remained vigilant, he would be able to retain it (with him), and if he loosened the hobbled camel it would escape.

This hadith has been narrated by Ibn 'Umar from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), but in the hadith transmited by Musa b. 'Uqba, this addition is made: " When one who had committed the Qur'an to memory (or who is familiar with it) gets up (for night prayer) and recites it night and day, it remains fresh in his mind, but if he does not get up (for prayer and thus does not recite it) he forgets it."

'Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: What a wretched person is he amongst them who says: I have forgotten such and such a verse. (He should instead of using this expression say): I have been made to forget it. Try to remember the Qur'an for it is more apt to escape from men's minds than a hobbled camel.

'Abdullah is reported to have said: Keep refreshing your knowledge of the sacred books (or always renew your knowledge of these sacred books) and sometimes he would mention the Qur'an for it is more apt to escape from men's minds than animals which are hobbled, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: None of you should say: I forgot such and such a verse, but he has been made to forget.

Ibn Mas'ud reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Wretched is the man who says: I forgot such and such a sura, or I forget such and such a verse, but he has been made to forget.

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: Keep refreshing your knowledge of the Qur'an, for I swear by Him in Whose Hand is the life of Mahammad that it is more liable to escape than camels which are hobbled.

Abu Huraira reported this directly from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): God has not listened to anything as He listens to a Prophet reciting the Qur'an in a sweet voice.

This hadith has been narrated by Ibn Shihab with the same chain of transmitters with words: " As He listens to a Prophet reciting the Qur'an in a sweet voice."

Abu Huraira is reported to have heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah does not listen to anything, (more approvingly) as He listens to a Prophet reciting loudly the Qur'an in a sweet voice.

This hadith has been narrated with the same chain of transmitters by Ibn al-Had except this that Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying and he did not say: " He heard it."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah has not heard anything (more pleasing) than listening to the Prophet reciting the Qur'an in a sweet loud voice.

This hadith has been narrated by another chain of transmitters but with a slight modification of words.

Buraida reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: 'Abdullah b. Qais or al-Ash'ari has been gifted with a sweet melodious voice out of the voices of the family of David.

Abu Burda narrated on the authority of Abu Musa that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said to Abu Musa: If you were to see me, as I was listening to your recitation (of the Qur'an) yester-night (you would have felt delighted). You are in fact endowed with a sweet voice like that of David himself.

Mu'awiya b. Qurra reported 'Abdullah b. Mughaffal al-Muzani as saying: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) recited on his ride Surat al Fath during a journey in the year of the Conquest (of Mecca), and he repeated (the words) in his recitation. Mu'awiya said: If I were not afraid that the people would crowd around me, I would have given a demonstration of (the Prophet's) recitation before you.

Mu'awiya b. Qurra is reported to have heard 'Abdullah b. Mughaffal as saying: I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) reciting Surah Fath on his camel on the day of the Conquest of Mecca. He (the narrator) said: Ibn Mughaffal recited it and repeated it. Mu'awiya said: Had there been (no crowed of) people, I would have given a practical demonstration of that which Ibn Mughaffal had mentioned from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him).

This hadlth has been narrated by Khalid al-Harith with the same chain of transmitters (with these words: ) (The Holy Prophet) was reciting Surat al-Fath as he was travelling on his mount.

Al-Bara' reported that a person was reciting Surat al-Kahf and there was a horse tied with two ropes at his side, a cloud overshadowed him, and as it began to come nearer and nearer his horse began to take fright from it. He went and mentioned that to the Prophet (may peace be upon him) in the morning, and he (the Holy Prophet) said: That was tranquillity which came down at the recitation of the Qur'an.

Ibn Ishaq reported: I heard al-Bara' as saying that a man recited al-Kahf when an animal was there in the house and it began to take fright. And as he looked around, he found a cloud overshadowing it. He mentioned that to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him). Upon this he said: O so and so, recite on (the surah) as- Sakina descends at the (recitation of the Qur'an) or on account (of the recitation) of the Qur'an.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of al-Bara' with a slight modification of words.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri told of Usaid b. Hudair saying that one night he recited the Qur'an in his enclosure, when the horse began to jump about. He again recited and (the horse) again jumped. He again recited and it jumped as before. Usaid said: I was afraid lest it should trample (his son) Yahya. I stood near it (the horse) and saw something like a canopy over my head with what seemed to be lamps in it, rising up in the sky till it disappeared. I went to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the next day and said: Messenger of Allah, I recited the Qur'an during the night in my enclosure and my horse began to jump. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: You should have kept on reciting, Ibn Hudair. He (Ibn Hudair) said: I recited. It jumped (as before). Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) again said: You should have kept on reciting, Ibn Hudair. He (Ibn Hudair) said: I recited and it again jumped (as before). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) again said: You should kave kept on reciting, Ibu Hudair. He (Ibn Hudair) said: (Messenger of Allah) I finished (the recitation) for Yahya was near (the horse) and I was afraid lest it should trample him. I saw something like a canopy with what seemed to be lamps in it rising up in the sky till it disappeared. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Those were the angels who listened to you; and if you had continued reciting, the people would have seen them in the morning and they would not have concealed themselves from them.

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: A believer who recites the Qur'an is like an orange whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is sweet; a believer who does not recite the Qur'an is like a date which has no fragrance but has a sweet taste; and the hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like a basil whose fragrance is sweet, but whose taste is bitter; and a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is like the colocynth which has no fragrance and has a bitter taste.

This hadith has been narrated by Qatada with the same chain of transmitters but with one alteration that instead of the word: " hypocrite" (Munafiq), there it is" wicked" (fajir).

'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) (as saying): One who is proficient in the Qur'an is associated with the noble, upright, recording angels; and he who falters in it, and finds it difficult for him, will have a double reward.

This hadith has been reported with the same chain of transmitters by Qatada except with this change: " He who finds it hard (to recite the Qur'an) will have a double reward."

Anas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying to Ubayy b. Ka'b: Allah has commanded me to recite the Qur'an to you. He said: Did Allah mention me to you by name? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Allah made a mention of your name to me. (On hearing this) Ubayy b. Ka'b wept.

Anas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying to Ubayy b. Ka'b: Aliah has commanded me to recite to you:" Those who disbelieve were not..." (al-Qur'an, xcviii. 1). He said: Did He mention me by name? He (the Holy Prophet said): Yes. Upon this he shed tears (of gratitude).

Qatada said: I heard Anas saying that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to Ubayy the same thing.