Activate the Quran in your life
Reciprocal reading of the Quran
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما: (كانَ رَسولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ أجْوَدَ النَّاسِ، وكانَ أجوَدُ ما يَكونُ في رَمَضَانَ حِينَ يَلْقَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ، وكانَ جِبْرِيلُ يَلْقَاهُ في كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ مِن رَمَضَانَ، فيُدَارِسُهُ القُرْآنَ، فَلَرَسولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ حِينَ يَلْقَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ أجْوَدُ بالخَيْرِ مِنَ الرِّيحِ المُرْسَلَةِ).متفق عليه.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Prophet ﷺ was the most generous of all people, and he was even more generous in Ramadan when Jibril would meet him and review the Qur’an with him. Jibril would meet him every night during Ramadan and review the Qur’an with him. Indeed, when Jibril met him, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was more generous in doing good than the blowing wind. (Bukhari and Muslim)
Ten days of Ramadan have flown by and we have two thirds ahead of us. God knows who will witness the rest of Ramadan and who won’t. There are no guarantees that any of us will be here.
In this hadith, we see that the Prophet ﷺ did something special every night with Jibril during Ramadan. The word which Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) used to express this was yudarisuhu al quran. They did mudarasah of the Quran, which means that two or more people are engaged in an activity like mudarabah is a business between two or more people. Mudarasah comes from the form of mutual action, so Jibril would recite and the Prophet ﷺ would listen and then the Prophet ﷺ would recite and Jibril would listen.
Ramadan is the Qur’an is the month of the Quran, and this hadith shows us the reality of his action and practice. We increase the amount of Qur’an we recite during this month, which is good, but in addition we see that the Prophet ﷺ would do reciprocal recitation because to hear the Qur’an being recited is different from reciting it.
The Prophet ﷺ loved listening to his companions reciting and when he asked them to recite they would be surprised and ask if really wanted to hear them and he confirmed this. Let’s do this practice with our families and friends and children. The Qur’an is a remedy for the heart. The word mudaarasah also carries the meaning of learning (dars). The Quran was in the language of the Prophet ﷺ so he would understand when the Quran was recited. So we need to study the meaning of the words of the Quran, so we can understand it when it is recited.
Reciting properly is important, so learning tajweed is must for everyone. Then listening to it is important and thirdly understanding it is important.
Abu Hurayah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: “وَما اجْتَمع قَوْمٌ في بَيْتٍ مِن بُيُوتِ اللهِ، يَتْلُونَ كِتَابَ اللهِ، وَيَتَدَارَسُونَهُ بيْنَهُمْ؛
١-إِلَّا نَزَلَتْ عليهمِ السَّكِينَةُ،
٢-وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ،
٣-وَحَفَّتْهُمُ المَلَائِكَةُ،
٤-وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِيمَن عِنْدَهُ”. رواه مسلم.
“No group of people gather in a house from the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it together,
- except that tranquility descends upon them,
- mercy covers them,
- angels surround them,
- and Allah mentions them among those who are with Him.” (Muslim)
How beautiful! Note the four things that happen when people recite the Quran. Firstly tranquilty descends and we need tranquility in this troubled world for our hearts and minds. In addition, mercy (rahma) descends and those who attend Jummuah have special guests (the angels) attending with them, recording who is in the front row and who is coming late. The angels surround those who are reciting the Qur’an, reflecting upon, learning it, and honouring it. And Allah mentions their names to the angels, boasting about them. The angels hear your name in the heavens! This is the honour of the Quran you. Yatadarasunahu means reciting, reflecting and understanding because the Quran is for reciting and activating. Activation comes when you understand it. Press the activate button and apply it in your life. Start now. And recite to each other. And read short reliable tafseers of the Quran. When you attend tarawih you can reflect on the verses the imam is reciting. Read slowly and ponder on the meanings. Mudarasah is important, not only in Ramadan but throughout the year. The Quran is not meant to placed on the shelf, it is a book of implementation and book of light – it teaches us how to deal with Allah, how to deal with each other and the environment around us how to be closer to Allah, how to be a better person and how to run our business.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 27th February 2026.