Ethics for the Recitation and Listening of the Qur'an

I wanted to post some information that has been gathered about the ethics or behavior that is expected when one is reciting and listening the Holy Book.


First about Reciting.

Imam al Ghazali has pointed out vital actions that a person should adhere to when he recites the Qur'an:

1. Understanding the glorification of the literal words of Allah. (Be aware of what he is saying)


2. Glorify the speaker (of the Qur'an)


3. Being aware of and abandoning any inner thoughts or calls that are made by the self or other


4. Thinking and pondering over the subject of the ayat being recited


5. Knowing the meaning of the ayat being recited


6. Avoiding the following: Too much concentration on the pronunciation of the letters to the detriment of understanding the ayat. Blind imitation of a school of thought ;Persistence in sin because of pride and slavery of passion


7. Considering every part of the Qur'an being read is meant personally for the reciter


8. Developing internal feelings hope and grief/fear of the message being recited from the Qur'an.


9. Creating the impression that the reciter is hearing te literal words of Allah from Allah and not from himself.


10. Avoiding any sense of reciter's ability and power by looking at himself with a feeling of satisfaction or purity above the words being recited.

Imam Ghazali emphasized alot on reciting being a 'high worship' of Allah and in order for it to be so the reader must be aware of what he is saying so that it changes the state of the person reciting. He said: "Recitation of the Qur'an in its real sense is an activity in which the tongue, intellect, and mind all take part together. The tongue is the exhorter, the intellect is the translator (of what is understands of the exhortation), and the mind is that which accepts the exhortation."