He replied...

He replied: I was reading the Qur'an when I came across this verse: وَ فِي السَّماءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَ ما تُوعَدُونَ “And in the heaven is your sustenance and what you are threatened with.” [^4] Reading it, I chided myself: “My sustenance is in the heavens, whereas I search for it on the earth; I am indeed an awful person.” U'mar, greatly affected by these words, acknowledged: You speak the truth!

[^5] The Holy Prophet and the Quran One of the spiritual qualities of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was his deep intimacy with the Qur'an. Sa’d Ibn Hishaam relates: I approached A’aishah, the wife of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and inquired about his ethics and conduct. In reply she asked: Do you recite the Qur'an?

I answered: Yes, I do, whereupon she remarked: The conduct of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was in complete accordance with the Qur'an. His (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) voice was such that his recitation of the Qur’an was more beautiful and captivating than anyone else.

Anas Ibn Maalik, his (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) servant, says: While reciting the Qur'an, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) would stretch the tone of his voice.

Ibn Masu’d, who was one of the scribes, who would write down the verses when they were revealed, says: “One day the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said to me: “Recite the Qur'an so that I may listen to it.” I recited the chapter al-Nisaa till I reached the verse 41: فَكَيْفَ إِذا جِئْنا مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَ جِئْنا بِكَ عَلى‏ هؤُلاءِ شَهِيداً **“** How will it be then, when We bring from every people a witness and bring you as a witness against these?” As soon as I recited this verse, I observed that his eyes were filled with tears.

He then said to me: This much is sufficient.” [^6] Ahmad Ibn Tuloon Ahmad Ibn Tuloon was one of the kings of Egypt. When he died, the ruling administration hired the services of a Qur'an-reciter for a large sum so that he should recite the Qur'an over the grave of the king. One day it was found that the reciter had vanished and no one was aware where he had gone! After an intensive search, when he was eventually found, he was asked: Why did you run away?

All that he said was: I shall not recite the Qur'an any more. He was told: If you feel that your salary is less, it can be doubled .

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