الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينة ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا، ومن سيئات أعمالنا 

وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، وأشهد أن سيدنا محمدًا عبده ورسوله .

In this session today, you will be serving as professors, and I’ll be serving as student who is defending his thesis.  So, you need to concentrate as I present my research to ensure that you give me a fair grade.

My thesis topic is: “The Secret of Remembering the Quran without Memorizing it”.

The Individual Status in Paradise

Abdullah ibn Amr (عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said:

عَنْ عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ يُقَالُ لِصَاحِبِ الْقُرْآنِ اقْرَأْ وَارْتَقِ وَرَتِّلْ كَمَا كُنْتَ تُرَتِّلُ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّ مَنْزِلَتَكَ عِنْدَ آخِرِ آيَةٍ تَقْرَأُ بِهَا (‏رواه أبو داود والترمذي ‏)‏‏‏‏.     ‏

“It will be said to the companion of the Quran: Read and ascend as you used to recite in the world. Indeed, your rank is determined by the last verse you recite.'[Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi].

In a similar hadeath, Abu Saed Al-Khurdi reported that the   Prophet (PBUH) said:

عن أبي سعيد قال : قال نبي الله عليه الصلاة والسلام يقال لصاحب القرآن إذا دخل الجنة : اقرأ واصعد ، فيقرأ ويصعد بكل آية درجة ، حتى يقرأ آخر شيء معه .

“It will be said to the companion of the Quran (if he enters Paradise): Read and ascend, so he reads and climbs with every verse, until he reads the last verse with him”.

The fairness Dilemma

The challenges that that my thesis tries to address is the fairness regarding the following two points:

1. What about all those people whom Allah has not gifted with good memory and could not memorize the Quran, though they read it frequently; is it just that they suffer because of their limitations while Allah is the ultimate Just?
2. Does this hadeeth apply only to Muslims, how about all those righteous people who died before the revelation of the Quran to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)?

The Quran was taught before man’s creation

Let me examine three verse in the Quran that are also challenging and are often misinterpreted and these verses are 1 to 4 in Surat Ar-Rahman: Allah says:

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ (١) عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ (٢) خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ (٣) عَلَّمَهُ ٱلۡبَيَانَ (٤)

Ar-Rahman. He taught the Qur’an. He created man. He taught him how to express himself. (Ar-Rahman 55:1-4)

It is important to note the sequence in these verses.  Allah taught the Quran before the creation of man (عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ (٢) خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ) (He taught the Qur’an. He created man.).  One would have expected that teaching the Quran comes after the creation of man as in verse 4 when Allah taught man how to express himself after He created him (خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ (٣) عَلَّمَهُ ٱلۡبَيَانَ) (He created man. He taught him how to express himself).

This means that the Quran pre-existed the creation of man and it was taught to something or someone one, the question is who?

In an attempt to resolve this mystery, some interpreters tried to resolve it by arguing that Allah must have the specification which is the Quran that included the operating manual for man before creating him.  They rationalize their idea by what designers do.  Before engineers design an important machine, they must first prepare its specification that will include its purpose and its operating procedures?  

But this interpretation addresses only part which is the presence of the Quran before man was created but it does not address the important question which is:  who was taught the Quran before man’s creation?

In order to understand the verse and its relevance to the hadeath of reading the Quran in paradise, we need to follow the scientific methodology that was developed by the Muslim scientist and scholar ( أبو علي، الحسن بن الحسن بن الهيثم) Abu-Ali Al-Ḥasan ibn Al-Ḥasan ibn Al-Haytham whose Latinized name “Alhazen”.  We start by formulating a hypothesis and then we collect the data to either validate the hypothesis, modify it or even reject it and come with another hypothesis.

Your role as my professors to grade me based on my success in proving the hypothesis that I’ll be making.  Since this is a thesis defense, please do not judge me at the end of my presentation based on your preconceived idea.  If I present to you what you already know, the subject will not be worthy of a research subject. 

The Hypothesis

The following are the hypothesis I am proposing and will try to prove their validity through this presentation:

1. Allah taught the Quran to the single soul (Nafs) from which all mankind were created.
2. When we read the Quran in paradise, it will be from the Quran that Allah taught our soul and not what we memorized in this life.
3. The amount of Quran that we will be able to read depends on the level of Taqwa and purification of our soul that we achieved in this life.

The one soul that existed before we were created and from which we were created

The confirmation that all mankind was created from a single soul (Nafs) is emphasized in the Quran in several verses.  Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ وَخَلَقَ مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنۡہُمَا رِجَالاً۬ كَثِيرً۬ا وَنِسَآءً۬‌ۚ

“O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate; and out of the two spread many men and women. (Al-Nisaa 4:1)

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ فَمُسۡتَقَرٌّ۬ وَمُسۡتَوۡدَعٌ۬‌ۗ قَدۡ فَصَّلۡنَا ٱلۡأَيَـٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ۬ يَفۡقَهُونَ (٩٨)

“It is He Who has created you from a single soul, and then a dwelling place and a repository. Indeed, We have explained in detail Our revelations for people who understand” (Al-An’am 6:98)

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ وَجَعَلَ مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا (١٨٩

It is He Who has created you from a single soul, and (then) He has created from it its mate.” (Al-araf 7:189)

خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا (٦)

He created you from a single soul, then from it He made its mate. (Al-Zumur 39:6)

These verses show that a single soul existed prior to the creation of mankind who were created from it.  The verses in Surat Ar-Rahman suggests that Allah taught the soul the Quran prior to creating man (عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ (خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ) (He taught the Qur’an. He created man.

The soul never dies, and it will remain alive to be judged while our earthly body will be decomposed in the earth

Allah also teaches us that at the time of death, the soul leaves the body and will remain to be subjected to judgement while the physical body is buried underground.  After death, the body we have now with all its organs including the brain and the heart will be buried underground and will be decomposed.  Actually, the first part to decompose is the brain due to the high water and enzyme content in it.  So, whatever information in the brain will be gone, only the information in the soul that will remain. 

The emphasizes that the soul is the one that will be facing judgement in the day of Judgement came in many verses in the Quran, Allah says:

وَنُفِخَ فِى ٱلصُّورِ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ يَوۡمُ ٱلۡوَعِيدِ (٢٠) وَجَآءَتۡ كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ۬ مَّعَهَا سَآٮِٕقٌ۬ وَشَہِيدٌ۬ (٢١)

“And the Trumpet will be blown — that will be the Day of the dreadful threat. (20) And every soul will come with a driver (angel) and a witness (angel).” (Qaf 50:20-21)

 فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَاهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ )آل عمران 25(

“How (will it be with them) when We have brought them all together to a Day of which there is no doubt, when every soul will be paid in full what it has earned, and they will not be wronged” (Al-Imran 3:25)

يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُحْضَرًا وَمَا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ سُوءٍ تَوَدُّ لَوْ أَنَّ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَهُ أَمَدًا بَعِيدًا وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ وَاللَّهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ  )آل عمران 30(

“On the Day when every soul will find itself confronted with all that it has done of good and all that it has done of evil, (every soul) will wish that there might be a great distance between it and that (evil). Allah warns you beware of Him. And Allah is full of Pity for (His) slaves.” (Al-Imran 3:30)

  وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ  شَيْئًا وَإِنْ كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَى بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ  )الأنبياء 47(

“And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then no soul will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We to take account.” (Al-Anbia 21:47)

يَوۡمَ تَأۡتِى ڪُلُّ نَفۡسٍ۬ تُجَـٰدِلُ عَن نَّفۡسِہَا وَتُوَفَّىٰ ڪُلُّ نَفۡسٍ۬ مَّا عَمِلَتۡ وَهُمۡ لَا يُظۡلَمُونَ) النحل(111

“(Remember) the Day when every soul will come up pleading for himself, and everyone will be paid in full for what he did (and they will not be dealt with unjustly” (Al-Nahl 16:111)

How can we ensure that the soul remembers the Quran?

When we recite the Quran in the Hereafter, it will not be the Quran that we memorized on earth but the Quran that Allah taught our soul before we were even created.  The question is:  How can we ensure that our soul remembers what Allah taught it.

Allah clearly teaches us that it is our very important responsibility to purify our soul if we are to be successful in the Hereafter, Allah says:

وَنَفۡسٍ۬ وَمَا سَوَّٮٰهَا (٧) فَأَلۡهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقۡوَٮٰهَا (٨)قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن زَكَّٮٰهَا (٩) وَقَدۡ خَابَ مَن دَسَّٮٰهَا (الشمس)

And by the Nafs (soul) and how it was perfected (balanced); (7) Then He inspired it to know its rebellion and piety (8) Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own soul (9) And indeed he fails who corrupts it (Al-Shams 91:7-10)  

If the soul is purified, it will content and will be pleased to return to Allah, as Allah says:  

يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ (27) ارْجِعِي إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيَّةً (28)) سورة الفجر

 “O Content soul (27) Return unto thy Lord, well pleased, well pleasing (Al-Fajr 89:27-28)

Examples on steps to purify our soul

How to purify the soul is quite broad and requires a separate talk, let me just mention two of these steps and these are continuous glorification of Allah and restraining your soul from any evil desires. Allah says:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّى وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّى)  الأعلى (14

But those will prosper who purify themselves, and glorify the name of their Guardian-Lord, and Prayers. (Al-A’ala 87:14-15)

وَأَمَّا مَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفۡسَ عَنِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰ (٤٠) فَإِنَّ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ هِىَ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰ (النَّازعَات)

“But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts. (40) Verily, Paradise will be his abode.” (Al-Naziat 79:40-41)

The purification of the soul is prerequisite for learning the Quran

Allah emphasize this point in several verses that places purification ahead of learning the Quran, as Allah says:  

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمْ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ(164).آل عمران.

Allah did confer a great favor on the Believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves, rehearse to them His Signs, purify them, and teach them the book (Quran) and Wisdom, while before that, they had been in manifest error. (Al-Imran 3:164) 

Allah is the one who teaches

Allah is the true teacher if we deserve it by being serious and having taqwa, as Allah says:

{وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ} [العَنْكَبوتِ: 69].

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths. And Indeed, Allah is with those who are good doers.” (Al-Ankabout 29:69)

وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُڪُمُ ٱللَّهُ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِڪُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ۬

“Have Taqwa of Allah and Allah will teach you and Allah is all knowing of all things”. (Al-Baqara 2:282)

Two Additional observations that support the hypothesis that Allah taught our souls that Quran and we can only recall it through purification of our souls 

1. In our dreams, we may find ourselves reciting Quran that we never memorized, what was the source of it if it was not from the Quran that Allah taught our soul.
2. This hypothesis gives good rationalization two unique encounters that the Prophet (PBUH) received from the holy angel Jobril, these are opening the chest of the Prophet (PBUH) to wash his hear and the second is squeezing his chest too hard twice during the first encounter in the mountain of Hira. When Jibril asked the Prophet (PBUH) to read and the Prophet would say:  I cannot read or what should I read, (ما أنا بقارئ).  The objective of these could be for making the Prophet (PBUH) able to recall the Quran from Allah had taught his soul before he was even created.     The two encounters are documented in several hadeeth.
3. The opening of the chest encounter that was done when the Prophet (PBUH) was small and living among Banu Sa’d and it is reported by Anas ibn Malik n the following hadeath:

عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله تعالى عنه أن النبي صلى ‏الله عليه وسلم أتاه جبريل وهو يلعب مع الغلمان فأخذه فصرعه فشق عن قلبه فاستخرج ‏القلب فاستخرج منه علقة فقال: هذا حظ الشيطان منك ثم غسله في طست من ذهب ‏بماء زمزم ثم لأمه ثم أعاده في مكانه، وجاء الغلمان يسعون إلى أمه – يعني ظئيره- فقالوا إن ‏محمداً قد قتل. فاستقبلوه وهو منتقع اللون. قال أنس: أرى أثر المخيط في صدره”.

It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik that Jibril came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he was playing with the other boys. He took hold of him and threw him to the ground, then he opened his chest and took out his heart, from which he took a clot of blood and said: “This was the Shaytaan’s share of you.” Then he washed it in a vessel of gold that was filled with Zamzam. Then he put it back together and returned it to its place. The boys went running to his mother – meaning his nurse – and said: Muhammad has been killed! They went to him and his color had changed. Anas said: I used to see the mark of that stitching on his chest.  (Muslim).

1. The squeeze of the chest encounter was reported in a hadith narrated by sayeda ‘Aisha who said:

جاء في صحيح البخاري رحمه الله:   ‏‏عن ‏ ‏عائشة أم المؤمنين ‏ ‏أنها قالت ‏ :‏أول ما بدئ به رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏من الوحي الرؤيا الصالحة في النوم فكان لا يرى رؤيا إلا جاءت مثل ‏ ‏فلق ‏ ‏الصبح ثم حبب إليه الخلاء وكان يخلو ‏ ‏بغار حراء ‏ ‏فيتحنث ‏ ‏فيه ‏ ‏وهو التعبد ‏ ‏الليالي ذوات العدد ‏ ‏قبل أن ‏ ‏ينزع ‏ ‏إلى أهله ويتزود لذلك ثم يرجع إلى ‏ ‏خديجة ‏ ‏فيتزود لمثلها حتى جاءه الحق وهو في ‏ ‏غار حراء ‏ ‏فجاءه ‏ ‏الملك ‏ ‏فقال ‏ ‏اقرأ قال ما أنا بقارئ قال فأخذني ‏ ‏فغطني ‏ ‏حتى بلغ مني الجهد ثم ‏ ‏أرسلني ‏ ‏فقال اقرأ قلت ما أنا بقارئ فأخذني ‏ ‏فغطني ‏ ‏الثانية حتى بلغ مني الجهد ثم ‏ ‏أرسلني ‏ ‏فقال اقرأ فقلت ما أنا بقارئ فأخذني ‏ ‏فغطني ‏ ‏الثالثة ثم ‏ ‏أرسلني ‏ ‏فقال ‏‏اقرأ باسم ربك الذي خلق خلق الإنسان من ‏ ‏علق ‏ ‏اقرأ وربك الأكرم.

The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “I do not know how to read.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?’ Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said,

ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ (١) خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ (٢) ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ (٣)

 ‘Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.” (Al-Alaq 96.1-3)

The hypothesis that Allah is the one who taught the Quran can be understood from surat Al-Naml

وَإِنَّكَ لَتُلَقَّى ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ مِن لَّدُنۡ حَكِيمٍ عَلِيمٍ (٦)

Indeed, you are being taught the Qur’an from the One, All-Wise, All-Knowing. (Al-Naml 27:6)

Now we can resolve the fairness Dilemma that we stated in the beginning:

1. Even those who are not gifted with good memory will have no excuse because they will be able to recite the Quran that Allah taught their soul, all they need is to purify their souls.
2. Even those who were righteous and died before the revelation of the Quran to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) will be able to recite the Quran because all Allah’s messengers received parts of the Quran that they taught to their followers as Allah informs us.

Examples:

Surah Al-Ala ends with affirming that parts of it was sent in the previous scriptures as Allah says:

بَلۡ تُؤۡثِرُونَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا (١٦) وَٱلۡأَخِرَةُ خَيۡرٌ۬ وَأَبۡقَىٰٓ (١٧) إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَفِى ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلۡأُولَىٰ (١٨) صُحُفِ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ (١٩)

Nay, you prefer the life of this world, (16) Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting. (17) Indeed, this is in the former scriptures 19) The scriptures of Abraham and Moses (Al-Ala 87:16-19)

وَإِنَّهُ ۥ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (١٩٢) نَزَلَ بِهِ ٱلرُّوحُ ٱلۡأَمِينُ (١٩٣) عَلَىٰ قَلۡبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُنذِرِينَ (١٩٤) بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِىٍّ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬ (١٩٥) وَإِنَّهُ ۥ لَفِى زُبُرِ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ   )الشعراء( 

“And truly, it is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds, (192) Which the Trusted Spirit has brought it down (193) Upon thy heart, so that you become (one) of the warners, (194) In plain Arabic tongue. (195) And of course, it is (mentioned) in “Zubur” (the pieces) “the Scriptures” of the former people.” (Al-Shura 26:192-196)

This suggests that sections of the Quran were revealed to other messengers.  This is affirmed by the Hadeath of the Prophet (PBUH) who said:

خُفِّفَ عَلَى دَاوُدَ الْقُرْآنُ ، فَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ بِدَوَابِّهِ تُسْرَجُ ، فَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تُسْرَجَ دَابَّتُهُ ، وَكَانَ لا يَأْكُلُ إِلا مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدِهِ ”  ) البخاري(

“The Quran was lightened on David that he would order for his horse to be saddled and would be able to finish reading it before saddling his animal. And He would not eat except from the labor of his hand”.

We also note that the letter that Sayedna Suliman wrote to the Queen of Saba (Sheeba) started with the first verse ibn the Quran: : 

  إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ )النمل(

“It is from Sulaiman, and it is (as follows): `In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful” (Al-Naml 27:30)

Conclusion

This concludes my presentation and it is time for you to vote.  Who believes that I haven’t proven the validity of the hypothesis raises his hand?   Since no one raised the hand, I passed by unanimous vote. Thank you                            

DUA