Introduction to Usul Kafi, Vol 2, Part 3 – Book of Excellence of the Holy Quran

Mahe Ramazan is the best time to dive in the ocean of traditions about the excellence of the Holy Quran. We present herewith some details about the traditions available in Usul Kafi.

The third part of Volume Two is dedicated and named as Book of Excellence of the Holy Quran. It has 14 chapters consisting of 124 traditions.

These chapters are :

1. The Excellence of Holy Quran
2. The Excellence of the Carriers of the Holy Quran
3. Those Who Learn the Holy Quran with Difficulties
4. One Who Memorizes the Holy Quran Then Forgets
5. Reciting the Holy Quran
6. The Houses Wherein the Holy Quran is Read
7. The Reward for Reading the Holy Quran
8. Reading the Holy Quran from a Copy
9. Reading the Holy Quran with Elocution and Attractive Tone of Voice
10. People Fainting (Reading the Holy Quran)
11. Within What Period of Time the Holy Quran Should be Read and Completed?
12. The Holy Quran will be Raised as it Was Sent Down
13. The Excellence of the Holy Quran
14. The Rare Ahadith

We present a few traditions for your reference

H 3480, Ch 3, h 1 - Al-Fudayl ibn Yasar who has said the following: “I heard Imam Abu ‘Abd Allah, (a.s.), saying, ‘Those who face difficulty memorizing the Holy Quran due to lesser ability of memorization will be rewarded twofold.’”

H 3484, Ch 4, h 2 - Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from abu al- Maghra’ from abu Basir who has said the following: Imam“Abu ‘Abd Allah, (a.s.), has said, ‘If one forgets a chapter from the Holy Quran it will appear to him in the best form and high position in paradise. When he will see it he will say how beautiful you are! I wish you were mine.’ It will ask, ‘Do you not know me? I am chapter so and so,had you not forgotten me I would have raised you to this.’”

H 3489, Ch 5, h 1  - Ali has narrated from his father from Hammad from Hariz from Imam Abu ‘Abd Allah, (a.s.), who has said the following: “The Holy Quran is a covenant of Allah with His creatures. A Muslim must look at his covenant and read fifty verses every day.”

H 3493, Ch 6, h 3 – Imam Abu Abd Allah (a.s.) has said the following: “Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib, (a.s.), has said, ‘A house wherein the Holy Quran is read, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, is spoken of, blessings therein increase, the angels come down therein and Satan keeps away from it. It shines to the inhabitants of the heaven just as stars shine to the people of the earth. A house where the Holy Quran is not read, and Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, is not spoken of, its blessings reduce, angels leave it and devils crowd therein.’”

H 3495, Ch 7, h 2 – Imam Abu‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said the following: “Why should any thing prevent a business man working in the market place from reading one chapter from the Holy Quran before going to sleep when he is home? For the reading of each verse the reward for ten good deeds will be written down for him and ten of his evil deeds will be deleted.”

H 3499, Ch 7, h 6 – Imam Abu‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said the following: “If one listens to the reading of one letter from the book of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, without reading, Allah writes for him the reward for one good deed, deletes one of his evil deeds and raises for him one degree. If one reads looking but without audible voice Allah writes for him the reward for one good deed for each letter, deletes one of his evil deeds and raises him one degree. If one learns one clear letter Allah writes for him the reward for ten good deeds, deletes his ten evil deeds and raises him ten degrees. The Imam said, ‘I do not say, ‘for every verse.’ I say for every letter. ‘B’, ‘T’ and so forth are letters.’ The Imam said, ‘If one reads one clear letter in prayer in a sitting position Allah writes for him the reward for fifty good deeds, deletes fifty of his evil deeds and raises for him fifty degrees. If one reads one letter in prayer standing, Allah, for each letter, writes for him the reward for one hundred good  deeds, deletes one hundred of his evil deeds and raises him one hundred degrees. If one completes reading the Holy Quran, for him there is an accepted prayer, sooner or later.’ “

I (the narrator) then said to the Imam, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, is it completing the whole of it’? The Imam said, ‘Yes, it is completing the whole of the Holy Quran.’”

H 3502, Ch 8, h 2 - “Imam Abu Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘I love the presence of a copy of the Holy Quran in a house; Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, thereby wards off devils.’”

H 3504, Ch 8, h 4 – Imam Abu Abd Allah (a.s.) has said“Reading of the Holy Quran from a copy relieves suffering punishment of one’s parents even if they are unbelievers.”

H 3554, Ch 14, h 4 - Abu Ali al-Ashari has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar from abu Basir from Imam Abu Jafar (a.s.), ‘The Holy Quran came in four parts: One fourth is about us (Ahl al-Bayt) one fourth about our enemies, one about traditions and axioms and one fourth about obligations and laws.”

H 3523, Ch 11, h 4 - A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Yahya ibn Ibrahim ibn abu al-Balad from his father from Ali ibn al-Mughirah who has said the following: “Once I asked abu al-Hassan, (a.s.), ‘My father once asked your grandfather about reading all of the Holy Quran in one night.’ ‘(Do you mean it to happen) every night?’ Your grandfather inquired. ‘Yes, in the month of Ramadan.’ My father replied. Your grandfather asked him, ‘In the month of Ramadan?’ My father said, ‘Yes, in the month of Ramadan if I could.’ My father would read the Holy Quran forty times in the whole month of Ramadan. After my father I would read the Holy Quran sometimes more and sometimes less than he did, as I would get a chance within my work, activities and laziness. On 'id day (after the month of Ramadan) I would assign the reward for reading the Holy Quran once for the Holy prophet, one for Imam Ali, one for Al-Sayyidah Fatimah and one for each Imam until yourself and I assigned the reward for reciting the Holy Quran once for you from the time I am doing this. Will there be anything for me in this? The Imam said, ‘On the Day of Judgment, you will be with them. Allah is greater than can be described, this much for me!’ I exclaimed. The Imam, (a.s.), said three times, ‘Yes.’”

May Allah give us taufeeq to recite Holy quran and gift it to our Imam of the time – Hazrat Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)