Aslam

Praise be to Allah.

There is nothing wrong with you having this gathering. For

one person to read Qur’aan whilst the others listen is something that is

prescribed in sharee’ah; the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah

be upon him) and his companions did that.

It was narrated that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with

him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said

to me: “Recite Qur’aan for me.” I said: “O Messenger of Allaah, should I

recite it to you when it was revealed to you?” He said: “I like to hear it

from someone else.” So I recited Soorat al-Nisa’ to him, until I reached

this verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a

witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against these people?”

[al-Nisa’ 4:41]

He said, “That’s enough

for now.” And he turned to me with his eyes flowing with tears.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4763; Muslim, 800.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz said:

It is prescribed for the Muslims during this blessed month to

study the Qur’aan together, day and night, following the example of the

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with whom Jibreel

used to study the Qur’aan every year in Ramadaan, and he studied it with him

twice in the last year of his life, and with the aim of drawing closer to

Allaah, and pondering the meanings of the Book of Allaah in order to benefit

from it and act upon it. This is the way of the righteous salaf and the

believers, male and female, should occupy themselves with the Qur’aan,

reciting it, pondering its meanings and referring to the books of tafseer in

order to benefit from it and learn more.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz,

11/319, 320.

It is better when reading

Qur’aan to also learn the rulings of the Qur’aan, and understand it

meanings. So if you add to reading some tafseer (commentary) on what you

read or on part of it, then you will combine many good things, such as

following the Sunnah, studying the Qur’aan together, teaching the Muslims

and helping them to ponder the Qur’aan.

If this completion of the Qur’aan is done in Taraaweeh prayer

that is better than it being done outside the prayer.

Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said in al-Fataawa al-Kubra

(2/297):

The command and

encouragement to recite Qur’aan applies more to the one who is praying than

to anyone else, for reciting the Qur’aan in prayer is better than reciting

it outside of prayer. The reports which speak of the virtue of the one who

recites Qur’aan refer to the one who is praying more than anyone else. End

quote.

If it is difficult for the people to complete the Qur’aan in

the prayer, they can combine two good things: studying the Qur’aan before

the prayer, and reciting the rest during the prayer, as you are doing.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with

him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be

upon him) was the most generous of people, and he was at his most generous

during Ramadaan when Jibreel would meet with him. He would meet him on every

night of Ramadaan and study the Qur’aan with him. And the Messenger of

Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was as generous as

the wind in doing good.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3048; Muslim, 2308.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him)

was asked:

Can it be understood from the fact that Jibreel (peace be

upon him) studied Qur’aan with the Prophet (peace and blessings of

Allaah be upon him) every night in Ramadaan, that it is good to complete the

Qur’aan (in this month)?

He replied:

It may be understood that it is mustahabb to study the

Qur’aan and that the believer should study it with those who will benefit

him and help him, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah

be upon him) studied with Jibreel (peace be upon him) for a reason, because

Jibreel was the one who had brought it from Allaah, so he was the emissary

between Allaah and the Messengers.

Undoubtedly the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah

be upon him) would benefit from his study with Jibreel, such as learning the

variant recitations (huroof) of the Qur’aan and the meanings intended by

Allaah. If a person studies with someone who will help him to understand the

Qur’aan and help him to pronounce it properly, this is what is desirable,

just as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) studied

it with Jibreel. The point is not that Jibreel was better than the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but Jibreel was the

messenger who brought it from Allaah and conveyed to the Messenger

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that which Allaah had commanded

him, namely the Qur’aan and its pronunciation and meanings. So the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) benefited from Jibreel in

these ways. This does not mean that Jibreel was better than the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for he is the best of mankind

and is better than the angels. But there was a great deal of goodness in

their studying the Qur’aan together, for the Prophet (peace and

blessings of Allaah be upon him) and for the ummah, because it was studying

what had come from Allaah in order to benefit from what had come from

Allaah.

There is another benefit in that, which is that studying

together at night is better than doing so during the day, because this study

used to take place at night, and it is known that the night is better for

studying than the day because one is better able to focus and concentrate

then.

Another benefit is that studying together is prescribed in

sharee’ah, and it is a righteous deed even if it is done at times other than

Ramadaan, because it benefits both parties. Even if there are more than two,

it doesn’t matter, because each of them can benefit from his brothers and

they can encourage one another to read. It may be that a person would not be

motivated to read if he sits on his own, but if he has a companion or

companions to study with him, that will encourage him to read, as well as

the benefits they will all share of studying and learning together.

It may be understood from that that the imam’s reading the

whole Qur’aan to the congregation during Ramadaan is a kind of this studying

together, because it enables them to listen to the whole Qur’aan. Hence Imam

Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) liked the one who was leading them in

prayer to complete the Qur’aan with them. This is akin to the practice of

the salaf who used to like to hear the whole of the Qur’aan, but this does

not mean that he should hasten and rush and not be deliberate in his reading

and humble, focused and at ease in his prayer. Rather paying attention to

these matters is more important than reciting the entire Qur’aan.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz,

11/331-333

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him)

was also asked:

Many imams are keen to complete the Qur’aan in Taraaweeh and

they strive to let the congregation hear the entire Qur’aan. Is there

anything wrong with that?

He replied:

This is a good deed, so the imam may recite a juz’ or less

each night, then read more during the last ten nights so as to complete the

Qur’aan. This applies if it is easy for him to do so and will not cause any

hardship… The great scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him)

wrote a chapter in his book Jala’ al-Afhaam fi’l-Salaati wa’l-Salaam ‘ala

Khayr al-Anaam, in which he described how the salaf were keen to

complete the Qur’aan; we advise you to read this chapter in order to learn

more.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz,

11/333, 334.

See also the answers to questions no.

46088,

1505,

4039.

And Allaah knows best.