Question: Is completing Quran in one night permissible? As few ahadeeth recommend not to complete full recitation in less than 3 or 7 days, while there is a narration that Uthman bin affan completed it in one night. How do we reconcile these reports?
Answer: Praise be to Allah!
In a hadith narrated by Abdullah bin Amr that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ لَمْ يَفْقَهْ مَنْ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ فِي أَقَلَّ مِنْ ثَلاَثٍ ” . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
“He who recites the Qur’an in less than three (days), he does not understand it.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2949]
In another hadith narrated by Abdullah b. ‘Amr (Allah be pleased with them) The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، – رضى الله عنهما – قَالَ قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” اقْرَإِ الْقُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ” . قَالَ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُ قُوَّةً . قَالَ ” فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي عِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً ” . قَالَ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُ قُوَّةً . قَالَ ” فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي سَبْعٍ وَلاَ تَزِدْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ ”
“Recite the whole of the Qur’an during every month. I said: I find power (to recite it) in a shorter period. He said: Then recite it in twenty nights. I said: I find power (to recite it in a shorter period even than this), whereupon he said: Then recite it in seven (nights) and do not exceed beyond it.” [Sahih Muslim 1159]
So the prophet (ﷺ) discouraged us from completing Quran in less than 3 or 7 days. Yet we see narrations of many leading Sahabah and Scholars of the past who used to complete the Quran in less than three days. How do we reconcile between ahadeeth and their actions?
Ibn Katheer (رحمه الله) said:
More than one scholar among the early generations regarded it as makrooh to read the Qur’an in less than three days. This is also the view of Abu ‘Ubayd, Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh and others of the later generations.
[Fadaa’il al-Qur’an, page 254]
1Source: https://shamela.ws/book/22800/242One of the explanation given by the scholars is that the hadith does not mean that it is not permissible to finish reading the Quran completely in less than three days. Rather, this narration means that whoever reads complete Quran in less than three days does not understand its meaning. So this does not mean that he will not get the reward of the recitation of the Quran. He will get the reward if he correctly reads it with proper pronunciation as mentioned in a hadith narrated by Muhammad bin Ka’b Al-Qurazi:
مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيَّ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ مَنْ قَرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ بِهِ حَسَنَةٌ وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا لاَ أَقُولُ الم حَرْفٌ وَلَكِنْ أَلِفٌ حَرْفٌ وَلاَمٌ حَرْفٌ وَمِيمٌ حَرْفٌ ” .
“I heard ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud saying: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “[Whoever recites a letter] from Allah’s Book, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it. I do not say that Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2910]
So the narration means that whoever reads the whole Quran in less than three days (as well as in other narrations seven days) does not understand it but still gets the reward of reading it. Its proven from some sahabah that they used to do it.
Moreover, the action of sahabah of completing Quran in less than 3 days was only in the month of Ramadan as an exception where one offers everything more in ibadah to attain rewards. Some scholars suggested that this hadith was understood by some sahabah as something to be implemented over the remaining 11 months.
Another explanation of the Scholars is that the one who completes the Quran in less than 3 days as a habit and way of life is undoubtedly doing something that is contrary to Islamic teachings, and he can only be doing that at the expense of neglecting other shari duties such as prayer, tarbiyah of his children, taking care of his family and upholding ties of kinship, or by neglecting work, earning etc.
As for the one who does that occasionally to make the most of auspicious times like the month of Ramadan; or with the aim of reviewing what he has memorized; or because he is observing i‘tikaaf (retreat for worship) in the masjid; or because he is focusing on worship for a limited time in Makkah and so on; then that is not contrary to Islamic teaching. It is in this manner that we may interpret the reports narrated from some of the imams (leading scholars), regarding completing Quran twice in one day or once in a day; it is not to be understood that this was their way of life at all times.
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (رحمه الله) said:
Qataadah regularly used to complete the Qur’an every seven days, and in Ramadan he would complete it every three days, and in the last ten nights of Ramadan he would complete it every single night. In Ramadan ash-Shaafa‘i used to complete the Qur’an sixty times [i.e., twice a day], reciting it outside of prayer. Something similar was also narrated from Abu Haneefah.
The prohibition on reading the entire Qur’an in less than three days is to be understood as referring to doing that persistently. But at auspicious times, such as the month of Ramadan, and especially on the nights on which Laylat al-Qadr is sought, or in auspicious places, such as Makkah for those who go there and are not residents, then it is mustahabb to read a great deal of Qur’an so as to make the most of that time or that place. This is the view of Ahmad, Ishaaq and other leading scholars, and is indicated by the actions of other scholars, as mentioned above.
[Lataa’if al-Ma‘aarif feema Li-mawasim al-Aam min al-Wazaif, page 171]2Refer: https://shamela.ws/book/11363/169#p1
An-Nawawi (رحمه الله) said:
“As for those who completed the Qur’an in one rak’ah, they cannot be counted due to their large number. Among them are ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, Tameem ad-Daari, and Sa‘eed ibn Jubayr.”
[Al-Adhkaar page 188]3Source: https://shamela.ws/book/13566/170
Scholars stated several reasons for not completing Quran in less than three days like difficulty in completing Quran in one night, not able to recite it properly, not able to understand it etc.
Lastly, the command of prophet (ﷺ) supersedes actions of others. However if we wish to correlate both, then it can be understood that only in the month of Ramadan they used to complete it in less than three days as an exception.
Wallahualam. (and Allah knows best)
Footnotes:
- 1
- 2Refer: https://shamela.ws/book/11363/169#p1
- 3Source: https://shamela.ws/book/13566/170