Recitation of the Holy Quran and its translation
I asked a relative of mine to take to the recitation of the Quran, a part of it, everyday. Two weeks later when we met again, he said he had finished half of it. Later, when I found out that he had read a translation of the Holy Quran and not the text.
There are three rights of the Holy Quran on all of us.
The highest is that one should act according to it, and acting according to it depends upon understanding it, that is understanding its directions. Then, if you look carefully you will realize that its understanding depends upon the recitation of its words. There, when the Holy Prophet graced this mortal world and the Holy Quran itself declared that Allah has sent him on a mission to accomplish three things:
1. Recite his verses before them.
2. Teach them the Book, explain to them its meanings.
So, the recitation of the Quran stands established as one of the objectives of the mission of the noble Prophet (S.A.W.) ; and the explaining of its meanings has been identified as yet another. The reality is that both are teaching and learning. As for those who say why should they recite like parrots when they are not going to understanding. Teaching and learning comes next. Let us keep in mind that the recitation of the Quran is a standing obligation, a definite and on-going objective, an act of worship in its own right, and a source of rewards and blessings.
Imagine that the Holy Prophet is teaching his companions, most of them are Arabs, the meaning of Quranic words, of course, but at the same time he is telling them how to pronounce the words after him. He is teaching them the method of recitating the Quran. So, the method that he taught was most faithfully onto the generation which following the companions, and the generation which followed and so on and so forth right upto our own time with a concern for authenticity that remains unmatched in human history.
So, the excuse that the words of the Quran can be bypassed in favour of translated readinds is a product of gross misunderstanding. However, one should not stop at the simple recitation of the Quran. One should go further, move towards the understanding of its meaning, see for himself through explanations, the message of Allah Almighty given therein. The point is that recitation alone should not be taken a sufficient. Making an effort to understand its meaning and message must follow. However, the attitude of leaving out learning of the words of the Quran, that is, its correct recitation, as if it was something useless, is totally wrong. They ultimately remain deprived of the very ability to understand its meaning and message.
