Gems of the Promised Messiah & Imam Mahdi (as) – The Purpose of the Recitation of the Holy Qur’an

Therefore, the actual purpose and objective of the Holy Qur’an is to teach the world righteousness, so that it receives guidance. In the following verse, Allah the Exalted has alluded to three stages of righteousness:[1]

ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقۡنَٰهُمۡ يُنفِقُونَ

‘Who believe in the unseen and observe Prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.’

People recite the Holy Qur’an, but they do so like a parrot without thinking, just like a Pundit who goes on blindly reciting the scripture. Neither does the reciter understand what they are reciting, nor are the listeners aware of what is being said. In the same manner, all that is left of the recitation of the Holy Qur’an is for people to recite a few parts, without knowing what they have read. At most, people will recite the Holy Qur’an in tune, paying special attention to the pronunciation of the letters qaf and ‘ayn. No doubt, it is commendable to recite the Holy Qur’an in a melodious voice, but the actual purpose behind the recitation of the Holy Qur’an is to learn about its divine verities and insights, and so that human beings can bring about a transformation within themselves as a result.

ENDNOTES

[1] The Holy Qur’an, 2:4.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat – Volume II (Farnham, Surrey: Islam International Publications Ltd., 2019), 142-143.