725. Is It Ok To Make A LIST Where Different People Volunteer To Read One Juz Each So We Can Complete The Qur’aan This Way?

By Asma Bint Shameem

*We want to encourage people to read MORE Qur’aan.*

*So is it ok to make a LIST where different people volunteer to read one Juz each so we can complete the Qur’aan this way?*

ANSWER

Reading the Qur’aan is of course a good deed and we should encourage ourselves to read it as much as we can, especially while understanding the meanings. 

However, since reading the Qur’aan is an act of ibaadah, it must also be done the *”way”* the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam read it. 

That’s because all acts of ibaadah are *”tawqeefi”*; which means that there has to be PROOF of that from the Qur’aan and/or the authentic practice or teachings of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam. 

And it is not proven from the authentic practice or teachings of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam to “finish” the Qur’aan this way. 

Someone asked Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan al-Barraak about a similar “list” of good deeds like reading the Qur’aan, fasting, giving charity etc. that they fill out every two weeks to “encourage” each other. 

He replied: 

“What appears to me to be the case is that keeping this schedule and competing in filling it out is a kind of *innovation (bid‘ah)*, because it involves *boasting* to one another and admiring ones own good deeds, as well as making manifest deeds which are best kept concealed, because concealing good deeds of charity, reciting Qur’aan and dhikr should be furthest removed from showing off. 

Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala says: 

“Invoke your Lord with humility and in SECRET” [al-A ‘raaf 7:55]

And He says:

“(This is) a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariya, When he called out his Lord (Allaah) a call in secret” [Maryam 19:2-3]. 

And one of the seven whom Allaah will shade with His shade (on the Day of Resurrection) will be *“a man who gives charity and conceals it to such an extent that his left hand does not know what his right hand is giving.”* [al-Bukhaari (660) and Muslim (1031)].

So what you should do is encourage one another to do more naafil (supererogatory) acts of obedience, and to do a great deal of that, each one doing whatever he is able to *but keeping it between him and his Lord.*

In this manner you will be able to attain cooperation in righteousness and piety, whilst being safe from that which may nullify good deeds or detract from their reward. 

And Allaah is the source of strength and the Guide to the straight path. And Allaah knows best.” 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen issued a similar fatwa in Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (16/175). 

In any case, the recitation of the Qur’aan is not considered “finished” if different people read different Juz’. 

Rather each person will be credited for only “that” portion of the Qur’aan that they read. 

Someone asked Shaykh Ibn Jibreen:

“There are people who sit together to read the Qur’aan quietly. Each individual reads one juz’ (part) of the Qur’aan, claiming that the entire Qur’aan will have been read in this gathering. Is this permissible or is it counted as being bid’ah?”

He said:

“In my opinion the action mentioned is not permissible, and I do not recall anything of this kind being reported from the Salaf. A person will only be rewarded for what he himself reads or listens to in order to benefit from it. But if another person reads and he does not listen, the reward for that will go to the person who read it. These people are not considered to have completed the whole Qur’aan; but if each person has read a juz’ he will be rewarded for that. But they should not do this; either one person should read and the others listen, or each person should read by himself without making a connection between his reading and that of the others.”

(Al-Lu’lu’ Al-Makeen Min Fataawa Al-Shaykh Ibn Jibreen, P. 50)

So although it’s good to encourage people to complete the Qur’aan, and do other good deeds, that should be done without making “lists” or holding “contests” for that, and without telling others about the number of complete readings or other good deeds that Allaah has enabled each one to do.

And Allaah knows best.