Former President Al Ustaz Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has stated that reciting the whole Quran during Ramadan is not something taught in Islam.
Former President and religious scholar Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, speaking on Raajje TV last night, said that reciting the whole Quran during Ramadan is not obligatory in Islam nor is it even a Sunnah. He said he could not find any evidence in the Holy Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) that the Quran should be recited completely during the nights of Ramadan.
Maumoon said it is a very good and rewarding deed to read the Quran frequently during Ramadan. However, he said it is not permissible to rush to complete the Quran in Ramadan.
"Some people read a book of the Quran completely every night to complete the Quran in the thirty nights of Ramadan. But I have not seen any evidence that they should do so. I cannot say that this is something that should be done," said Maumoon.
In addition, Maumoon, who ruled Maldives for thirty years, said that something can only be proven in Islam in the light of the Quran or Sunnah. And that even if someone does something, if it is not in the Quran or Sunnah, it will not be a part of the religion. Maumoon said the Holy Quran should be read in such a way that one would think about its meaning and be guided by it. He added that, in the Quran, it is said to read what is easy from it. ("Read ye, therefore, as much of the Qur'an as may be easy (for you)." - Quran 73:20)
"So nowhere does it tell us to read the Quran from beginning to end. We do it because we think that reading it often will bring blessings. That is a good thing. But it is not necessary. Reading the whole Quran is not something to do in a specific period. Reading, studying the Quran often, is rewarding. But what does it mean to study? It means to think about what you are reading, applying it and being guided by it. To study in such a way that will benefit you, that is studying. Not necessarily reading from beginning to end," Al Ustaz Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said.
Former President and religious scholar Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, speaking on Raajje TV last night, said that reciting the whole Quran during Ramadan is not obligatory in Islam nor is it even a Sunnah. He said he could not find any evidence in the Holy Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) that the Quran should be recited completely during the nights of Ramadan.
Maumoon said it is a very good and rewarding deed to read the Quran frequently during Ramadan. However, he said it is not permissible to rush to complete the Quran in Ramadan.
"Some people read a book of the Quran completely every night to complete the Quran in the thirty nights of Ramadan. But I have not seen any evidence that they should do so. I cannot say that this is something that should be done," said Maumoon.
In addition, Maumoon, who ruled Maldives for thirty years, said that something can only be proven in Islam in the light of the Quran or Sunnah. And that even if someone does something, if it is not in the Quran or Sunnah, it will not be a part of the religion. Maumoon said the Holy Quran should be read in such a way that one would think about its meaning and be guided by it. He added that, in the Quran, it is said to read what is easy from it. ("Read ye, therefore, as much of the Qur'an as may be easy (for you)." - Quran 73:20)
"So nowhere does it tell us to read the Quran from beginning to end. We do it because we think that reading it often will bring blessings. That is a good thing. But it is not necessary. Reading the whole Quran is not something to do in a specific period. Reading, studying the Quran often, is rewarding. But what does it mean to study? It means to think about what you are reading, applying it and being guided by it. To study in such a way that will benefit you, that is studying. Not necessarily reading from beginning to end," Al Ustaz Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said.
