In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
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By Mahmood Sanglay:
Crying as an
expression of emotion has a deep connection with love for the Quran and love
for the Prophet Muhammad (saw).
Love for the Kalam of
Allah
The Quran is a fulcrum
of love and tears between the Prophet (saw) and his companions. The Words of
Allah were revealed to the Prophet (saw), and his companions realized the
significance of this phenomenon in their time. Their faith inspired in them awe
of the recipient heart of divine revelation. The fact that the Prophet (saw)
had received the revealed Word of Allah was no small matter to the companions.
Neither is it a small irony that the Prophet (saw) should request any of them
to recite this Word to him.
Such a momentous
request befell the companion ’Abdullah ibn Masud who is widely regarded as
among the highest authorities on the Quran chiefly because he was referred to
as such by the Prophet (saw) himself. This companion, in earnest modesty,
almost hesitated: “Shall I recite (the Quran) to you while it has been revealed
to you?” The Prophet (saw) replied that he loved to hear the Quran recited by
someone other than himself.
Weeping for Love of
His Ummah
’Abdullah ibn Masud
proceeded to recite, but the Prophet (saw) halted him at the following verse of
sura An-Nisa: “How, then, [will the sinners fare on Judgment Day,] when We
shall bring forward witnesses from within every community, and bring thee [O Prophet]
as witness against them?” (4:41)
Tears streamed down
the cheeks of the Prophet (saw). Again, the source of his sadness is his deep
concern for his ummah. Allah will call on the Prophet (saw) as the witness
among witnesses, as the one whose testimony will ultimately be upheld in the
final judgment of all. And ultimately, many among his ummah shall fall. Thus
wept Muhammad (saw) for love of his ummah. How weep we for love of Muhammad
(saw)?
The Quran— the
Greatest Stimulus
The greatest stimulus
for our tears today remains the Quran. And the reason for this is not only that
the Quran is an eminently available and accessible scripture; it is also a
popular text recited by the most gifted reciters in the world and familiar to
over a billion faithful.
The sound and meaning
of the recitation is supported by the emotional state of the reciter. Shaikh
Saud al-Shuraim, who seemingly always displays extraordinary control and
stoicism in his recitation, breaks down at verses 9 and 10 of sura Naml and
does not recover his composure until a minute later. In these verses Musa (as)
is assured by Allah to have no fear after he throws down his staff and sees it
move like a serpent. Similarly, in a taraweeh prayer in 2009 the shaikh is
overcome in his entire recitation of the first 22 verses of sura Qasas, which
also deals with the story of Musa (as).
A Bearer of Glad
Tidings
The role of Muhammad
(saw) is of the most eminent stimuli for tears in Quranic recitation. An
example of such a recitation is the one of the Syrian Shaikh, Murtada Bakour,
in April 2007 at the Zaytuna Institute, California, USA. The video of the
recitation is on YouTube and it captures the sound of a youthful reciter whose
exuberance is tempered with the sacred message of Allah’s love for His Prophet
(saw).
And the message is
that of sura Ahzab, verses 40-48 which addresses the momentous role of Muhammad
(saw) as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. The intensity of the
emotion elevates the listeners to tears in their deepening love of the Beloved
of Allah.
Hearts Softened by the
Tears of the Faithful
Every Muslim can claim
to love Muhammad (saw), and many are moved to tears by this love. The poignant
episodes in his life, many of them referred to in the Quran, should stand out
as the foremost sources of inspiration for emulating his model. They should
lead to a deeper understanding of the love Allah has for His Beloved. Hearts
softened by the tears of the faithful appreciate love of the Prophet (saw) more
truly than hearts hardened by the drought of the doubtful.
A Fascinating Dynamic
of Love
Love for the
Prophet (saw) by the faithful cannot be isolated from the love of the
Prophet (saw) for his ummah and the love of Allah for the Prophet (saw). This
fascinating dynamic of love is illustrated in a dramatic grand narrative in a
particularly poignant hadith reported by ’Amr ibn al ’As. It is recorded in
Muslim that the Prophet (saw) wept when he recited the pleas of Prophets ’Isa
and Ibrahim (as) as recorded in the Quran in 5:118 and 14:36 respectively.
Both Ibrahim and ’Isa
(as) submitted to the authority of Allah Whose decree shall determine the fate
of those among their people who refused to heed their warning. However,
Muhammad (saw), upon contemplating the fate of his ummah, ventured further and
made an earnest appeal to Allah when 5:118 and 14:36 were recited, weeping for
the salvation of his ummah and appealing to Allah to forgive us all.
The drama in the
hadith unfolds as Allah sends the Archangel Jibreel to enquire from the Prophet
(saw) why he weeps. Why does Allah dispatch an angel to pose what seems a
rhetorical question to His Most Beloved? The answer lies in the response of
Allah to the report of Jibreel: “Verily, We will please you with regard to your
ummah and will never displease you.”
What Tears Have We For
His Love?
None of Allah’s
messengers had been privileged and empowered to petition Allah with the state
of the ummah as Muhammad (saw) was. The Most Beloved of Allah implored His
mercy out of concern for the fate of his ummah. The tears of the Prophet (saw)
was for love of his ummah. What love have we for him? What tears have we for
his love? What tears have we for the kalam of Allah?
~Brother Mahmood
Sanglay is a professional writer living in Capetown, South Africa.
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