By Shaykh Mohammed Daniel al-Muhajir al-Dimishqi
Very briefly, a Maqra’ah is the recitation in order to verify transmission and compare manuscripts of classical Islamic texts that have been passed on from generation to generation over many centuries until it has reached us today. This usually is conducted under the guidance of at least one senior Muhaddith who has received Ijāzah (permission) from their Shuyūkh in these texts and who upon completion passes their transmission of the texts with Ijāzah on to those who have listened to the reading so that the oral tradition in these works remains extant.
What are the Benefits of a Maqra’ah?
In this short article, I have provided thirty distinct benefits that one may derive from the Majālis of Hadith (Gatherings of Prophetic traditions). These advantages are self-explanatory and answer the doubts and criticism that some may level at these Majālis owing to an ignorance of the true spirit and nature of them. By the grace of Allah, these events are continuing to spread throughout the world as those who have experienced them continue to tell others.
1) Increase the love of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Sunnah in our hearts because the more you read about him, the more you realize his status and are taken in awe by his magnificence.
2) The preservation of a unique system of transmission (Isnād) that extends back over 1400 years and up until the advent of modern academia was widespread in the Ummah. Some Islamic texts have altogether lost the oral transmission that they had boasted for several hundred years before the recent neglect.
3) The inclusion of your name in a chain of narration that ends with you and goes back through Islam’s greatest scholars linking you to the most blessed of creation our Beloved صلى الله عليه وسلم which is a great source of honour and Barakah.
4) The entire gathering sends hundreds of thousands of Salawāt on our Beloved صلى الله عليه وسلم every time they hear his name over the course of the Majlis.
5) Establishing a bond between you and the celebrated Ulama of the past so that when you quote something from Imam Nawawi, Imam Suyuti or Ibn Hajr رحمه الله you are quoting from your own Shuyūkh (as you are connected to them through Isnād) as opposed to simply quoting from a book as any other academic would do.
6) Improve the speed and proficiency of reading Arabic for both the readers and those that are following the recitation which is an essential skill for any student of knowledge.
7) The spread and revival of the Isnād of mainstream Hadith texts throughout the Islamic World. For example: Previously in a South African Majlis people from over 20 countries participated and in many of these countries not a single person existed who narrated through Isnād. Those who have inherited the Isnād will return to their countries as ambassadors of the Sunnah and revive the tradition that existed several hundred years ago in places such as Timbuktu, Banjul and other famous cities of Africa.
8) Allow us to appreciate the richness, breadth and depth of the corpus of Islamic literature in times where people have become engrossed in reading about other civilizations and fantasies.
9) Increase our appreciation of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) by reading the proofs that the Madhāhib have established their rulings upon.
10) Increase your knowledge of Hadith terminology used by Muhadithīn when describing the reports in their collections and using terminology such as “Gharīb”.
11) Develop the time/events management skills that are an essential skill of any dedicated student of knowledge in their search for the Sacred Sciences.
12) Be constantly sitting in the company of senior Ulama for long hours with the ability to observe their Ahklāq and take from their Adab before their knowledge.
13) Re-kindle the unity of this Ummah and the brotherhood that all Muslims have between themselves irrespective of skin colour, caste or socio-economic factors.
14) Becoming attached to the Sunnah of our Beloved صلى الله عليه وسلم through the learning of his mission, his biography, his character, his appearance and all other sublime qualities that he possessed.
15) Earning the great reward promised to the people who set out in the pursuit of the Sacred Sciences.
16) Affords one with an opportunity to make new like-minded friends who are willing to dedicate hours to these blessed Majālis. This company instead of distracting you and being a source of remorse for you on the day of Qiyāmah, will aid you in worshipping Allah.
17) Learning about Asbāb al-Nuzūl or causes for the revelation of various Āyāt from the Qur’an so we know the context that these verses were revealed in and are able to rectify the misunderstanding of modernists in their interpretation of these Āyāt.
18) Read Ahādith of Targhīb (virtues that encourage) and Tarhīb (punishments that discourage) that will encourage us a desire to do good actions and discourage us from sinning.
19) Being amongst those who are observing the Fard Kifāyah action of safeguarding the Isnād of this Ummah.
20) Get used to listening to Arabic while it is spoken or read fast therefore improving your overall listening skill which is yet another of the four primary skills required in language acquisition.
21) Learning how the Muhadithīn would use abbreviations in the Isnād to mean different things such as ح for Tahwīl of the Isnād.
22) The revival and imitation of a practice that was conducted by the Muhadithīn for hundreds of years with the hope that through Allah’s mercy we will be raised in the hereafter with those that we imitate as stated in Hadith.
23) Increasing your knowledge of the Ahādith that are weak or strange by reading the Hukm of the Muhadithīn such as Imam al-Tirmidhi رحمه الله.
24) Earn the reward of observing Nafl (optional) I’tikaf in the Masājid which creates an attachment to this serene and blessed environment in the company of Malā’ikah (angels) that would not otherwise be made available to one had there not such Majālis to motivate them to stay.
25) Knowing more about the Ulama in your Isnād who have preserved this unique tradition throughout hundreds of years of Islam.
26) Improving and correcting the recitation of difficult words that we would not normally come across other than in Hadith texts.
27) A source of reward for the elderly Ulama whom after their demise will continue receiving reward for everyone that studies and narrates through the Isnād they inherited from these scholars; and the same for you when you pass away.
28) Gathering people together from different nationalities and backgrounds all of whom have one common denominator, that they are Muslim and leaving the company of the disbelievers for long periods of time which cleanses the heart from the filth of Kufr (disbelief).
29) Improvement in Akhlāq, by reading how the disbelievers would treat our Beloved صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companions and the Akhlāq that he would reciprocate with.
30) Be part of a Majlis which is sought out by the angels and discussed by with your Lord who then forgives you for the sins you have done as occurs in the following Hadith that occurs in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim:
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَلاَئِكَةً يَطُوفُونَ فِي الطُّرُقِ يَلْتَمِسُونَ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ، فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا قَوْمًا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ تَنَادَوْا: هَلُمُّوا إِلَى حَاجَتِكُمْ ” قَالَ: «فَيَحُفُّونَهُمْ بِأَجْنِحَتِهِمْ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا» قَالَ: ” فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ، وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ، مَا يَقُولُ عِبَادِي؟ قَالُوا: يَقُولُونَ: يُسَبِّحُونَكَ وَيُكَبِّرُونَكَ وَيَحْمَدُونَكَ وَيُمَجِّدُونَكَ ” قَالَ: ” فَيَقُولُ: هَلْ رَأَوْنِي؟ ” قَالَ: ” فَيَقُولُونَ: لاَ وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَوْكَ؟ ” قَالَ: ” فَيَقُولُ: وَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْنِي؟ ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُونَ: لَوْ رَأَوْكَ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ لَكَ عِبَادَةً، وَأَشَدَّ لَكَ تَمْجِيدًا وَتَحْمِيدًا، وَأَكْثَرَ لَكَ تَسْبِيحًا ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُ: فَمَا يَسْأَلُونِي؟ ” قَالَ: «يَسْأَلُونَكَ الجَنَّةَ» قَالَ: ” يَقُولُ: وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا؟ ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُونَ: لاَ وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا رَأَوْهَا ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُ: فَكَيْفَ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا؟ ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُونَ: لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهَا حِرْصًا، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا طَلَبًا، وَأَعْظَمَ فِيهَا رَغْبَةً، قَالَ: فَمِمَّ يَتَعَوَّذُونَ؟ ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُونَ: مِنَ النَّارِ ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُ: وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا؟ ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُونَ: لاَ وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا رَأَوْهَا ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُ: فَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْهَا؟ ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُونَ: لَوْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهَا فِرَارًا، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا مَخَافَةً ” قَالَ: ” فَيَقُولُ: فَأُشْهِدُكُمْ أَنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُمْ ” قَالَ: ” يَقُولُ مَلَكٌ مِنَ المَلاَئِكَةِ: فِيهِمْ فُلاَنٌ لَيْسَ مِنْهُمْ، إِنَّمَا جَاءَ لِحَاجَةٍ. قَالَ: هُمُ الجُلَسَاءُ لاَ يَشْقَى بِهِمْ جَلِيسُهُمْ ” رَوَاهُ شُعْبَةُ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، وَلَمْ يَرْفَعْهُ، وَرَوَاهُ سُهَيْلٌ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrates from the Apostle of Allah صلي الله عليه وسلم that there is a group of angels who patrol the earth and search for gatherings wherein Allah is remembered and the angels call out to each other, “Come to what you are searching for” and they form a circle around this gathering that reaches to the sky. When this gathering disperses, they return to the sky where they are questioned by Allah, although (Who is All-knowing): Where have you come from? They reply: We come from a gathering of your servants who are engaged in Tasbīh, Takbīr and Tahmīd. Allah asks them: Have they seen Me? The angels reply: No. Allah asks: And what if they had seen me? They reply: Then they would have engaged even more excessively in Your Ibādah and in glorifying of you. Allah says: What are they asking for? They reply: They ask of you Jannah. Allah then asks: Have they seen Jannah? The angels reply: No. Allah asks: And what if they had seen Jannah? They reply: Then they would have been even more desirous, eager and keen for it. Allah says: What are they seeking refuge from? They reply: They ask refuge from the Fire (of Hell). Allah asks: Have they seen the Fire? The angels reply: No. Allah asks: And what if they had seen it? They reply: Then they would have tried harder to escape from it and they would have been more fearful of it. Allah says: I make you witness that I have pardoned them. One angel exclaims: A certain person was not from them. He happened to be there for some other reason. Allah says: They are such a people that even those who sit with them (for other work) will not be deprived.
And Allah knows best
Mohammed Daniel
Courtesy of Cordoba Academy, published by Al Qalam Press
Note: This article was edited for spelling and style in addition to a new title.
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