What Does the Hadith About the Companion of the Quran Mean?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Does the hadith about ranks in the Hereafter based on memorized Quran verses require memorizing all 10 riwayat, one riwaya from each qira’a, or just a common riwaya like Hafs ‘an ‘Asim? What are the virtues of memorizing all 10 riwayat, and is there a recommended order to follow after memorizing a local riwaya?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The companion of the Quran will be told, ‘Recite and ascend. Recite methodically as you used to in the World; for indeed, your station will be the final verse you recite.’” [Ahmad; Tirmidhi; Abu Dawud; Nasa’i]
This Prophetic narration has been commented on by many great scholars. These scholars differed regarding the meaning of “Companion of the Quran”
Ibn Hajar and others deemed ‘companion’ to mean the one who memorized the Quran. Others deemed it to be the one who consistently recites and acts upon the Quran. [Ali Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih]
The Various Qira’at
There doesn’t seem to be any mention of the various canonical reading traditions (Qira’at). However, regarding the above meaning of ‘companion’, if one takes the opinion of one who memorized, memorizing any riwaya of any valid Qira’a would suffice to be considered a memorizer (Hafidh).
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
