Effects of Recitation with Understanding
Our Qur'anic understanding can take various forms:
- Simple comprehension of the literal meaning. Such comprehension must be the bare minimum requirement, the key to all other stages, but it is not enough.
- The next step is to find out how the Islamic scholars have understood it, either by hearing their expositions or reading their exegeses and other sources.
- Third is to study and ponder, on your own in order to discover and absorb the meanings using your imagination and knowledge. And,
- Finally to discover the benefits of it's meanings and commands by obeying the messages and fulfilling the duties and mission that it entrusts us.
If someone recites Qur'an properly and with understanding of its meanings it would have a pleasant and positive effect on the body besides the spiritual gains.
Qur'an is guidance and mentor for everyone. It's a complete book of life. There is a lot more to it than what the eye catches. In between the lines and beneath the simple meanings there are treasures of wisdom and knowledge for us to explore and benefit. Man is yet to decipher many of the codes that it contains.
Understanding it is therefore vital; otherwise it will remain no more than a sacrament. Allah has openly invited mankind to understand the Qur'an instead of just reciting it without comprehending the meanings. At so many places the Lord of the lords asks us: Why you hear not? Why you see not? Why you think not? Why you reason not? Why you ponder not? Why you understand not? Why you take not to heart? To whom are these invitations addressed if not to every human being who possesses the senses of hearing, seeing and thinking?:
What, do they not ponder the Qur'an? Or, is it that there are locks on their hearts? (Muhammad 47:24).
Indeed we have made this Qur'an easy for understanding and remembering (dhikr). Is there any, then, that will take it to heart (Al-Qamar 54: 17)
Conclusion
The Divine Prescriptions
In light of the above discussion we can formulate a very effective and convenient prescription for healing that is not only free of cost but also free of side effects:
Prescription # 1
Recital of verses and words that have unusual rhythmic involvement of the 'magic spot' has a healing effect on the body. The Prophetic prescription of reciting "Lahaula wala quwata illa Billah L-Aliyyil-Adhim" 100 times daily should be made a regular practice. All patients with chronic problems would immensely benefit from it besides in healthy people it would help in disease prevention and promoting health as a whole. Experience indicates that it is easiest to do so if one can make a habit of reciting it before going to bed. Also please remember to recite it a hundred times in one go. The knock at the magic spot has to be sustained otherwise the exact dosage will not be delivered. It is also advisable to do so in a state of wudu as it is a basic pre-qualification for the prayers to be accepted as is apparent from a Hadith about a blind man who asked the Prophet (PBUH) to restore his sight. The Prophet (PBUH) taught him a dua to recite, but He (PBUH) didn't say to him, "Go and read this dua". Instead He (PBUH) said to the blind man: "First go to the ablution area and make ablution".
Prescription # 2
Every day recite in a loud voice or listen to a good quality audio of Qur'anic Recitation for at least 5-10 minutes. More would be even better. Ideally, the environment should be calm, quite, and free of noises. The best time would be early in the morning before starting work. Chronic or terminally sick patients should have an audio player in their room and listen to 30 to 60 minutes of recitation 2-3 times daily.
Prescription # 3
Make a habit of reciting "La ilaha illallah", the other "kalimas" or simply "Allah, Allah" in your free time like walking, driving, climbing stairs, etc. Nothing can be a better utilization of your time than the remembrance of Allah.
Prescription # 4
Always make a genuine effort to understand the "meanings" of the recited verses. First know the literal meanings and follow it up by reading authentic commentaries by Muslim scholars. Afterwards ponder through your imagination on the verses of Allah as they can have multiple meanings and explanations.
Note
1. Have complete and unbreakable faith in Allah and the Last Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. 2. Wudu (purification) is an important pre-requisite to attain maximum benefit. 3. Though faith is an essential ingredient but still Non-Muslims can also gain health benefits by following this prescription, as Allah has no limits. 4. Death is pre-destined and fixed. When the time will come no prescription will work. Here I also wish to emphasize that we must not view Qur'an as a substitute for medical treatment. Anas ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said:
Verily, Allah has not let any malady occur without providing its remedy. Therefore seek medical treatment for your illnesses (Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim).
Jabir (RAW) narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "There is a cure for every disease. Whenever an illness is treated with its right remedy, it will, by Allah's permission, be cured" (Sahih Muslim).
God did not send down an illness for which He did not send a cure, except old age (Sahih Bukhari).
When the Prophet (PBUH) was ill, he sought medical treatment although the Prophet (PBUH) knew the Qur'an by heart and he recited it all the time. Yet, he wished to show us that trying to overcome an illness by proper medicine or herb is necessary. It is not acceptable, from the Islamic point of view, to deny the body by saying that the Qur'an is a better substitute. The best approach for seeking a cure is to combine the spiritual remedies with modern medicine.
Note by the Author
This article is not meant to prove the truth of Islam. It doesn't need a proof. A small mind like me can never decipher the complexities of the creations of the Creator of All. It's just an effort to scientifically acknowledge that whatever Allah has proscribed has multiple benefits for us, though we may not comprehend them.
Each Qur'anic verse and expression has a universal content. For the last 1400 years scholars and common people like me have been trying to elucidate and relate it to their level of knowledge. However, Qur'an's interpretations at the same time can be time-specific and not time-specific. Time-specific interpretations address only the aspects of a particular period in the history of the world while in the future man would relate the same verse or phrase with the knowledge of their era in a very different context or scenario. Qur'anic expressions have multiple meanings. If a Qur'anic verse or expression appears to point exactly to an established scientific fact, we should not restrict its meaning to that fact; rather, we should consider all other possible meanings and interpretations as well. The same applies here. The interpretation I have made is just another way to look at it. There can be hundreds and thousands more. Only Allah, The Magnificent knows all.
My analysis is more of a theoretical work. But if instruments and aids like sensors that can measure the touch and pressure of tongue, and equipment to scan brain activity during recitation are available a much better and convincing analysis can be done. This is a healing revolution in waiting for which I request Muslim philanthropists to fund such research to make it possible in our life times. I also request my colleagues from the medical profession to ponder on these lines and dig out the real bio-electrochemical processes. I would appreciate your comments and suggestions.
Source: http://www.quranicstudies.com/articles/medical-miracles/the-healing-sound.html
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