Regarding The Etiquette of Reading the Qur’an
My question
pertains to the reading of the Qur’an. On campus here at Emory our
Muslim organization has organized a Qur’an Group in which we get together
every Friday and read the Arabic, as well as the English meaning, of the
Qur’an. Now there are certain things, which are confusing me.
There are also some non-Muslims who will be coming to the group meetings for the
desire to learn more about Islam (and from my best judgment they come in the
sincerest and purest of manners... often times frustrated by the weaknesses in
their own religions.) There are also several Muslims who come, but these
brothers and sisters have not been in an Islamic environment really and so are
just growing into the religion.
So here are
the issues: first, I know that the Muslims understand we must do wudhu before reading the Qur’an. What is the requirement for
non-Muslims who do not know how to do the wudhu?
Also, there
are some sisters who are a little hesitant to wear the hijaab
when reading the Qur’an (for their own personal reasons, I don’t know them).
Now, last year a brother condemned a sister for not wearing the hijaab
when coming to the Qur’an Group. Unfortunately that sister has never
returned to either the Qur’an Group or any other Islam related activities that
involve Muslims. I know her feelings were very hurt. What does one
do in this situation? Does one send someone off from hearing the message
of God because they are not covering their head? Can we keep the message
from someone who wishes to hear it? What about non-Muslim females who wish
to hear the message or read the Qur’an but don’t wear hijaab?
Also I have
heard that we can only give non-Muslims the English version of the Qur’an?
This seems ridiculous to me since the purest form of the Qur’an is in Arabic.
Also it seems ridiculous to me considering there are those people who are
non-Muslims and only speak Arabic, do they not receive the message? Are we
not bordering on idol worship by elevating even the Qur’an as a book to
another level?
Please answer
these in your earliest convenience, but our first meeting is this Friday and I
seek some assistance urgently.
Reply
As you
require the answers urgently, I shall write brief replies to your queries.
It is not
mandatory to do wudhu (ablution)
before recitation of the Qur’an. Obviously, for the purpose of teaching Islam
to non-Muslims, they can and should be invited to the kind of gatherings that
you have mentioned in your question and, obviously, be allowed to read the
Qur’an without ablution. The Prophet (pbuh) recited the Qur’an in front of
non-Muslims, whether Jews, Christians or Polytheists, but he never asked them to
do ablution, before listening to the Qur’an. I really do not see any
difference in listening to or reading the Qur’an.
If a girl or
a woman does not observe the dress code prescribed by the Qur’an, knowing that
it is the directive of the Almighty God, she shall be held responsible for her
disobedience to God on the Day of Judgment. But even so, no one has the right of
degrading her or disallowing her to sit in gatherings the basic purpose of which
is to teach the Qur’an. After all, my brother, how do you expect a non-Muslim
or a person who is only half a Muslim to become a true Muslim, if you do not
allow him/her to become a part of gatherings where Islam/Qur’an is being
taught?
I hope this helps. In case any thing asks for further clarification, please feel free to write back.
Regards
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