Sunan Abu Dawud

Uthman reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying:The best among you is he who learns and teaches the Qur'an

Mu'adh al-Juhani reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:If anyone recites the Qur'an and acts according to its content, on the Day of Judgement his parents will be given to wear a crown whose light is better than the light of the sun in the dwellings of this world if it were among you. So what do you think of him who acts according to this ?

Aishah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying:One who is skilled in the Qur'an is associated with the noble, upright recording angels, and he who falters when he recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult for him will have a double reward

Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying:No people get together in a house of the houses of Allah (i.e. a mosque), reciting the Book of Allah, and learning it together among themselves, but calmness (sakinah) comes down to them, (Divine) mercy covers them (from above), and the angels surround them, and Allah makes a mention of them among those who are with Him

Uqbah b. 'Amir al-Juhani said:When we were in the Suffah, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked: Which of you would like to go out every morning to Buthan or Al-'Aqiq and bring two large humped and fat she-camels without being guilty of sin and severing ties of relationship ? They (the people) said: Messenger of Allah, we would all like that. He said: If any one of you goes out in the morning to the mosque and learns two verses of the Book of Allah, the Exalted, it is better for him than two she-camels, and three verses are better for him than three she-camels, and so on than their numbers in camels

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe" (1) is the epitome or basis of the Qur'an, the epitome or basis of the Book, and the seven oft-repeated verses

Abu Sa'id b. al-Mu'alla said that when he was praying the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by him and he called him. He said:I prayed ant then I came to him. He asked: What prevented you from answering me ? He replied: I was praying. He said: Has not Allah said: "O you who believe, respond to Allah and the Apostle when he calls you to that which gives you life ? (8:24) Let me teach you the greatest surah from the Qur'an or in the Qur'an (the narrator Khalid doubted) before I leave the mosque. I said: (I shall memorize) your saying. He said: It is: "Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe" which is the seven oft-repeated verses, and the mighty Qur'an

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was given seven repeated long surahs, while Moses was given six, When he threw the tablets, two of them were withdrawn and four remained

Ubayy b. Ka'b said:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Abu al-Mundhir, which verse of Allah's Book that you have is creates ? I replied: Allah and His Apostle know best. He said: Abu al-Mundhir, which verse of Allah's that you have is greatest ? I said: Allah, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal. Thereupon he struck me on the beast and said: May knowledge be pleasant for you, Abu al-Mundhir

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said:A man heard another man reciting "Say, He is Allah, One" He was repeating it. When the next morning came, he went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and mentioned to him. The man tool it (this surah) as a small one. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, it is equivalent to a third of the Qur'an

Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir: I was driving the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during a journey. He said to me: Uqbah, should I not teach you two best surahs ever recited? He then taught me: "Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn," and "Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of men." He did not see me much pleased (by these two surahs). When he alighted for prayer, he led the people in the morning prayer and recited them in prayer. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished his prayer, he turned to me and said: O Uqbah, how did you see

Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir: White I was travelling with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) between al-Juhfah and al-Abwa', a wind and intense darkness enveloped us, whereupon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to seek refuge in Allah, reciting: "I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn," and "I seek refuge in the Lord of men." He then said: Uqbah, use them when seeking refuge in Allah, for no one can use anything to compare with them for the purpose. Uqbah added: I heard him reciting them when he led the people in prayer

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: One who was devoted to the Qur'an will be told to recite, ascend and recite carefully as he recited carefully when he was in the world, for he will reach his abode when he comes to the last verse he recites

Qatadah said:I asked Anas about the recitation of the Qur'an by the Prophet (ﷺ). He said: He used to express all the long accents clearly

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin: Ya'la ibn Mumallak said that he asked Umm Salamah about the recitation and prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: What have you to do with his prayer? He would pray, then sleep as long as he had prayed, till morning. She then described his recitation and did so with an exposition word by word

Abd Allah b. Mughaffal said:On the day of the Conquest of Mecca I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) riding his she-camel reciting Surah al-Fath repeating each verse several times

Narrated Al-Bara' ibn Azib: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Beautify the Qur'an with your voices

Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: (The narrator Qutaibah said: This tradition has been narrated by Sa'id b. Abu Sa'id in my collection): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who does not chant the Qur'an is not one of us

This tradition has also been transmitted by Sa'd (b. Abi Waqqas) from the Prophet (ﷺ) in a similar manner through a different chain of narrators

Narrated AbuLubabah: Ubaydullah ibn Yazid said: AbuLubabah passed by us and we followed him till he entered his house, and we also entered it. There was a man in a rusty house and in shabby condition. I heard him say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: He is not one of us who does not chant the Qur'an. I (the narrator AbdulJabbar) said to Ibn AbuMulaykah: AbuMuhammad, what do you think if a person does not have pleasant voice? He said: He should recite with pleasant voice as much as possible

Waki' and Ibn 'Uyainah said (explaining the meaning of taghanni):This means that the Qur'an makes a man neglect all other things, and be content with it

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:Allah has not listened to anything as He does to a Prophet chanting the Qur'an with a loud voice

Narrated Sa'd ibn Ubadah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: No man recites the Qur'an, then forgets it, but will meet Allah on the Day of Judgment in a maimed condition (or empty-handed, or with no excuse)

Umar b. al-Khattab said:I heard Hisham b. Hakim (b. Hizam) reciting Surah al-Furqan in a different manner from my way of reciting, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had taught me to recite it. I nearly spoke sharply to him, but I delayed till he had finished. Then I caught his cloak at the neck, and I brought him to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I said: Messenger of Allah, I heard this man reciting Surah al-Furqan in a manner different from that in which you taught me to recite it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) the told him to recite it. He then recited in the manner I heard him recite. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Thus was it sent down. He then said to me: Recite, I recited (it). He then said: Thus was it sent down. He said: The Qur'an was sent down in seven modes of reading, so recite according to what comes most easily

Al-Zuhri said:These modes of reading aimed at the same point, not different in respect of lawful and unlawful

Ubayy b. Ka'b reported:The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Ubayy, I was asked to recite the Qur'an and I was asked: 'In one mode or two modes?' The angel that accompanied me said: 'Say, in two modes', I said: 'In two modes', I was asked again: 'In two or three modes'. The matter reached up to seven modes. He then said: 'Each mode is sufficiently health-giving, whether you utter 'all-hearing and all-knowing' or instead 'all-powerful and all-wise'. This is valid until you finish the verse indicating punishment on mercy and finish the verse indicating mercy on punishment

Ubayy b. Ka'b said:The Prophet (ﷺ) was present at the pool of Banu Ghifar, Gabriel came to him and said: "Allah has commanded you to make your community read (the Qur'an) in one harf. He (the Prophet) said: 'I beg Allah His pardon and forgiveness; my community has not strength to do so'. He then came for the second time and told him the same thing till he reached up to seven harfs. Finally, he said: 'Allah has commanded you to make your community read (the Qur'an) in seven harfs; in whichever mode they read, that will be correct

Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Supplication (du'a') is itself the worship. (He then recited:) "And your Lord said: Call on Me, I will answer you" (xI)

Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: Ibn Sa'd said: My father (Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas) heard me say: O Allah, I ask Thee for Paradise, its blessings, its pleasure and such-and-such, and such-and-such; I seek refuge in Thee from Hell, from its chains, from its collars, and from such-and-such, and from such-and-such. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: There will be people who will exaggerate in supplication. You should not be one of them. If you are granted Paradise, you will be granted all what is good therein; if you are protected from Hell, you will be protected from what is evil therein

Narrated Fudalah ibn Ubayd,: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a person supplicating during prayer. He did not mention the greatness of Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He made haste. He then called him and said either to him or to any other person: If any of you prays, he should mention the exaltation of his Lord in the beginning and praise Him; he should then invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ); thereafter he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes

Aishah said:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) liked comprehensive supplication and abandoned other kinds

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:"One of you should not say (in his supplication): O Allah, forgive me if You please, show mercy to me if You please.' Rather, be firm in your asking, for no one can force Him

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:"One of you is granted an answer (to his supplication) provided he does not say: 'I prayed but I was not granted an answer

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not cover the walls. He who sees the letter of his brother without his permission, sees Hell-fire. Supplicate Allah with the palms of your hands; do not supplicate Him with their backs upwards. When you finish supplication, wipe your faces with them. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted through a different chains by Muhammad b. Ka'b; all of them are weak. The chain I have narrated is best of them; but it is also weak

Narrated Malik ibn Yasar as-Sakuni, al-Awfi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When you make requests to Allah, do so with the palms of your hands, and not backs, upwards. Abu Dawud said: The narrator Sulaiman b. 'Abd al-Hamid said: according to us Malik b. Yasar was a Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ)

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicating Allah in this manner with the palms of his hands and also with their backs upwards

Narrated Salman al-Farsi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: Ikrimah quoted Ibn Abbas as saying: When asking for something you should raise your hands opposite to your shoulders; when asking for forgiveness you should point with one finger; and when making an earnest supplication you should spread out both your hands

In another version Ibn 'Abbas said:Earnest supplication should be made like this: he raised his hand and made his palms in the direction of his face

The above mentioned tradition has also been transmitted in a similar manner by Ibn 'Abbas from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)

Narrated Yazid ibn Sa'id al-Kindi: When the Prophet (ﷺ) made supplication (to Allah) he would raise his hands and wipe his face with his hands

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers

The aforesaid tradition has been transmitted through a different chain of narrators by Malik b. Mighwal. This verso adds:"He has asked Allah using His Greatest Name

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives

Asma daughter of Yazid reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying:"Allah's Greatest Names is in these two verses: "And your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God), none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving' and the beginning of Surah Al 'Imran, "A.L.M Allah, there is no deity but He, the Living, the Eternal

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Ata' said: The quilt of Aisha was stolen. She began to curse the person who had stolen it. The Prophet (ﷺ) began to tell her: Do not lighten him. Abu Dawud said: The meaning of the Arabic words la tasbikhi 'anhu means "do not lessen him or lighten him

Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab: I sought permission of the Prophet (ﷺ) to perform umrah. He gave me permission and said: My younger brother, do not forget me in your supplication. He (Umar) said: He told me a word that pleased me so much so that I would not have been pleased if I were given the whole world. The narrator Shu'bah said: I then met Asim at Medina. He narrated to me this tradition and reported the wordings: "My younger brother, share me in your supplication

Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by me while I was supplicating by pointing with two fingers of mine. He said: Point with one finger; point with one finger. He then himself pointed with the forefinger

Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: Once Sa'd, with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), visited a woman in front of whom were some date-stones or pebbles which she was using as a rosary to glorify Allah. He (the Prophet) said: I tell you something which would be easier (or more excellent) for you than that. He said (it consisted of saying): "Glory be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He has created in Heaven; "Glory be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He has created on Earth; "Glory be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He has created between them; "Glory be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He is creating; "Allah is most great" a similar number of times; "Praise (be to Allah)" a similar number of times; and "There is no god but Allah" a similar number of times; "There is no might and no power except in Allah" a similar number of times

Narrated Yusayrah, mother of Yasir: The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded them (the women emigrants) to be regular (in remembering Allah by saying): "Allah is most great"; "Glory be to the King, the Holy"; "there is no god but Allah"; and that they should count them on fingers, for they (the fingers) will be questioned and asked to speak