of the objective itself—that the Muslims may listen to the Speech of Allah, for the Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan.

Al-Nawawī said: Let him beautify his voice with the Qur’an to the fullest of his ability, yet the one conversing with his Lord must not overstep the bounds of proper recitation into excessive elongation. It is recommended to weep while reciting; this is the mark of the gnostics, the emblem of the righteous. It is the path of contemplative reflection on the Qur’an when it speaks of threats, warnings, covenants, and pledges; thereafter he should ponder his own short-comings in fulfilling them.

The Shaykh said: The people of the Qur’an are those who understand it and live by it, even if they have not memorised it by heart. He also said: Listening attentively to the Qur’an is recommended, whereas engaging in pointless conversation during its recitation is disliked.

10 – ʿAws said: I asked the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, “How do you divide the Qur’an into portions?” They replied, “(We recite) three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen, and the portion of al-Mufaṣṣal counts as one.”

The Shaykh commented: Their division by sūrahs is well-known and mass-transmitted, and he deemed it preferable to the later, innovated divisions by ajzāʾ (thirtieths).