“204” “When the Quran is recited, listen attentively to it and remain silent, so that you may be shown mercy.”

This command applies generally to everyone who hears the Book of Allah being recited: he is commanded to listen attentively and remain silent. The difference between listening attentively and remaining silent is that outward silence consists of refraining from speaking or engaging in anything that distracts one from listening.

Listening attentively, however, means lending it one’s ear, keeping one’s heart fully present, and reflecting upon what one hears. Whoever consistently observes these two commands while the Book of Allah is being recited will attain abundant good, extensive knowledge, continually renewed faith, ever-increasing guidance, and insight into his religion. This is why Allah has made the attainment of mercy contingent upon them. This indicates that whoever has the Book recited to him but neither listens attentively nor remains silent is deprived of his share of mercy and has missed out on much good.

One of the most emphatic situations in which a listener to the Quran is commanded to listen attentively and remain silent is during prayers recited aloud, when his imam is reciting. He is commanded to remain silent—so much so that most scholars hold that devoting himself to listening silently takes precedence over his own recitation of al-Fātiha or any other passage.