and this includes those who have not read it. Another interpretation is that fully reciting it entails understanding its meaning and acting upon it. As Abū ʿAbd al-Rahmān al-Sulamī said: “Those who taught us the Quran—ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, and others—told us that whenever they learned ten verses from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, they would not proceed beyond them until they had learned the knowledge and practice they contained. They said: ‘Thus we learned the Quran, knowledge, and practice together.’”

In His saying:

“Those to whom We have given the Scripture recite it as it should be recited,”

the Scripture has been interpreted as referring to the Quran, and also to the Torah.

Muhammad ibn Nasr related through his established chain of transmission that Ibn ʿAbbās explained “recite it as it should be recited” as meaning: “They follow it as it should be followed.”

It is also related from Ibn ʿAbbās that he explained “recite it as it should be recited” as meaning: “They regard as lawful what it declares lawful, regard as unlawful what it declares unlawful, and do not distort its words from their proper places.”

Concerning “recite it as it should be recited; those are the ones who believe in it,” Qatādah said: “Those are the Companions of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They believed in Allah’s Book and affirmed its truth, regarded as lawful what it declares lawful, regarded as unlawful what it declares unlawful, and acted upon its contents. It has been related to us that Ibn Masʿūd used to say: ‘Reciting it as it should be recited means regarding as lawful what it declares lawful and regarding as unlawful what it declares unlawful, and that we recite it as Allah revealed it, without distorting its words from their proper places.’”

Concerning “recite it as it should be recited,” al-Hasan said: “They act upon its clear verses, believe in its ambiguous verses, and leave whatever they find difficult to understand to the one who knows it.” Mujāhid explained it as: “They follow it as it should be followed”; and in another narration: “They act upon it as they should.”

Yet recitation may also be mentioned alongside something else, as in His saying:

“Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer restrains one from indecency and wrongdoing.”

Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others said: “Reciting the Book means performing all acts of obedience to Allah.” Prayer was then singled out for mention, as in His saying:

“And those who hold fast to the Book and establish prayer,”

and His saying:

“So worship Me and establish prayer