Our verses, he turns away arrogantly, as though he had not heard them, as though there were deafness in his ears. So give him tidings of a painful punishment.”

This occurs frequently in Allah’s Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and is affirmed by the consensus of the Muslims: they praise those who embrace this listening, love it and eagerly seek it, and condemn those who turn away from it and hate it. For this reason, Allah prescribed it for Muslims in their prayers and [made them hear it](1); He prescribed listening at the sunset and later evening prayers.

The greatest listening within the prayers is that of the dawn prayer, concerning which Allah says:

“And the recitation at dawn—indeed, the recitation at dawn is witnessed.”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāha, may Allah be pleased with him, said in praise of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

Among us is Allah’s Messenger, reciting His Book
When dawn’s clear light breaks forth.
He spends the night keeping his side from his bed,
While the beds lie heavy with the polytheists.
He showed us guidance after blindness; through him
Our hearts are certain that what he said will come to pass.

Such listening is also recommended for them outside the prayers. It is reported of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that “he came out to the people of the Suffa, among whom one man was reciting while the others were