listening, and he sat with them.”

When the Companions of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gathered together, they would ask one of them to recite while the rest listened. ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah be pleased with him, would say, “Abū Mūsā, remind us of our Lord.” He would then recite while they listened.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by Abū Mūsā while he was reciting and began listening to his recitation. He said, “This man has indeed been granted a voice like one of David’s flutes.” He also said, “Abū Mūsā, I passed by you last night while you were reciting, and I began listening to your recitation.” He replied, “Had I known that you were listening to my recitation, I would have made it truly beautiful for you”—meaning that he would have beautified it for him.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever does not recite the Quran melodiously is not one of us.”

“Beautify the Quran with your voices.”

He also said:

“Allah listens far more attentively to a man with a beautiful voice than the owner of a singing slave-girl listens to her.”

In his words, “Allah has never listened so intently…,” the expression means hearing. The same usage occurs in Allah’s words:

“And has listened to its Lord, as it must.”

That is, it has heard. There are many reports concerning this.

Such listening produces effects that nourish faith, including sacred insights and pure spiritual states whose explanation and description would be lengthy. It also has praiseworthy bodily effects: humility of the heart, tears in the eyes, and shuddering of the skin. Allah has mentioned these three in the Quran, and they were found among the Companions of Allah’s Messenger