The author—may Allah have mercy on him—cites two verses. The first praises those who weep out of reverent fear of Allah. It is His, the Exalted’s, statement: “Indeed, those who were given knowledge before it…” (al-Isrāʾ 17:107), meaning those who had been endowed with knowledge before the Qur’an, namely the People of the Book. “When it is recited to them, they fall upon their chins in prostration, saying, ‘Glory be to our Lord! The promise of our Lord will surely be fulfilled.’” (al-Isrāʾ 17:107–108). That is, His promise will inevitably come to pass; here the particle inna serves to emphasize the certainty. “And they fall upon their chins weeping, and it increases them in humility.” (al-Isrāʾ 17:109).
“(They fall upon their chins)”—that is, onto them, an expression intended to amplify their act of prostration, to the point that their chins nearly strike the ground because of the intensity of their submission. “(And it increases them in humility)” refers to a humility nestled in the heart whose traces and signs are visible on the limbs.
The second verse is His saying: “Do you then marvel at this discourse, and laugh while not weeping?” (al-Najm 53:59–60). This is a rebuke of the person who laughs at the Qur’an and views it with scornful amazement and mockery, yet does not weep because of it. The Qur’an is the greatest preacher by which Allah admonishes hearts; but when it reaches hearts as hard as stone—Allah’s refuge is sought—those hearts do not soften; they only grow more rigid. We ask Allah for safety and well-being.
The author then mentions the ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd—may Allah be pleased with him—in which the Prophet ﷺ asked him to recite the Qur’an to him. Ibn Masʿūd replied, “O Messenger of Allah, shall I recite it to you when it was revealed to you?” meaning, “You know it better than I, so how should I recite it to you?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “I love to hear it from someone other than myself.”
Thus spoke the Prophet ﷺ, indicating that at times a person’s heart is more moved when he listens to someone else’s recitation than when he recites himself—and so it is on occasion,