Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:204
So when the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The exposition of the saying of the Exalted: وَإِذَا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَأَنْصِتُوا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ (204) (And when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent, so that you may receive mercy.) (204)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says to the believers in Him, those who hold His Book to be true, for whom the Qurʾān is guidance and mercy: (when is recited), to you, O believers, (the Qurʾān, then listen to it), He says: incline your ears toward it in order to comprehend its signs and to let yourselves be admonished by its admonitions = (and be silent), listening to it, so that you may understand it and reflect upon it, and do not be heedless thereby so that you fail to understand it = (so that you may receive mercy), He says: so that your Lord may show you mercy on account of your taking His admonitions to heart, and your taking instruction from His admonitory examples, and your applying what your Lord has set forth for you of the duties that He has established in His signs.
* * *
Then the people of exposition differed concerning the state in which Allah commanded listening to the reciter of the Qurʾān when he recites, and being silent thereby.
Some of them said: that is the state in which the one praying finds himself in the prayer (ṣalāh) behind an imām whom he follows, and he hears the recitation of the imām; he ought to listen to his recitation. And they said: concerning this, this verse was sent down.
* Mention of who said that:
15581 – Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of al-Musayyab ibn Rāfiʿ, who said: ʿAbd Allāh [ibn Masʿūd] used to say: We used to greet one another in the prayer: "Peace be upon so-and-so, and peace be upon so-and-so." He said: Then the Qurʾān came: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent).
15582 – .... he said: Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth related to us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm al-Hajarī, on the authority of Abū ʿIyāḍ, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, who said: They used to speak in the prayer, and when this verse was sent down: (and when the Qurʾān is recited), and the other verse, they were commanded to be silent.
15583 – Abū al-Sāʾib related to me, saying: Ḥafṣ related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, who said: This verse was sent down concerning a young man of the Anṣār, who, whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited something, would recite it [along with him]; then was sent down: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent).
15584 – Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind, on the authority of Bashīr ibn Jābir, who said: Ibn Masʿūd performed the prayer and heard people reciting together with the imām; when he had finished, he said: Has the time not come for you to comprehend? Has the time not come for you to understand? (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), as Allah has commanded you.
15585 – Ḥumayd ibn Masʿada related to us, saying: Bishr ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: al-Jurayrī related to us, on the authority of Ṭalḥa ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Karīz, who said: I saw ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr and ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ speaking with one another while the storyteller [of pious tales] was telling [his stories], so I said: Do you not listen to the admonition and earn what is promised? He said: Then they looked at me, and afterward turned back to their conversation. He said: I repeated it, and they looked at me and afterward turned back to their conversation. He said: I repeated it a third time; he said: Then they looked at me and said: That is only in the prayer: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent).
15586 – Al-ʿAbbās ibn al-Walīd related to me, saying: my father informed me, saying: I heard al-Awzāʿī, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĀmir related to us, saying: Zayd ibn Aslam related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, concerning this verse: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: It was sent down concerning the raising of voices, while they were standing behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in the prayer.
15587 – Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Hāshim Ismāʿīl ibn Kathīr, on the authority of Mujāhid concerning his saying: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: in the prayer.
15588 – Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī related to us, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: in the prayer.
15589 – Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Ibn Idrīs related to us, saying: Layth related to us, on the authority of Mujāhid: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: in the prayer.
15590 – Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, saying: I heard Ḥumayd al-Aʿraj, he said: I heard Mujāhid say concerning this verse: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: in the prayer.
15591 – .... he said: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad related to me, saying: Shuʿba related to us, saying: Ḥumayd related to us, on the authority of Mujāhid, in the same manner.
15592 – Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Jarīr and Ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: in the prescribed prayer.
15593 – .... he said: al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid, and on the authority of Ḥajjāj, on the authority of al-Qāsim ibn Abī Bazza, on the authority of Mujāhid = and on the authority of Ibn Abī Laylā, on the authority of al-Ḥakam = on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: in the prescribed prayer.
15594 – .... he said: my father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Abū Hāshim, on the authority of Mujāhid: in the prescribed prayer.
15595 – .... he said: my father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid, in the same manner.
15596 – .... he said: al-Muḥāribī and Abū Khālid related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, he said: in the prescribed prayer.
15597 – .... he said: Jarīr and Ibn Faḍīl related to us, on the authority of Mughīra, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, he said: in the prescribed prayer.
15598 – Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, his saying: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: They used to speak in their prayer about their needs, at the beginning when it was prescribed for them, and then Allah sent down what you hear: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent).
15599 – Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: The man used to come while they were in the prayer, and then he would ask them: How many [rakaʿāt] have you prayed? How many remain? Then Allah sent down: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent). And someone other than him said: They used to raise their voices in the prayer when they heard the mention of Paradise and the Fire, and then Allah sent down: (and when the Qurʾān is recited).
15600 – Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Abū Khālid and al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, he said: The Prophet ﷺ used to recite while a man was reciting [along with him], and then was sent down: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent).
15601 – .... he said: Abū Khālid al-Aḥmar related to us, on the authority of al-Hajarī, on the authority of Abū ʿIyāḍ, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, who said: They used to speak in the prayer, and then was sent down: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: this is in the prayer.
15602 – .... he said: my father related to us, on the authority of Ḥurayth, on the authority of ʿĀmir, he said: in the prescribed prayer.
15603 – Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: when recitation takes place in the prayer.
15604 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to us, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, his saying: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it), he means: in the obligatory prayer.
15605 – Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Abū Hāshim, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: this is in the prayer, regarding His saying: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it) = he said: al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid: that he disapproved of it when, if the imām passed by a verse of fear or a verse of mercy, anyone of those standing behind him should say something. He said: silence = he said: al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: there is no harm in it when a man recites outside the prayer, that one should speak.
15606 – Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent, so that you may receive mercy), he said: this is when the imām stands up for the prayer: (then listen to it and be silent).
15607 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Yūnus, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, he said: Whoever stands behind the imām does not recite in what he recites aloud; the recitation of the imām suffices for them, even though he does not make his voice heard by them, but they recite silently within themselves in what he does not recite aloud. And it is not correct for anyone behind him to recite along with him in what he recites aloud, neither silently nor openly. Allah has said: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent, so that you may receive mercy).
15608 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Ibn Lahīʿa, on the authority of Ibn Hubayra, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, that he used to say concerning these [verses]: وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً (And remember your Lord within yourself, in humility and fear): this is in the obligatory prayer. And as for what came after it of pious tales or recitation, that is only a voluntary [addition]. Indeed, the Prophet of Allah ﷺ recited in an obligatory prayer, and his companions recited behind him, and they caused confusion [for him in it]. He said: Then the Qurʾān was sent down: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent, so that you may receive mercy), and this is in the obligatory prayer.
* * *
And others said: Rather, what is intended by this verse is the command to be silent before the imām during the sermon (khuṭba), when something of the Qurʾān is recited in a sermon.
* Mention of who said that:
15609 – Tamīm ibn al-Muntaṣir related to us, saying: Isḥāq al-Azraq related to us, on the authority of Sharīk, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Masrūq, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning his saying: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: being silent before the imām on Friday.
15610 – Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Abū Khālid and Ibn Abī ʿUtba related to us, on the authority of al-ʿAwwām, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: in the Friday sermon.
* * *
And others said: by it is intended: being silent in the prayer and in the sermon.
* Mention of who said that:
15611 – Ibn al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, he said: I heard Ibrāhīm ibn Abī Ḥamza relate that he heard Mujāhid say concerning this verse: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: in the prayer, and in the sermon on Friday.
15612 – Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Hārūn related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, he said: Silence is obligatory on two [occasions]: at the man who recites the Qurʾān while he is praying, and at the imām while he is delivering the sermon.
15613 – Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of Mujāhid: (and when the Qurʾān is recited), silence is obligatory on two [occasions]: in the prayer while the imām recites, and on Friday while the imām delivers the sermon.
15614 – Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: there informed me one who heard al-Ḥasan say: in the prescribed prayer, and at the admonition.
15615 – Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of Mujāhid, he said: silence is obligatory on two [occasions]: in the prayer, and on Friday.
15616 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Baqiyya ibn al-Walīd, he said: I heard Thābit ibn ʿAjlān say: I heard Saʿīd ibn Jubayr say concerning his saying: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent), he said: silence [applies]: on the Day of the Festival of Sacrifice, on the Day of the Festival of Fast-Breaking, on Friday, and in what the imām recites aloud of the prayer.
15617 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: Hushaym informed us, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ ibn Ṣabīḥ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, he said: in the prayer, and at the admonition.
15618 – Ibn al-Barqī related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Maryam related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Ayyūb related to us, saying: Ibn Jurayj related to me, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, he said: Silence on Friday has been made obligatory by the saying of Allah, the Exalted whose mention is exalted: (and when the Qurʾān is recited, then listen to it and be silent, so that you may receive mercy), and in the prayer it is likewise.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: And the most correct of the sayings concerning that is the saying of him who said: they were commanded to listen to the Qurʾān in the prayer when the imām recites, and whoever stands behind him and follows him hears him, and [to listen] in the sermon.
And we have called that the most correct only on account of the soundness of the narration from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that he said: "When the imām recites, then be silent," and on account of the agreement of all that upon whoever hears the sermon of the imām, of those upon whom the Friday [prayer] is incumbent, [there rests the duty] to listen to it and to be silent, together with the succession of the narrations with the command thereto, from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and that there is no time at which it is obligatory upon anyone to listen to the Qurʾān and to be silent for whoever hears it, from its reciter, except in these two states, with a disagreement concerning one of the two, namely the state of standing behind an imām whom one follows. And the narration has been established as sound from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with what we have mentioned of his saying: "When the imām recites, then be silent." So being silent behind him during his recitation is obligatory for whoever follows him and hears his recitation, on the basis of the general import of the outward meaning of the Qurʾān and the narration of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
