Some intentions that, if we have them while reciting the Qur’an, will increase our reward.
The prophet (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Verily actions are but by intentions, and every person shall have (be rewarded for) what they intended” [Reported in Bukhari & Muslim]
The sahabah (May Allah be pleased with them) and the scholars, as well as those who know Allah extremely well, trade their hearts in order to maximise their goals. They used to perform one action while having multiple goals, in order to be rewarded abundantly for each intention. “The intention reaches further than the action,” Ibn Kathir said as a result of this.
If we have the following intentions when reciting the Qur’an, we will receive a greater reward:
1. For it to intercede for us on the day of judgement. “Recite the Qur’an, for it will come as an intercessor for its people on the Day of Judgment,” the prophet (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) remarked. [Reported in Muslim]
2. To raise the amount of money we get paid. According to Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, the prophet (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) said, “whoever recites one letter/word from Allah’s book, then there is a recompense for him, and a reward is increased by 10.” [Tirmidhi]
3. To flood our hearts with it. “A man who has nothing of the Qur’an inside him is like a wrecked house,” the prophet (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) said. [ Tirmidhi]
4. That we memorise and act on every verse we repeat in order to get to Jannah. “It is said to the one who recites the Qur’an, recite and ascend, and read as you used to read in the dunya, because your seat (in Jannah) is at the final verse you recite,” the prophet (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) said. [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi report this]
5. For it to heal our bodies and remove the sicknesses from our hearts, and for mercy to surround us. In Surah Al-Israa’, Allah says:
6. For it to provide serenity and tranquilly to our hearts. In Surah Al-Rad, Allah says:
7. For it to bring vitality to our hearts, light to our chests, and alleviate our anxieties and concerns. The Qur’an is the believer’s spring, just as rainfall is the Earth’s spring. The prophet (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) used to say in his Du’aa. “…that you make the Qur’an the fountain of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my grief, and the remover of my concerns,” [ Ahmad]
8. For it to guide us. Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah
And in a hadith Qudsi, Allah says, “Oh my slaves, you are all astray except those whom I guide, so seek my guidance and I will guide you” [Reported in Muslim]
9. That we die while reciting the Qur’an, just as Uthman (RadhiyAllahu ‘anhu) did while reciting the Qur’an. “Whoever lives upon something will die upon it, and whoever dies upon it will be raised upon it,” Ibn Kathir said. He based this on Surah Al-Jathiyah:
10. By enjoying Allah’s words, it will bring us closer to Him. The prophet (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) stated, “You are (on the day of judgement) with whom you love” [Muslim].
11. In order for our Iman to grow. In Surah At-Tawbah, Allah says:
12. So that we might grow in our understanding of our Lord, so that we can grow in our humility before Him and reveal our need for Him, so that we can always rely on Him.
13. To give Allah a reason to choose us from among His people. The prophet (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Allah has His people (from the creation)”. The sahaba asked, “Who are they?”. He (Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him) replied, “They are the people of the Qur’an. They are Allah’s people, and His close ones”.
14. For you to fulfil the goal of the Qur’an’s revelation by contemplating and acting on its passages. In Surah Sad, Allah says:
15. One of the most significant intents we can have is to plan to perform this as an act of worship, as Allah has ordered and prescribed. In Surah Al-Muzzamil, Allah says:
Have you ever considered what your objective is when reading the Qur’an after reading all of this? Will you continue to limit it to a single intention?
