This is one of my first ever translated works; translated from: مراسم قرآن به سر گرفتن
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Question:
Salam and Greetings,
Holding the Qur’an on the head is one of our performed acts on the Nights of Qadr. I wanted to see, that during what time this sunnah began and who was the first one that demonstrated this way to us?
Answer:
عَنْ أَبِی جَعْفَرٍ علیه السلام قَالَ تَأْخُذُ الْمُصْحَفَ فِی ثَلَاثِ لَیالٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ فَتَنْشُرُهُ وَ تَضَعُهُ بَینَ یدَیک وَ تَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّی أَسْأَلُک بِکتَابِک الْمُنْزَلِ وَ مَا فِیهِ وَ فِیهِ اسْمُک الْأَکبَرُ
[1]
By probing into the narration we arrived at this conclusion; that the first person who has given us the way of putting the Qur’an near us on the Night of Qadr and to recite the Du’a:
. . .اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّی أَسْأَلُک بِکتَابِک الْمُنْزَلِ
is Imam Baqir (as). However by this reasoning that the Imams seek to preserve and revive the sunnah of the Nabi, we can say that the first prescriber of the act, specifically for the Night of Qadr, is the Messenger of Allah; however in this specific case we have not received any narration from the Messenger.
This gathering that takes place in the form of a congregation; its founder, time and place of its beginning are not precisely known. Because we have not been prescribed the putting of the Qur’an on the head in the congregational gatherings, like for example we have been prescribed the implementation of congregational prayers. The implementation of that (putting the Qur’an on the head) is in the hands of the people. In any way that they want – an individual or a group of people – they can perform it. For example, the azadari for Imam Hussain (as). How exactly azadari should be done, depends on the urf (custom) of every society.
Although, the Du’a recited while placing the Qur’an on the head, and swearing on God through the infallibles, does not have any specification towards the Nights of Qadr, instead in narrations it is mentioned that whenever a person has a difficulty, should grab the Qur’an on the head and recite the Du’a: Bika Ya Allah (For Your Sake O Allah), Bi Muhammadin (for the sake of Muhammad). . .
عَنْ مَوْلَانَا الصَّادِقِ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَیهِ قَالَ خُذِ الْمُصْحَفَ فَدَعْهُ عَلَی رَأْسِک وَ قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ بِحَقِّ هَذَا الْقُرْآن
[2]
From Imam Ali (as), on the topic of the Salah for infections, sadness or captivity, it has been recorded that he said:
صَلَاةُ الْمَکرُوبِ تُصَلِّی رَکعَتَینِ وَ تَأْخُذُ الْمُصْحَفَ فَتَرْفَعُهُ إِلَی اللَّهِ تَعَالَی وَ تَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّی أَتَوَجَّهُ إِلَیک بِمَا فِیهِ وَ فِیهِ اسْمُک الْأَکبَرُ وَ أَسْمَاؤُک الْحُسْنَی وَ مَا بِهِ تُخَافُ وَ تُرْجَی
Recite 2 Rak’at Prayers and raise the Qur’an up and say: O Allah, towards you I put my attention and with whatever is in this Qur’an, and by Your Name Al-Akbar and the Beautiful Attributes of Yours, and by that which is the medium of fear and hope, I request You to send blessings on Muhammad and his progeny, and fulfill my need.[3]
This Du’a recorded in this narration is in the form of the same Du’a that is prescribed for the Du’a to be recited while placing the Qur’an on the head during the Nights of Qadr.
Sayyid Ali studied in the seminary of Qom from 2012 to 2021, while also concurrently obtaining a M.A in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College of London in 2018. In the seminary he engaged in the study of legal theory, jurisprudence and philosophy, eventually attending the advanced kharij of Usul and Fiqh in 2018. He is currently completing his Masters of Education at the University of Toronto and is the head of a private faith-based school in Toronto, as well as an instructor at the Mizan Institute and Mufid Seminary.