When I hear the Qur’aan or read it, I am not moved by hearing it and my heart is not stirred and does not feel humble, whereas sometimes when I listen to nasheed I am moved deeply. What is the solution?.

When I hear the Qur’aan or read it, I am not moved by hearing it and my heart is not stirred and does not feel humble, whereas sometimes when I listen to nasheed I am moved deeply. What is the solution?.

Praise be to Allaah.

The Qur’aan is the best and most beneficial of speech, and the most moving and the most effective in guiding the soul. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allâh has sent down the Best statement, a Book (this Qur'ân), its parts resembling each other (in goodness and truth), and oft-repeated. The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it (when they recite it or hear it). Then their skin and their heart soften to the remembrance of Allâh. That is the guidance of Allâh. He Guides therewith whom He wills and whomever Allâh sends astray, for him there is no guide”

[al-Zumar 39:23] 

“The believers are only those who, when Allâh is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses (this Qur'ân) are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone)”

[al-Anfaal 8:2].  

The fact that a Muslim is not moved when he hears or reads Qur’aan, but he is moved when he hears nasheeds, is an alarming sign. Your quest indicates that you are not happy with the situation, so you have to hasten to remedy the matter before it gets worse. The remedy is as follows: 

1.     Read the Qur’aan a great deal because neglecting the Qur’aan is a cause of a person being deprived of benefiting from the Qur’aan.

2.     Pay attention to learning the meanings of the Qur’aan, even if that is from a brief tafseer such as the Tafseer of al-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him). The reason why you do not feel humble or are not moved by the Qur’aan may be that you do not know its meanings.

3.     Remember Allah a great deal and obey Him. This is an important means of softening the heart and dispelling hardheartedness.

4.     Repent to Allah from all sins, and adhere to the commands of Allah. A person may be punished for his sins by being deprived of goodness, humility and contemplation.

5.     Listen to nasheeds less often, or stop listening to them altogether, so that your heart will become healthy and sound, and will go back to being moved by and benefiting from the words of Allah. 

There follow fatwas from some of the scholars concerning this matter. 

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) said: 

With regard to what you call Islamic nasheeds, they have been given more time, effort and organisation than they deserve, to the extent that they have become an art form that takes up space in curricula and school activities; people record them and reproduce them in large amounts for sale and distribution, and they fill most homes. Young men and women listen to them to such an extent that they take up a great deal of their time and listening to them takes precedence over recordings of the Holy Qur’aan, the Prophet’s Sunnah, lectures and useful academic lessons. End quote. 

Al-Bayaan li Akhta’ ba‘d al-Kuttaab, p. 342 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The best advice that can be given for healing the heart and dispelling hardheartedness is to pay attention to the Holy Qur’aan, ponder it and read it a great deal, as well as remembering Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, a great deal. Reading and pondering the Holy Qur’aan, as well as remembering Allah a great deal, and saying, “Subhaan Allah wal hamdu Lillah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allah wa Allahu akbar; Subhaan Allah wa bi hamdih, subhaan Allah il-‘Azeem; Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd yuhyi wa yumeet wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah and Allah is Most Great; Glory and praise be to Allah, glory be to Allah the Almighty; there is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, His is the Dominion and to Him be praise, He gives life and gives death, and He has power over all things)” -- all of these are means of removing hardheartedness. 

End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 24/388 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Causes of hardheartedness include: turning away from Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and not reading Qur’aan; being preoccupied with this world and focusing mostly on it, and not paying attention to matters of religion, because obeying Allah, may He be exalted, makes the heart soft and brings one back to Allah, may He be blessed and exalted. The remedy for that is to turn to Allah, repent to Him, remember Him a great deal, read the Qur’aan a great deal, and do acts of worship, as much as one can. End quote. 

Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 12/171 

And Allah knows best.