Qur'anic Answers

Muslims claim to honour Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) by sending salutations on him, dressing like him, growing a beard and adopting a hairstyle to imitate his appearance, copying his sleeping and eating habits and many more aspects of his personal life.  This always originates from sincere devotion but is often based on questionable reports. Is this really what it means to honour Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), or does the Qur'an provide the real method of honouring him.

During the nights of Ramadan, many people, particularly from the Sunni denomination, attend the night prayers in congregation, known as 'taraweeh'.  During these prayer sessions, some members of the congregation use a copy of the Qur'an to follow along with the recitation of the imam. The Arabic word for the Qur'anic text is mushaf and this is what we will use in this article. When referring to the mushaf, we are referring to the text in all its formats including digital formats like mobile phone devices. This issue leads to debates about whether it is permissible to use a mushaf and questions are even raised about the validity of the salat itself. This article looks at how the Qur'an addresses this matter.