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.