The etiquettes of Quran recitationa

1. Tooth brushing
It has been narrated from the Messenger of God pbuh: “Clean Up the paths of the Qur'an, some people said: O Messenger of God, what are the paths of the Quran? He said: your mouths, they said: how? The holy prophet said: with tooth brushing''.
2. Cleanliness
Cleanliness, is the condition of the true Quran recitation and reflection on it, as it is an essential condition for prayer. Imam Ali says: "When you have not performed ablution, do not read the Quran, until your do it''.
3. Facing the Qiblah
God is the ultimate goal of any creature; since man is facing one of the geographical directions in his affairs so for the conformity of the appearance of the action to the individual’s heart inclination and unity between the outward and inward of the man’s existential dimension, Kaaba has been considered as a symbol for the attention of Muslims to God.
This symbol, is a reminder for the ignorant man so that he remembers to engross his attention and plans in God and take it away from the wrong directions and conduct his attention to the ultimate source of goodness and beauty and sanctity. Therefore, it is normal that one of the conditions of reflecting on the Quran which is meeting God is facing the Qiblah so that it will be coordinated with the nature of the action.
4. Reading the Quran by looking at its pages
At the time of reading the Quran, all the cognitive systems of man enjoys it and each part gains a special benefit; thus, looking at the Quran and its verses is considered as a kind of worship and influences the clarity and luminosity of the eye.
Mindfulness, in following the reflective-spiritual mode of the verses and attention, precision and reflection on the verses and their relationship; hence, it has been stated in our narrations:
There is nothing harder and stronger for Satan than the recitation of the Qur’an that is reciting it by looking at its pages.
"Looking at the Quran" is thinking about it carefully. Ishaq Ibn Ammar asked Imam Sadiq: O dear Imam, I memorize the Quran, is it better to know it by heart or looking at it? Imam said: But read it and look at the Quran because it is better. Have you not seen that looking at the Qur'an is a kind of worship?
5. Beginning and ending the recitation of Quran
Among the etiquettes of reading the Quran, is reading prayers before and after the recitation of the Qur'an. In the context of Prayers of iftitah many prayers have been mentioned from the, including the brief and meaningful prayer of Imam Sadiq said:
O Allah I have opened Your Covenant and Your Book. O Allah, so make my looking at it an act of worship and my reciting it a pondering, and my pondering over it, a way to derive lessons. [O Allah] include me from those who are advised by the narrations of its advices, and who avoid Your disobedience. [O Allah] do not seal my ears when I’m reciting it and do not place a curtain over my sight, Nor make my recitation a recitation lacking pondering, Rather make me from among those who ponder over its verses and its rules, Deriving the ways to Your religion, and do not make me heedless when I’m looking at it, nor make my reciting a waste. Surely You are the Most Gentle, the Most Merciful.
6. Seeking refuge in Allah
One of the conditions of the true recitation of the Quran, is taking refuge in God, and it is emphasized in the Qur'an:
So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy]* Indeed, there is for him no authority over those who have believed and rely upon their Lord.” Surat An-Nahl [verse 98-99].
7. Seeking help and assistance from God (denomination)
In the name of Allah" is the symbol of beginning and ending by remembering and seeking help from him and it shows it, therefore, it is the greatest verse which has been ever known''.
This is the Noah's ark, which in that terrible storm, that flew flow and anchored by the word "Bismillah", since it is literally the most magnificent names of God:
''And [Noah] said, "Embark therein; in the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage''.
B) Observing the Tajweed rules and fluent recitation
Observing the articulation of sounds and rules (Tajweed) and recitation with sorrow are among the points that that such points should be considered in the area of recitation. The Holy Prophet says about it: “Learn the Quran in Arabic, and avoid accentuation in the Qur'an (ie exaggerate the sound Hamza)''.
This would be very bad for a revolutionary believer, the he cannot recite the Quran properly and expressively. Therefore he must learn and observe the Tajweed rules.
C) Reciting at least fifty verses in a day
The believers regarding the intimacy with the Holy Quran and reciting it are required to read it to the extent they can: “so recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an” Surat Al-Muzzammil [verse 20]. The "possible amount" is concerned with the quantity, quality and timing of the verses.
Imam Sadiq says:
Quran is God's covenant to His servants. It is appropriate that a Muslim look at this divine covenant and every day read fifty verses of it.
The maximum amount of recitation in the hadith, at the usual time, is reading Quran in a month and it is not desirable to read less than this amount, but this was an exception during Ramadan to end it in three days.
D) Reading the Quran with a beautiful voice if possible
The Holy Prophet said: “Adorn the Quran with a beautiful voice because a beautiful voice increases the beauty of the Quran”. The asked the Holy Prophet: "Who reads the Quran more beautiful than other?" He said: “A person that when you read his recitation you feel that he fears God''.
The Infallible Imams were the eminent readers who used to recite the Quran with a beautiful voice.
Imam Sadiq says:
Ali Bin Al-Hussein (PBUH) اhad the most beautiful voice in reading Qur'an. The Saqqa people always stood at his house and listen to his recitation while passing there. And Abu Ja'far (Imam Baqir, peace be upon him) had the most pleasant sound in reading Quran.
2. Contemplation
Contemplation means thinking beyond any kind of affair and paying attention to its results and considering the inside nature of it which includes “cogitation” and “having foresight” and the result of it is discovering some facts that are neglected at the beginning.
Contemplation in the Holy Quran, means thinking about the affairs that the Holy Quran is revealed to make them understand; in other words, "Reflection" is passing the appearance of the words and reaching the facts that the Qur'an refers to them.
Paying attention to the Quran is among the factors that the Holy Quran has given a special attention to it and has pointed it out in several verses. In a verse, the purpose of revelation of the Quran is contemplation and asking advice from it: “[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded” Surat Sad [verse 29]. And in another verse, it has seriously reprimanded those who do not reflect on the Qur'an and says: “Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?” Surah Muhammad [47:24].
References
A) becoming familiar with Arabic literature
To understand the message of a text, requires familiarity with the language and its script. Since the Qur'an introduces its language Arabic: “and this Qur'an is [in] a clear Arabic language” Surat An-Nahl [verse 103], In order to understand and reflect on the Quran man should become familiar with it means that is the Arabic language. Imams and religious leaders, have repeatedly recommended people to learn this language. Imam Sadiq says about it: «Learn the Arabic language since that is the language of God through which He talks to his creatures. »
Shahid Mutahhari says:
Arabic is not a language of an ethnic group, but it’s the language of Islam. ... One of the most important of our tasks is to retain this language. If any culture, every civilization wants to survive, its language must be survived otherwise it will die. By God we have a duty towards the Arabic language that we must protect and maintain the language of Islam ... (Arabic) is one of the living languages of the world.
B) Reciting the Quran with contemplation and paying attention to the meaning
Emphasis on recitation of the Quran that was previously mentioned, is because of the fact that it is the introduction of understanding the Qur'an and paves the way for it and understanding is not possible without thinking; hence the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali says:
''Be aware that there’s no benefit in reciting the Quran without thinking and there's nothing good in worshipping without understanding and contemplation''. .
Imam Sadiq also in the interpretation of the verse “recite it with its true recital” Surat Al-Baqarah [verse 121] says that “true recital” is “contemplation in Quran” and states:
“They read the Qur'an with Tarteel and in proper order and understand its meanings and obey the Qur'anic injunctions and have hope in its promises and fear its threats regarding the punishment. They imagine the stories of the Quran happened for themselves, they ask advice from it and act according to its commands and avoid what it has considered as wrongdoing. By God the (true recital) is not memorizing the verses and repeating the letters and reading the Surahs and learning its parts, some people memorized it but didn’t observe its limits and commands, (true recital) is reflecting on the Qur’anic verses. God the Exalted says: "[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad] that they might reflect upon its verses. "
C) Trying to memorize verses of the Qur'an
Memorizing the Quran can be a preliminary stage for reflecting on it; since the one who tries to memorize the Quran reflects on the verses by repeating and also paying attention to the meaning of them.
Regarding this topic Imam Khamenei says:
When you memorize the Qur'an, the constant repetition and familiarity with the Qur’anic verses gives you the chance to reflect on the Qur'an. "Contemplation" is not just achieved by just reading and passing them with one or two times of recitation. Rather it is by repetition and familiarity with the verses of the Quran and to reflect on it. Even if a jihadi person is middle aged, should not consider his age as a reason for not trying to memorize the Quran as Imam Khamenei says:
We can also memorize [the Quran]; it is possible at our age ... it is possible to memorize at older ages too, at age 75, eighty. I heard the late Ayatollah Khoei memorized the Quran in the last years of his life. It is very important ... if you memeorize it in youth, and especially in adolescence; ... this is an asset and storage for you. And the possibility of contemplation, which is to protect humans, far more than the possibility of reflection on the Quran for the one that has memeorized it is greater than a person has not memorized it. Sometimes people look at a verse in the Qur'an, like they have never not recited this verse, but one that has memorized it well, such a thing will not occur to him.
D) Achieving mental readiness for learning the Quran
The most important conditions and factors regarding reflection are spiritual and inner affairs which play a role in opening the locks of any problem and removing the barriers of the heart. These key factors lead to the spiritual cleanliness that includes areas of education (knowledge), beliefs (beliefs of the heart), temperament and habits and actions.
Indeed, it is a noble Qur'an* In a Register well-protected* None touch it except the purified” Surah Al-Waqi'ah [77-79].
“Touching the Quran” is the close and direct relationship with the divine nature of the Quran which its condition is the perfection of being purified that Ahl Al Bayt and the Infallible Imams enjoy it and others enjoy it equal to the amount that they have purified spiritually within the mentions and subtleties. This purification has the two aspects of affirmation and negation:
A) being pure from ideological contamination and moral corruption;
B) Being qualified with all the intellectual and spiritual perfection