Once Abū Bakr (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said to the Prophet ﷺ,
“O Messenger of Allah, you have become old.” He ﷺ said, “(The sūrahs) Hūd, al-Wāqiʿah, al-Mursalāt, ʿAmma Yatasā’alūn and Ithā al-Shamsu Kuwwirat have aged me’” (Tirmidhī).
Imām al-Munāwī (raḥimahullāh) explained that these sūrahs took a toll on the Prophet ﷺ because they contained descriptions of the horrors of the Day of Judgement and the punishments that afflicted earlier nations. They aged him prematurely, as he feared similar punishments would afflict his ummah.
Thus, the Qur’ān cannot just be recited or chanted only for the sake of blessings. Rather, it must be read with reflection and contemplation. The above ḥadīth demonstrates that the Qur’ān did not just enter the heart of the Prophet ﷺ, but its impact was so profound that it physically affected him.
