Bismillah — In the name of Allah. We begin all matters in His name, for whom are all the beautiful names (as Allah tells us in the Qur’an, 7:180), and as taught to us by His messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him). And as such, this writing begins in His name.
It is a common experience to feel overwhelmed by the task of studying the Qur’an, including reading it, reciting it, and understanding it. The most difficult part of any goal is to actually start, to take action. It is especially difficult if we don’t have a plan or a framework on how we are going to go about it, and it then is too easy to lose motivation or interest. This often creates a cycle of starting and stopping, over and over again. In this article, we will lay out a structure by which one can build a regimen of engaging with Allah’s Book to expand and deepen one’s relationship with the Qur’an.
How well do I understand the Qur’an right now? For example, how well do I know my home? If I were to be blindfolded and left in any room of my home, would I be able to soon recognize my whereabouts by walking around and touching the walls and the furniture in the room? Yes, and soon I will be able to move through the house blindfolded, although still with some difficulty. I will be able to tell you which room I am in and the features or content of that room. The question then I ask myself is this — am I able to understand the Qur’an with my eyes open? A Muslim, a student of the Qur’an, should aspire to know the Qur’an and be able to navigate through the surahs and know the themes of each, the events presented, the important message or lesson, etc. As daunting as this may sound, building such a familiarity with the Qur’an is entirely doable for us.
Over the years, I have personally benefitted a great deal, and continue to do so, by following a framework which is comprised of three pillars, with the first pillar having five parts:
- Studying the Qur’an
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- recitation
- reading a translation
- studying Qur’anic exegesis
- learning Arabic, the language of Qur’an
- memorization
- Reflecting on the Qur’an
- Attending a Qur’an study circle (halaqa).
The first two parts of pillar #1 — recitation and reading a translation — will be addressed in this article. In a coming article, the remaining three parts of the first pillar will be covered, as well as the second and third pillars — reflecting on the Qur’an and attending a Qur’an study circle.
Below are two parts of the first pillar (studying the Qur’an), recitation and reading a translation.
1. Recitation of the Qur’an
Individuals who are born into a Muslims family are typically taught to recite the Qur’an in early childhood. One should be able to recite the Qur’an and, with the passing of time, continuously improve one’s fluency. For those of us who are yet to be fluent, or yet even able to read the Qur’anic text in Arabic, it is recommended to make this a priority as it helps a great deal with being comfortable and fully engaged with the Qur’an. The best way to do this is to have one-on-one lessons with a qualified teacher, with a clear goal to learn/perfect recitation. It is very helpful to listen to an audio of recitation and recite along. There are a lot of audio options available, from websites to mobile apps, and one can have multiple go-to audio options.
For an example, one good, basic resource for audio of the Qur’an is Quran.com. One can play audio of an individual ayah (verse) and also set how many times it should be repeated. There is also the option to speed up or slow down the speed of the audio. All these features help tremendously to work on one’s recitation.
Using available tools to work on one’s recitation on their own is very important to make progress. Yet this is a supplement to, not a replacement for, studying with a teacher, ideally one-on-one and in-person.
2. Reading a translation of the Qur’an
As one recites the Qur’an, it is imperative to also read the translation of verses as this is the first step in understating the message of the Qur’an. This preferably should be side-by-side with the recitation. For example, if one is reciting Surah al-Fatiha, then one should recite one ayah and then read the translation of that ayah. A second method, to maintain the flow, is to recite the entire surah and then read the translation of the surah. This is practical for shorter surahs. For longer surahs, this can be broken down by reciting a number of lines or half a page, for example, and then reading the translation. Both these methods should be employed, and one should keep experimenting to find what works best.
Reading the translation of the entire Qur’an once, at a minimum, should be an immediate milestone one should aim for. Though the vastness and depth of meaning of the Qur’an is not comprehended entirely by reading a translation cover to cover, it is one of the fundamental aspects of a life-long engagement with the Book. The Qur’an can inspire and uplift one’s mind and heart as no other book can as it delivers to us the words of our Lord (or at least the translation of those words). And so, we yearn to understand its message.
While reading the translation of the Qur’an, you can highlight or underline the verses that have special meaning to you. If you already have a mechanism in place for taking notes, then you can use that in some form while reading the translation of the Qur’an. If you do not. I suggest you institute one and begin by noting and writing down anything that catches your attention, anything you feel you need to further understand, and, most importantly, any word, verse, or principle that you have questions about. Once we have had a drink from this divine fount of wisdom, it will soon start showing its effects and one can explore other activities that can go along with reading a translation such as writing one’s reflections in a journal or taking notes to summarize each surah. These are not being covered here as this should come after one has already gone through the initial foundation of a complete reading of a translation.
One of the most common questions that is asked is which translation should be used. The bottom line is that you should look for a translation which resonates with you. I don’t think there is a consensus as to which is the best translation. One can read a few translations in parallel and see for themselves which translation would be the most engaging. For an example, one can take a translation from the past such as Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s translation, The Holy Qur’an, published in 1934. Or one can choose a contemporary translation such as The Clear Quran, published in 2015 by Mustafa Khattab. Again, one can also choose to read them side-by-side.
A few words of caution here are important. First, we are reading the translation of the Qur’an, which means this — the word of the translator is not the Word of God as He revealed His verses and surahs in Arabic. Yet, until one is able to read and understand the Qur’an in Arabic, translations are a useful and practical stepping-stone.
Second, as one reads the translation of the Qur’an and starts developing an understanding of its message, there can be a tendency to start to judge others, to see things in black and white terms. The Qur’an is the Furqan, the Criterion, and it distinguishes right from wrong; but a sincere student of the Qur’an takes that as divine guidance for him or herself first and foremost and does not start looking for the flaws or shortcomings of others, feeling they are better than them, or even developing contempt for anyone whom he or she finds not practicing (Qur’an, in 88:21-22, alerts us that Allah wants us to remind other individuals of His guidance but that we are “not over them a controller”).
As mentioned in the beginning of this article, there are three pillars in the practical guide to engaging with the Qur’an. The first pillar is studying the Qur’an, and it has five parts. This article has addressed the first two parts: recitation and reading a translation of the Qur’an. The three remaining parts — studying Qur’anic exegesis; learning Arabic, the language of Qur’an; and memorization — will be covered in part two of this article, as well as the second and third pillars, reflecting on the Qur’an and attending a Qur’an study circle.
