Way to the Quran by Khurram Murad – Buy on Amazon to read fully.

Below are key notes & exact words from the book that deeply inspired me. This book changed my life, so I’m taking detailed notes to remember its wisdom.

Way to the Qur’an: 9780860371564: Amazon.com: Books

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It’s truly underrated, and I hope you find its insights as spiritually awakening as I did, especially in approaching the holy book.

Preface 

The real strength and courage came from Allah’s promise: ‘Those who strive in Our cause for Our sake, surely We shall guide them in Our ways.’ And the Prophet’s words, blessings and peace be on him – ‘Convey on my behalf even if it be one Ayah’ and ‘Best among you is the one who learns the Qur’ān and teaches it’ – seemed to make it almost a duty to be coveted.

This book is born out of certain abiding convictions. And whilst they are all explained in the book, it is useful to recall and summarize some of them here: 

1. First, our lives will remain meaningless and ruined unless they are guided by the Qur’ān, the word of God. 
2. Second, the Qur’ān, being the eternal guidance given by the Everliving God, is as relevant for us, today, as it was fourteen centuries ago, and will remain so forever. 
3. Third, we almost have a right, in some sense and measure, to receive its blessings today as its first believers did; provided, of course, that we come to it and move in it in a manner that may entitle us to share its rich harvest. 
4. Fourth, every Muslim has a duty to devote himself to reading, understanding and memorizing the Qur’ān. 
5. Fifth, one must abandon oneself totally, in thought and deed, to whatever the Qur’ān has to offer. Any pride, arrogance, sense of self-sufficiency, reservation, or ingenuity that can mistakenly be read into it, is fatal to its understanding and would shut the door to its blessings. 
6. Sixth, the path of the Qur’ān is the path of self-surrender, of practising what it tells you, even if one learns only one Ayah. One Ayah learnt and acted upon is better than a thousand which are explained beautifully but which do not impart any beauty to the reader’s life. Obedience, after all, is the real key to understanding.

There are seven chapters.

Each deals with a different aspect of the journey. 

1. The first, dwells on what the journey means to our lives; 
2. the second, on what provisions must be gathered inside our hearts and minds before setting out; 
3. the third, on what postures and actions of heart, mind, and body are necessary for the full involvement of the inner self; 
4. the fourth, on what rules should be followed in reading; 
5. the fifth, on why and how to understand; 
6. the sixth, on how to undertake collective study; and 
7. the seventh, on the essential need of offering our lives to the fulfilment of the Qur’ānic mission. 

Chapter 1: The Journey of Life 

The Eternal, Living Reality 

But how do we do this? 

To put it very forthrightly, only by entering the world of the Qur’ān as if Allah were speaking to us through it now and today, and by fulfilling the necessary conditions for such an encounter. 

1. Firstly, then, we must realize what the Qur’ān as the word of God is and means to us, and bring all the reverence, love, longing, and will to act that this realization demands. 
2. Secondly, we must read it as it asks to be read, as Allah’s Messenger instructed us, as he and his Companions read it. 
3. Thirdly, we must bring each word of the Qur’ān to bear upon our own realities and concerns by transcending the barriers of time, culture and change.

The New World that Awaits You 

What is the Qur’ān? 

“A hundred new worlds lie in its versus. Whole centuries are involved in its moments.”

*Muhammad Iqbal, Javid Nama, trans. A. J. Arberry (London, 1967)

The Qur’ān is Allah’s greatest blessing for you. 

1. It is the fulfilment of His promise to Adam and his descendants: ‘There shall come to you guidance from Me, and whosoever follows My guidance no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow’ (al-Baqarah 2: 38). 
2. It is the only weapon to help your frail existence as you struggle against the forces of evil and temptation in this-world. It is the only means to overpower your fear and anxiety. 
3. It is the only ‘light’ (nūr), as you grope in the darkness, with which to find your way to success and salvation. 
4. It is the only healing (shifā’) for your inner sicknesses, as well as the social ills that may surround you. 
5. It is the constant reminder (dhikr) of your true nature and destiny, of your station, your duties, your rewards, your perils.

Infinite Mercy and Majesty 

Most important to remember is that what you read in the Qur’ān is the word of Allah, the Lord of the worlds, which He has conveyed to you in a human language, only because of His mercy and care and providence for you. ‘The Most-merciful, He has taught the Qur’ān’ (al-Raḥmān 55: 1-2). ‘A mercy from your Lord’ (al-Dukhān 44: 6).

This act of Divine mercy and majesty is enough to awe and overwhelm you, to inspire you to ever-greater heights of gratitude, yearning and endeavour to enter the world of the Qur’ān. Indeed, no treasure is more valuable and precious for you than the Qur’ān, as Allah says of His generosity: 

O men! There has come to you an exhortation from your Lord, healing for what is in the hearts, and a guidance, and a mercy for believers. Say: In [this] bounty of Allah, and in His mercy – in it let them rejoice. It is better than whatever they amass (Yūnus 10: 57-8).

Hazards and Perils 

But the Qur’ān opens its doors only to those who knock with a sense of yearning, a sincerity of purpose and an exclusive attention that befit its importance and majesty.

What a tragic misfortune it would be if you came to the Qur’ān and went away empty-handed – soul untouched, heart unmoved, life unchanged; ‘they went out as they came in’.

Tilāwah 

Tilāwah is the word that the Qur’ān uses to describe the act of its reading.

Reading the Qur’ān, understanding the Qur’ān, following the Qur’ān – that is how those who have any right to claim faith in it relate themselves to it. 

Tilāwah or recitation is an act in which your whole person – soul, heart, mind, tongue and body – participates.

And ‘so he walks in a light from his Lord ... that is God’s guidance, whereby He guides whomsoever He will’ (al-Zumar 39: 22-3).

Chapter 2: Basic Prerequisites 

Faith: The Word of God 

First: Come to the Qur’ān with a strong and deep faith that it is the word of Allah, your Creator and Lord.

Why should such a faith be a necessary prerequisite? 

No doubt such is the power and charm of the Qur’ān that even if a man takes it up and starts reading it as he would an ordinary book, he will still benefit from it, should he read it with an open mind. 

But this Book is no ordinary book; it opens with the emphatic statement: ‘This is the Book [of God], there is no doubt in it’ (al-Baqarah 2: 2). 

• Your purpose in reading and studying it is no ordinary purpose; 
• you seek from it the guidance that will transform your whole being, 
• bring you and keep you on the Straight Path: ‘Guide us on the Straight Path’ (al-Fātiḥah 1: 5) is the cry of your heart to which the Qur’ān is the response. 

You may admire the Qur’ān, even be informed by it, but you cannot be transformed by it unless its words soak in to awaken you, to grip you, to heal and change you. This cannot happen unless you take them for what they truly are – the words of God.

Without this faith you cannot come to acquire all the other inner resources you will need to reach the heart of the Qur’ān and absorb its message. 

Once it comes to reside in your heart, you cannot but be filled with the qualities and attitudes such as sincerity of purpose, awe and reverence, love and gratitude, trust and dependence, willingness to labour hard, conviction of its truth, surrender to its message, obedience to its commands, and vigilance against dangers which stalk to deprive you of its treasures. 

Think of His majesty and glory and power, and you will feel awe and reverence and devotion for His words. Reflect on His sustenance and mercy and compassion, and you will be filled with gratitude and love and longing for His message. Know His wisdom and knowledge and kindness, and you will become willing and eager and ready to obey His commandments. 

That is why the Qur’ān reminds you of this important truth again and again: in the very beginning, in the opening verses of many Surahs, and frequently in between.

That is why even the Messenger, blessings and peace be on him, is instructed to proclaim his own faith: ‘Say: I believe in whatever God has sent down in this Book’ (al-Shūrā 42: 15). In his faith all believers must join him: ‘The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him by His Lord, and all believers too’ (al-Baqarah 2: 285). 

You must, therefore, always remain conscious that each word that you are reading, reciting, hearing, or trying to understand, has been sent for you by Allah. 

Do you truly have this faith? 

You do not have to look far for an answer. 

• Just examine your heart and behaviour. 
• If you have it, then, 
  • where is the desire and longing for companionship with the Qur’ān?
  • where is the labour and hard work to understand it?
  • where is the surrender and obedience to its message?

How do we obtain this faith, and how can it be kept alive? 

Although there are many ways, I will mention only one here. 

The most effective way is reciting the Qur’ān itself. 

This may look as if we are moving in a circle, but this is not really the case. 

For, as you read the Qur’ān, you will surely recognize it as being the word of God. Your faith will then increase in intensity and depth: 

Believers are only those who, whenever God is mentioned, their hearts tremble with awe; and whenever His revelations are recited to them, they increase them in faith ... (al-Anfāl 8: 2).

Purity of Intention and Purpose 

Second: Read the Qur’ān with no purpose other than to receive guidance from your Lord, to come nearer to Him, and to seek His good pleasure.

Thereby He causes many to go astray, and thereby He guides many; but thereby He causes none to go astray save the iniquitous (al-Baqarah 2: 26).

The Qur’ān is the word of Allah; it therefore requires as much exclusiveness of intention and purity of purpose as does worshipping and serving Him.

Do not read it merely for intellectual pursuit and pleasure; even though you must apply your intellect to the full to the task of understanding the Qur’ān.

But never forget that on understanding, absorbing and following the Qur’ān you have been promised much larger rewards, in this-world and in the Hereafter. It is these which you must aim for.

Nothing brings you nearer to your Lord than the moments you spend with His words. For it is only in the Qur’ān that you enjoy the unique blessing of hearing His ‘voice’ addressing you. So let an intense desire to come nearer to Allah be your one overwhelming motive while reading the Qur’ān. 

Finally, your niyyah should be directed to seeking only your Lord’s pleasure by devoting your heart, mind and time to the guidance that He has sent to you. That is what you barter when you surrender yourself to Allah: ‘There is such as would sell his own self in order to please God’ (al-Baqarah 2: 207).

Purpose and intentions are like the soul of a body, the inner capability of a seed.

So always ask yourself: Why am I reading the Qur’ān? 

Tell yourself constantly why you should. This may be the best way to ensure the purity and exclusiveness of purpose and intention.

Bringing Gratitude and Praise 

Third: Make yourself constantly alert with intense praise and gratitude to your Lord for having blessed you with His greatest gift – the Qur’ān – and for having guided you to its reading and study. 

Once you realize what a priceless treasure you hold in your hands, it is but natural for your heart to beat with joy and murmur, and for your tongue to join in: 

‘Thankful praise be to Allah, who has guided us to this; [otherwise] never could we have found guidance had not Allah not guided us’ (al-A‘rāf 7: 43).

Al-A'raf 7:43

وَنَزَعۡنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنۡ غِلٍّ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِهِمُ ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُۖ وَقَالُواْ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى هَدَىٰنَا لِهَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهۡتَدِىَ لَوۡلَآ أَنۡ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُۖ لَقَدۡ جَآءَتۡ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلۡحَقِّۖ وَنُودُوٓاْ أَن تِلۡكُمُ ٱلۡجَنَّةُ أُورِثۡتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

Alhumdullilahil lazi hadana lihaza wama kunna le-nah-tadiya - lowlaa an-hadal llah.

And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment,[1] [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allāh had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."

Why thank Allah for having given us the Qur’ān? 

• Principally because He has, thus, guided you to meaning and purpose in life and brought you on the Straight Path. 
• The way to honour and dignity in this-world has been opened for you. 
• In the Qur’ān, you can converse with Allah. 
• Only by following the Qur’ān in this-world you can attain forgiveness, Paradise and Allah’s good pleasure in that-world.

Gratitude and joy lead to trust, hope and greater gifts. The One who has given you the Qur’ān will surely help you in reading, understanding and following it. Thankfulness and joy generate an ever-fresh vigour which helps you to read the Qur’ān always with a renewed zeal. The more you are grateful, the more Allah gives you of the riches that the Qur’ān has to offer. Generosity evokes gratitude, gratitude makes you deserve more generosity – an unending cycle. Such is God’s promise: 

‘If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and more’ (Ibrāhīm 14: 7).

Thank Allah at every step of your journey: 

• for having had time for the Qur’ān, 
• for reading it correctly, 
• for memorizing it, 
• for every meaning you discover in it, 
• for having been enabled to follow it. 

Gratitude must also be transformed into deeds.

Acceptance and Trust 

​​Fourth: Accept and trust, without the least doubt or hesitation, every knowledge and guidance that the Qur’ān conveys to you.

I shall turn away from My revelations all those who wax proud in the earth, without any right; though they see every sign, they do not believe in it, and though they see the way of rectitude, they do not take it for a way, and if they see the way of error, they take it for a way (al-A‘rāf 7: 146).

And those who deny Our revelations and wax proud against them – the gates of heaven shall not be opened to them, nor shall they enter Paradise until a camel passes through a needle’s eye (al-A‘rāf 7: 40).

Al-A'raf 7:146

سَأَصۡرِفُ عَنۡ ءَايَٰتِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَكَبَّرُونَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بِغَيۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَإِن يَرَوۡاْ كُلَّ ءَايَةٍ لَّا يُؤۡمِنُواْ بِهَا وَإِن يَرَوۡاْ سَبِيلَ ٱلرُّشۡدِ لَا يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا وَإِن يَرَوۡاْ سَبِيلَ ٱلۡغَىِّ يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًاۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَكَانُواْ عَنۡهَا غَٰفِلِينَ

I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant upon the earth without right; and if they should see every sign, they will not believe in it. And if they see the way of consciousness,[1] they will not adopt it as a way; but if they see the way of error, they will adopt it as a way. That is because they have denied Our signs and they were heedless of them.

Al-A'raf 7:40

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ عَنۡهَا لَا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُمۡ أَبۡوَٰبُ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَا يَدۡخُلُونَ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ حَتَّىٰ يَلِجَ ٱلۡجَمَلُ فِى سَمِّ ٱلۡخِيَاطِۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجۡزِى ٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ

Indeed, those who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - the gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel enters into the eye of a needle [i.e., never]. And thus do We recompense the criminals.

Obedience and Change 

Fifth: Bring the will, resolve and readiness to obey whatever the Qur’ān says, and change your life, attitudes and behaviour – inwardly and outwardly – as desired by it.

Hazards and Obstacles 

Sixth: Always remain aware that, as you embark upon reading the Qur’ān, Satan will create every possible hazard and obstacle to stalk you on your way to the great riches of the Qur’ān.

The Qur’ān is the only sure guide to the Straight Path to God; to walk that path is man’s destiny. When Adam was created he was made aware of the hurdles and obstacles man would have to surmount in order to fulfil his destiny. All his weaknesses were laid bare, especially his weakness of will and resolve and his forgetfulness (Ṭā Hā 20: 115). It was also made plain how Satan would try to obstruct him at every step of his journey:

I shall surely sit in ambush for them all along Thy Straight Path; I shall, then, come on them from between their hands and from behind them, from their right and their left. Thou wilt not find most of them thankful (al-A‘rāf 7: 16-17).

Al-A'raf 7:16

قَالَ فَبِمَآ أَغۡوَيۡتَنِى لَأَقۡعُدَنَّ لَهُمۡ صِرَٰطَكَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ

[Satan] said, "Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them [i.e., mankind] on Your straight path.

Take just one very simple thing. 

Reading the Qur’ān every day, while understanding it, sounds very easy. 

But try, and you will find how difficult it becomes: time slips away, other important things come up. Concentrating mind and attention become something you wish to avoid: why not just read quickly for barakah. 

It is with the consciousness of these perils and dangers that your tongue should, in obedience to the Qur’ān – ‘When you recite the Qur’ān, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the rejected’ (al-Naḥl 16: 98) – say: 

a‘ūdhu billāhi mina ’sh-Shayṭāni ’r-rajīm

An-Nahl 16:98

فَإِذَا قَرَأۡتَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ فَٱسۡتَعِذۡ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ

So when you recite the Qur’ān, [first] seek refuge in Allāh from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].

Trust and Dependence 

Seventh: Trust, exclusively and totally, in Allah to lead you to the full rewards of reading the Qur’ān.

Just as it has been Allah’s infinite mercy that has brought His words to you in the Qur’ān and brought you to it, so it can be only His mercy that can help in your crucial task.

Your desire and effort are the necessary means; but His enabling grace and support are the only sure guarantees that you will be able to tread your way with success and profit. In Him alone you should trust as true believers. To Him alone you must turn for everything in life. 

And what thing is more important than the Qur’ān?

Also, never be proud of what you are doing for the Qur’ān, of what you have achieved. 

Always be conscious of your inadequacies and limitations in the face of a task which has no parallel. 

So approach the Qur’ān with humility, with a sense of utter dependence upon Allah, seeking His help and support at every step. 

It is in this spirit of trust, praise and gratitude, that you should let your tongue and heart, in mutual harmony, begin the recitation: 

Bismi ’llāhi ’r-Raḥmāni ’r-Raḥīm 

In the name of Allah, the Most-merciful, the Mercy- giving 

This is the verse which appears at the head of all but one of the 114 Surahs of the Qur’ān.

And also pray, asking His protection: 

[Who say], "Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower."

Aal-e-Imran 3:8

Summary of Chapter 2: Basic Prerequisites 

Faith: The Word of God 

First: Come to the Qur’ān with a strong and deep faith that it is the word of Allah, your Creator and Lord.

Purity of Intention and Purpose 

Second: Read the Qur’ān with no purpose other than to receive guidance from your Lord, to come nearer to Him, and to seek His good pleasure.

Bringing Gratitude and Praise 

Third: Make yourself constantly alert with intense praise and gratitude to your Lord for having blessed you with His greatest gift – the Qur’ān – and for having guided you to its reading and study. 

Acceptance and Trust 

​​Fourth: Accept and trust, without the least doubt or hesitation, every knowledge and guidance that the Qur’ān conveys to you.

Obedience and Change 

Fifth: Bring the will, resolve and readiness to obey whatever the Qur’ān says, and change your life, attitudes and behaviour – inwardly and outwardly – as desired by it.

Hazards and Obstacles 

Sixth: Always remain aware that, as you embark upon reading the Qur’ān, Satan will create every possible hazard and obstacle to stalk you on your way to the great riches of the Qur’ān.

Trust and Dependence 

Seventh: Trust, exclusively and totally, in Allah to lead you to the full rewards of reading the Qur’ān.

Chapter 3: Participation of the Inner Self 

What is the Heart? 

• The more important part of your ‘person’ is your inner self. 
• This inner self the Qur’ān calls the qalb or the ‘heart’. 
• The heart of the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, was the first recipient of the Qur’ānic message: 
  • Truly it has been sent down by the Lord of all the worlds, the Trustworthy Spirit has alighted with it upon your heart [O Prophet], that you may be one of the warners ... (al-Shu‘arā’ 26: 192-4).
• The ‘heart’, in Qur’ānic vocabulary, is not the piece of flesh in your body, but the centre of all your feelings, emotions, motives, drives, aspirations, remembrance and attention. 
• It is the hearts which soften (al-Zumar 39: 23), or harden and become stony (al-Baqarah 2: 74). 
• It is they which go blind and refuse to recognize the truth (al-Hajj 22: 46) for it is their function to reason and understand (al-A‘rāf 7: 179; al-Hajj 22: 46; Qāf 50: 37). 
• In hearts, lie the roots of all outward diseases (al-Mā’idah 5: 52); they are the seat of all inner ills (al-Baqarah 2: 10); hearts are the abode of Īmān (al-Mā’idah 5: 41) and hypocrisy (al-Tawbah 9: 77). 
• It is the hearts, again, which are the centre of every good and bad thing, whether it be contentment and peace (al-Ra‘d 13: 28), the strength to face afflictions (al-Taghābun 64: 11), mercy (al-Hadīd 57: 27), brotherly love (al-Anfāl 8: 63), taqwā (al-Hujurāt 49: 3; al-Hajj 22: 32); or, doubt and hesitation (al-Tawbah 9: 45), regrets (Āl ‘Imrān 3: 156), and anger (al-Tawbah 9: 15).

Finally it is, in reality, the ways of the heart for which we shall be accountable, and only the one who brings before his God a sound and whole heart will deserve to be saved. 

God will not take you to task for a slip, but He will take you to task for what your hearts have earned (al-Baqarah 2: 225). 

The Day when neither wealth nor children shall profit, [and when] only he [will be saved] who comes before God with a sound heart [free of evil] (al-Shu‘arā’ 26: 88-9).

You must therefore ensure that so long as you are with the Qur’an, your heart remains with you. The heart not being that piece of flesh but what the Qur’an calls qalb. 

Dynamic of Inner Participation 

You should understand the dynamic of inner participation well. 

For how is your heart seized by Truth? 

• First, you come to know the truth.
• Second, you recognize and accept it as the truth and as relevant to your life. 
• Third, you remember the truth, as much and as often as you can. 
• Fourth, you absorb it until it soaks into the deepest recesses of your inner self. 
  • The truth thus becomes an ever-alive state of consciousness, an enduring posture of the heart. 
  • Once a truth so permeates your inner world, it must pour out in the world of words and deeds.

States of Consciousness 

There are seven states of consciousness which you must try to develop by remembering certain things, absorbing them and by frequently reminding yourself of them.

The Qur’ānic Criteria of Inner Participation 

First: Say to yourself: My Qur’ān reading will not be truly tilāwah unless my inner self participates in it as Allah desires it to participate.

So what does Allah desire? And how should you receive the Qur’ān? 

The Qur’ān itself in many places tells you vividly how it was received by the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, and by his Companions, and by those whose hearts were gripped by it. Such Qur’ānic verses you should try to remember, and, then, recollect and reflect upon them whenever you read the Qur’ān. Some of these are: 

Those only are believers who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble; and when His verses are recited to them, they increase them in faith (al-Anfāl 8: 2). 

God has sent down the best discourse as a Book, fully consistent within itself, oft-repeated, whereat shiver the skins of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and hearts soften to the remembrance of Allah (al-Zumar 39: 23). 

When it is recited to them, they fall down upon their faces, prostrating, and say: Glory be to our Lord! Our Lord’s promise is fulfilled. And they fall down upon their faces, weeping; and it increases them in humility (al-Isrā’ 17: 107-9).

Whenever the verses of the Most-merciful are read unto them, they fall down, prostrating themselves and weeping (Maryam 19: 58). 

And when they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflow with tears because of what they have recognized of Truth. They cry: Our Lord! We believe; so You do write us down among the witnesses [to the Truth] (al-Mā’idah 5: 83).

In Allah’s Presence 

Second: Say to yourself: I am in Allah’s presence; He is seeing me.

How do you attain this state of consciousness?

1. Listen to what Allah tells you in the Qur’ān in this regard. 
2. Remember those verses, and recollect and reflect upon them when you are about to start reading the Qur’ān, and during it. 
3. But what will help you more, not only in reading the Qur’ān but in living your whole life by the Qur’ān, is to remember and reflect this reality as often as you can. 
4. Alone or in company, silent or speaking, at home or at work, at rest or busy – say, silently or loudly: 
   1. He is here, with me, seeing and hearing, knowing and recording. 
   2. And remember these verses of the Qur’ān:
5. He is with you wherever you are (al-Hadīd 57: 4). 
6. We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (Qāf 50: 16). 
7. Three men converse not secretly together, but He is the fourth of them, neither five men, but He is the sixth of them, neither fewer than that, neither more, but He is with them, wherever they may be (al-Mujādalah 58: 7) 
8. I am with you two [Mūsā and Hārūn], hearing and seeing (Ṭā Hā 20: 46). 
9. Surely you are before Our eyes (al-Ṭūr 52: 48). 
10. Surely it is We who bring the dead to life and write down what they have sent ahead and what they have left behind, everything We have taken into account in a clear register (Yā. Sīn 36: 12).
11. And in whatever condition you may be, and whatever you may be reciting of the Qur’ān, and whatever work you may be doing, We are witnessing when you are occupied in it. And not so much as an atom’s weight on earth or in heaven is hidden from your Lord. And neither is anything smaller than that nor greater, but is recorded in a manifest book (Yūnus 10: 61).

So He himself tells us, ‘I am present when you read the Qur’ān’: never forget this.

Reciting the Qur’ān is an act of worship.

‘Remember Me and I will remember you’ (al-Baqarah 2: 152). 

• The best way to remember Allah, undoubtedly, is to read the Qur’ān.

Hearing from Allah 

Third: Say to yourself: I am hearing from Allah.

Allah’s Direct Address 

Fourth: Say to yourself: Allah addresses me directly, through His Messenger, when I read the Qur’ān.

Every Word for You 

Fifth: Say to yourself: Every word in the Qur’ān is meant for me.

Conversation with Allah 

Sixth: Say to yourself: I am conversing with Allah when I am reading the Qur’ān.

How does this implicit conversation take place? 

A beautiful example has been given by the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, in a Ḥadīth qudsī:

I have divided the Prayer [ṣalat] between Me and My servant, half is for Me and half for him, and My servant shall have what he asks for. 

1. For when the servant says ‘All praise belongs to God, the Lord of all the worlds’, 
   1. God says, ‘My servant has praised Me’. 
2. When the servant says, ‘The Most-merciful, the Mercy-giving’, 
   1. God says, ‘My servant has extolled Me’. 
3. When the servant says ‘Master of the Day of Judgement’, 
   1. God says ‘My servant has glorified Me’ ... 
4. this is My portion. When he says, ‘Thee alone we worship and from Thee alone we seek help’, 
   1. He says, ‘This is shared by Me and My servant. He will be given what he will ask.’ 
5. When he says, ‘Guide us on the Straight Path …’,
   1. He says ‘This belongs to My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for’ (Muslim, Tirmidhī, Aḥmad).

Trusting and Expecting Allah’s Rewards

Seventh: Say to yourself: Allah will surely give me all the rewards He has promised me through His Messenger for reading the Qur’ān and following it.

Many rewards are promised in the Qur’ān. 

• Assured are the spiritual gifts in life, such as guidance, mercy, knowledge, wisdom, healing, remembrance and light, as well as worldly favours such as honour and dignity, well-being and prosperity, success and victory. 
• Eternal blessings such as forgiveness (maghfirah), Paradise (Jannah) and God’s good pleasure (riḍwān), too, are reserved for the followers of the Qur’ān.

For example: ‘The best among you is the one who learns and teaches it’ (Bukhārī). 

‘Read the Qur’ān, for on the Day of Resurrection it will come interceding for its companions’ (Muslim). 

‘No intercessor will be superior in rank to the Qur’ān’ (Sharḥ al-Iḥyā’). 

‘On the Day of Resurrection, the companion of the Qur’ān will be told to read the Qur’ān and ascend, as high as the last verse he reads’ (Abū Dā’ūd). 

‘For every letter that you read you will get a tenfold reward’ (Tirmidhī).

Summary of Chapter 3: States of Consciousness 

Acts of Heart and Body Response of Your Heart

There are seven actions of heart and body which will greatly help you in immersing your inner self in the reading of the Qur’ān. 

• Some of these you may already be doing, but you fail to receive their full impact because 
• either you do not do them properly 
• or you are not conscious of what you must achieve through them. 
• Some you are not doing; these are important and you must learn them. 

None of these acts requires any more time than you give to your Qur’ān reading now. 

They only require more attention, greater concentration, and a conscious effort to do things, and to do them properly.

Response of Your Heart 

First: Let your heart become alive and respond to whatever the Qur’ān says.

For example: 

• When you hear God’s name and His attributes, your heart should be filled with awe, gratitude, love and other appropriate feelings.
• When you read of the promises of forgiveness and mercy, of plenty and honour in this world, of His pleasure and nearness to Him in the Hereafter, let your heart be filled with a desire to work for them and deserve them.

Sometimes such states of heart will develop spontaneously when some particular word or verse kindles a new spark inside you. 

Sometimes you will have to make deliberate and determined efforts to induce them. 

If you do not find an appropriate response spontaneously, pause and repeat what you are reading till you find it. 

You may find an inner urge to repeat a particular verse many times because your heart demands so, but if you deliberately repeat, pause, and think, you will find your heart quicken. 

It is so important to achieve this quality that the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, once said: ‘Read the Qur’ān so long as your hearts are in harmony with it, when they are not in harmony you are not reading it, so get up and stop reading it’ (Bukhārī, Muslim).

Response of Your Tongue 

Second: Let your tongue express in words the appropriate response to what you read in the Qur’ān.

That is the way the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, used to read the Qur’ān during the night. Hudhayfah narrates: 

One night I performed my Prayer behind God’s Messenger, blessings and peace be on him. He began the reading of the Qur’ān with Surah al-Baqarah ... On every verse mentioning God’s mercy he asked God for it, on a verse mentioning His punishment he sought refuge with God. On reading a verse mentioning God’s uniqueness and glory, he glorified Him [saying subḥānallāh] . . . (Muslim).

Some verses should evoke definite responses, as the Prophet has instructed. For example: Whoever reads the last verse of Surah al-Tīn [Is not God the most just of judges?] should respond with ‘Balā wa anā ‘alā dhālika mina ’sh-shāhidin (Yes indeed, I am among the witnesses on this)’; and whoever reads the last verse of al- Qiyāmah [75] shall say ‘Balā (Yes, indeed)’; and whoever reads the last verse of al-Mursalāt [77] should say, ‘āmannā billāh (We believe in Allah)’ (Abū Dā’ūd).

With some reflection, it should not be difficult for you to build up your own responses of praise, glorification, affirmation, denial, and supplication, in the light of these examples: 

saying alḥamdulillāh, subḥānallāh, allāhuakbar, lā ilāha illallāh, or repenting, seeking forgiveness, asking for protection from His displeasure and the Fire, and a place near Him in Paradise.

Tears in Your Eyes 

Third: Let the response in your heart overflow through your eyes – tears of joy or of fear – an answer to what you read-in the Qur’ān.

Only with an inattentive heart, or a dead and barren heart, will eyes remain dry.

The Qur’ān emphasizes this participation of eyes – not always out of fear, but mostly out of joy on finding the truth, on realizing His infinite mercy, on seeing God’s promises being fulfilled: 

‘You see their eyes overflow with tears because of what they have recognized of the truth’ (al-Mā’idah 5: 83). And they fall down upon their faces, weeping’ (al-Isrā’ 17: 109). Often the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, his Companions, and those like them who had a real encounter with the Qur’ān, would weep when they recited it.

Postures of Your Body 

Fourth: Adopt an outward posture that reflects your inner reverence, devotion and submission for the words of your Lord.

The Qur’ān tells about such postures in many places: true believers ‘fall down upon their faces’, they ‘prostrate themselves’, they ‘fall silent and listen when they read the Qur’ān, their skins shiver and soften’.

The obligation to prostrate oneself (sujūd) on reading certain verses of the Qur’ān is a sure indication of how your bodily postures should reflect what you are reading.

Why are postures of body important? 

• The ‘outward’ makes a tremendous impact upon the ‘inward’ of a man. 
• The ‘presence’ of the body helps keep the ‘heart’ present. 
• There ought to be a vast difference in your physical attitude while reading the Qur’ān in comparison with an ordinary book. Hence many rules of etiquette and manner have been suggested.

You should, says al-Ghazālī, have wuḍū’ be soft-spoken and quiet, face the Qiblah, keep your head lowered, not sit in a haughty manner, but sit as you would before your Master. Al-Nawawī, in his Kitāb al-Adhkār, adds some more: the mouth should be cleaned thoroughly, the place should be clean, the face should be oriented towards the Qiblah, the body should exhibit humility.

Reading with Tartil 

Fifth: Read the Qur’ān with tartīl.

This is the desired way of reading the Qur’ān which Allah instructed His Messenger in the very beginning to follow when he was told to spend major parts of his nights standing in prayer and reading the Qur’ān (al-Muzzammil 73: 4). The reason for sending down the Qur’ān slowly and gradually, says Allah, was so that: ‘We may strengthen your heart thereby’ (al-Furqān 25: 32).

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās is reported to have said: ‘I consider reading Surahs al-Baqarah [2] and Āl ‘Imrān [3] with tartīl better for me than reading the entire Qur’ān hastily. Or, reading Surahs like al-Zalzalah [99] and al-Qāri‘ah [101] with tartīl and reflection is better than reading al-Baqarah and Āl ‘Imrān.’

Tartīl implies not only calmness, distinctness, pause and reflection, and harmony of heart and body, but will also lead to the compulsive repetition of some words or some Ayahs.

The Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, is reported to have once repeated, ‘In the name of God, the Most-merciful, the Mercygiving’ twenty times (Iḥyā’). Once he spent a whole night repeating, ‘If Thou punishest them, they are Thy slaves; If Thou forgivest them, Thou art Mighty and Wise’ (al-Mā’idah 5: 118) (Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah).

Self Purification 

Sixth: Purify yourself as much as you can.

You know that only the ‘pure’ are entitled to touch the Qur’ān (al-Wāqi‘ah 56: 79). This Qur’ānic verse, interpreted liberally, has been taken to mean ritual cleanliness. That you should be ritually clean, with wuḍū’ (ablution), is established quite well by many Hadith and Consensus (Ijmā‘). But purity has many more dimensions, apart from the body, dress and space being clean.

You have already seen how important purity of intention and purpose is.

Equally important is the purity of the heart and limbs from sins which may incur the anger of the Qur’ān’s Sender.

The purer you are, the more your heart will remain with you, the more it will open itself to the Qur’ān and understand and derive benefit from it, the more you will be like those who only were entitled to touch ‘the noble Qur’ān, in a hidden Book’ (al-Wāqi‘ah 56: 77-8).

Seeking Allah’s Help (Du‘ā’) 

Seventh: Ask Allah for His help, mercy, guidance and protection while you read the Qur’ān. 

And seek it with your heart, with your words, with your deeds.

My Lord, surely in dire need am I of whatever good Thou shalt have sent down upon me (al-Qaṣaṣ 28: 24). 

And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except those who have gone astray (al-Hijr 15: 56). And your Lord has said: Call upon Me and I will answer you. Surely those who wax too proud to worship Me shall enter Hell-fire, utterly abject (al-Mu’min 40: 60). 

I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls Me; so let them respond to Me and have faith in Me, so that they go right (al-Baqarah 2: 186).

Let us look at some of the words through which you should seek Allah’s help.

Allah’s Protection 

• I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the rejected: 
• a‘ūdhu billāhi mina ’sh-Shayṭāni ’r-rajīm.

We have already discussed how crucial is the seeking of refuge from Satan. This has indeed been enjoined by the Qur’ān (al-Naḥl 16: 98).

Occasionally, you may like to use longer words for seeking refuge as derived from the Qur’ān (al-Mu’minūn 23: 97), or taught by the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him. Or you may read the last two Surahs: al-Falaq (113) and al-Nās (114).

At times you should also turn to Allah to keep your heart on the right course: 

Our Lord! Let not our hearts swerve from [the truth] after Thou hast guided us [to it]. And bestow upon us Thy mercy. Indeed Thou alone art the Bestower (Āl ‘Imrān 3: 8).

In Allah’s Name 

• In the name of Allah, the Most-merciful, the Mercy-giving. 
• Bismi ’llāhi ’r-Raḥmāni ’r-Raḥīm.

Seeking the blessings of the Qur’ān 

There are some other specific Du‘ā’ you should try to learn: 

O My Lord! Increase me in my knowledge (ṭā Hā 20: 114).

The following Du‘ā’ is usually said when one completes the reading of the whole of the Qur’ān, but its contents are so comprehensive that frequently calling upon God through these words is sure to provide great blessings: 

O my God! Bestow mercy upon me through the great Qur’ān. Make it for me the leader, the light, the guide, the mercy. God! Remind me by it what I have forgotten, and teach me by it what I know not. Enable me that I read it by night and by day. Make it an argument in my favour. O Lord of the worlds.

Also seek His forgiveness (Istighfār) before, during, and after reading the Qur’ān, in whatever words you may choose to do so. Three Qur’ānic expressions you will find in Āl ‘Imrān (3: 16), al-Mu’minūn (23: 118), Āl ‘Imrān (3: 193).

Aal-e-Imran 3:16

ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

Those who say: "Our Lord! We have indeed believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire.".

Al-Mu'minun 23:118

وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ وَٱرۡحَمۡ وَأَنتَ خَيۡرُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ

And say (O Muhammad ﷺ): "My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the Best of those who show mercy!".

Aal-e-Imran 3:193

رَّبَّنَآ إِنَّنَا سَمِعۡنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِى لِلۡإِيمَٰنِ أَنۡ ءَامِنُواْ بِرَبِّكُمۡ فَـَٔامَنَّاۚ رَبَّنَا فَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرۡ عَنَّا سَيِّـَٔاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ ٱلۡأَبۡرَارِ

Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] calling to faith, [saying], 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die among the righteous.

Summary of Chapter 3: Acts of Heart and Body Response of Your Heart

Reading with Comprehension 

Last, but not in any way least, by comprehending what you are reading in the Qur’ān you will need to involve your inner person. This may be one of the most important and most effective ways to participate.

There are many who understand every word of it, yet their hearts remain closed to the Qur’ān; there are many who understand not a word yet they achieve intense states of devotion, a relationship with Allah, love and longing, nearness to Him, and obedience. This is because the relationship with the Qur’ān is dependent on many factors – we have listed earlier seven prerequisites – of which understanding is one.

Why is merely comprehending the direct meaning necessary? 

1. Firstly, concentrating on the direct meaning of the Qur’ān will greatly help you in keeping your attention exclusively focused on it, in inducing various states of consciousness and inducing acts of the heart and body necessary for bringing your inner self in a pervasive encounter with the Qur’ān. 
2. Secondly, only by comprehending will you be able to let the words start the process through which you will acquire and intensify the faith, which will in turn lead you to lives lived by that faith, by the teachings of the Qur’ān.

Chapter 4: Rules of Reading 

How Often to Read? 

Every day you must read some of the Qur’ān. 

In fact do not consider a day complete unless you have spent some time with the Qur’ān. 

It is better to read regularly, even if it is only a small portion, than to read long parts, but only occasionally.

How Much to Read? 

There can be no fixed answer. It will vary from person to person, and from situation to situation. The guideline must be what Allah, after taking into account all human factors, has said: 

‘Read whatever you can with ease’ (al-Muzzammil 73: 20).

Once, when Ibn ‘Umar – upon being asked by the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, to read the Qur’ān in one month – insisted on doing so in less time, he told him: Read it in seven days and do not increase on this (Bukhārī).

That the Qur’ān is divided into 7 ḥizb (groups) and 30 juz’ (parts) gives some indication of what is considered desirable.

The quantity of reading will very much depend on the purpose of reading. If you just want to spend time with the Qur’ān, or get a quick overview, you may read much faster and, therefore, more. If you want to ponder and reflect, you may read much slower and, therefore, less.

This is what al-Ghazālī means when he quotes someone as saying ‘I complete the reading of the Qur’ān sometimes on every Friday, sometimes every month, sometimes every year. And (in one type of reading) I have been trying to complete it for the last thirty years but have not yet done so’ (Iḥyā’).

• Under our present circumstances, I think, most of us should aim to finish a general reading of the whole Qur’ān at least once every eight months. 
• This should not take more than 5-15 minutes every day, depending on whether you understand the meaning directly or through a translation. 

But, at least on a few occasions in your lifetime, you should also attempt to finish one reading in seven days. Or, in one month, especially in the month of Ramadan.

When to Read? 

Remember the name of your Lord in the morning and in the evening and part of the night (al-Dahr 76: 25). 

Those who remember God when they are standing, and when they are sitting and when they are lying (Āl ‘Imrān 3: 191).

Reading the Qur’ān is certainly the best way to remember Him.

The most excellent time to read is at night, and the most desirable posture is to stand in Prayer. In one of the earliest Surahs, al-Muzzammil, as in numerous other places, the Qur’ān tells us so (Āl ‘Imrān 3: 113; al-Isrā’ 17: 79; al-Zumar 39: 9).

It also explains why. 

• Reading the Qur’ān during night-Prayers enables your heart to remain with your reading and strengthens your will in surrendering yourself to Allah’s guidance and fulfilling the mission He has entrusted to you.

To do so, however, requires that you should 

1. Memorize some portions of the Qur’an, and
2. Remain awake for some time during the night

All of you may not therefore be able to do so all the time for various reasons; the Qur’ān recognizes such limitations. It, therefore, permits you to read ‘whatever you can do with ease’ which means ‘whatever portion’, at ‘whatever time’, and in ‘whatever position’.

The great need and immense benefits of reading the Qur’ān in Prayer during the night, however, remain. Hence you should assign at least some time, however little, – even a few minutes – with some regular frequency, however long, say weekly or even monthly, for this purpose.

To keep as near as possible to the ideal way, it may be desirable if you read the Qur’ān after or before Fajr and ‘Ishā’ Prayers, or at dawn, or before going to bed.

Reading the Qur’ān at dawn is especially commended in the Qur’ān (al-Isrā’ 17: 78).

Reading Correctly 

You must read the Qur’ān correctly. At least vowels and letters should be pronounced correctly, even if you are unable to learn the whole art of tajwīd. The Arabic language is such that very slight mistakes in pronouncing vowels while reading may drastically alter the meaning, sometimes totally distorting it. On some occasions, you may be saying things which could amount to Kufr.

An hour a day of sustained learning for a month or so should be enough for an educated adult to acquire the minimum essential rudimentary skills in this respect.

One who is skilled in reading the Qur’ān is with the noble, virtuous angels who bring down the revelation; one who falters while reading it and finds it hard to read correctly, will have a double reward (for reading and for exerting) (Bukhārī, Muslim).

Reading Beautifully 

Next to reading the Qur’ān correctly, it is desirable to learn the art of qirā’ah in order to read it beautifully, in a sweet, pleasant, and melodious style and voice. There are many Hadith which point in this direction:

But remember that the real beauty is the beauty that comes with the fear of God in one’s heart: 

His recitation and voice is most beautiful that when you hear him you think he fears God (Dārimī).

Listening Attentively 

Listen attentively, and fall silent, whenever the Qur’ān is being recited. This is what the Qur’ān itself commands: 

‘When the Qur’ān is read, listen attentively, and fall silent, so that you may be blessed with mercy’ (al-A‘rāf 7: 204).

Completing the Reading (Khatm) 

The time when you have completed reading the whole of the Qur’ān, no matter how often you may do so, is a time for joy, celebration and prayer.

One: It is better to begin reading on a Friday night and end on a Thursday night.

Two: Read the last portion in Prayer, especially if you finish while you are alone. 

Three: Gather other people at the time of finishing, and supplicate together.

Four: Fast the day when you intend to complete the Qur’ān reading. 

Five: Begin the next reading of the Qur’ān immediately after you have completed the last, i.e. read Surah al-Fātiḥah and a few verses of Surah al-Baqarah after you have finished Surah al-Nās.

Six: Supplicate and pray at the time of completion of the Qur’ān. It is the time when your supplication is answered and when mercy descends from God. 

One who reads the Qur’ān and then supplicates, forty thousand angels say Amin! (Dārīmī).

Memorizing 

Memorize as much of the Qur’ān as you can. The Qur’ān is unique in demanding to be preserved in memory, the ḥifẓ.

The Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, has stressed it in various ways: 

Memorize the Qur’ān, for God will not punish the heart which contains the Qur’ān (Sharḥ al-Sunnah). 

One who has nothing of the Qur’ān inside him is like a desolate/ruined house (Tirmidhī). 

1. So allocate part of your time for the Qur’ān for this purpose. 
2. Go about it in a systematic way. 
3. Set your targets over a period of time. 
4. All those parts should form part of your list, which the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, used to recite during Prayer, or at particular hours of the day and night, or which he instructed his Companions to so recite, or whose excellence he expounded. 
5. Some other portions will attract you automatically as you read the Qur’ān regularly, and you should proceed to retain them in your memory.

Chapter 5: Study and Understanding

Importance and Need 

You cannot gather the full and real blessings and treasures of the Qur’ān unless you devote yourself to understanding its meaning, unless you know what your Creator is saying to you.

• Yet, despite this, the urgent need to devote yourself to understanding the Qur’ān remains. 
• The Qur’ān has come as a guide, reminder, admonition and healing. 
• It is not merely a source of reward (thawāb), a sacred ritual, a sacrament, a revered relic, or a holy magic. 
• It has come to radically change you and lead you to a new life and existence. 
• Understanding it is no sure guarantee of finding that new life, but without it the task of fulfilling the real purpose of the Qur’ān and inviting mankind to it must remain extremely difficult.

Personal Study 

You must exert yourself to absorb and discover what the Qur’ān has to say, mainly for one very important, crucial reason. 

• The Qur’ān is not merely a book of knowledge, or a collection of do’s and don’ts. 
• It does not merely inform about God and what He wants of you. 
• It also wants to take hold of your person and bring you into a new living and pervasive relationship with Him. 
• Hence, it should increase and strengthen your faith (Īmān), your will (irādah), your steadfastness (ṣabr). 
  • It should purify you, form your character, and mould your conduct. 
  • It should continually inspire you and elevate you to greater and greater heights. 

All this can be accomplished only if you enter into a personal relationship of study, meditation, and understanding with the Qur’ān. Without pondering over its messages, your hearts, your thoughts and your conduct cannot respond to them.

The Qur’ānic Emphasis 

The Qur’ān is a guidance for every person, his teacher and mentor. Understanding it is therefore vital; otherwise it will remain no more than a sacrament. The crucial centrality of endeavours, personal endeavours, to open hearts and minds to the messages of the Qur’ān is made abundantly clear by the Qur’ān itself. We are confronted with the utter folly of keeping our hearts locked against our understanding of the Qur’ān: 

What, do they not ponder the Qur’ān? Or, is it that there are locks on their hearts (Muḥammad 47: 24).

It is also emphatically declared that the Qur’ān has been sent down to be understood: 

A Book We have sent down, [it is] full of blessings, that men may ponder over its messages, and those who possess understanding may take them to heart (Sād 38: 29). 

Likewise, the Qur’ān praises as the true ‘servants of the Mostmerciful’ (‘Ibādu ’r-Raḥmān) those:

Who, when they are reminded of the revelations of their Lord, fall not thereat deaf and blind (al-Furqān 25: 73). 

Conversely, it castigates as worse than animals those who do not use their hearing, sight and hearts to listen, see and understand: 

They have hearts, but they understand not with them; they have eyes, but they see not with them; they have ears but they hear not with them. They are like cattle; nay they are further astray. It is they who are the heedless (al-A‘rāf 7: 179).

You cannot gather the real blessings and treasures of the Qur’ān unless you know its meaning, unless you understand what Allah is saying to you, unless you exert yourself personally to find that out.

The Early Practice 

The sign of faith, according to ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar, is to understand the Qur’ān: 

‘We have lived long . . . a time has come when I see a man who is given the whole Qur’ān before he has acquired faith; he reads all the pages between al-Fātiḥah and its end, without knowing its commands, its threats, and the places in it where he should pause – he scatters it like the scattering of one fleeing in haste.’ ‘

Ā’ishah once heard a man babbling over the Qur’ān and said: ‘He has neither read the Qur’ān nor kept silent.’ ‘

Alī said: ‘There is no good in the Qur’ān reading which is not pondered over.’ 

Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī said: ‘I recite a verse and remain with it for four or five nights and do not pass on to another verse unless I have ended my thinking on it.’

Risks of Personal Study 

Observing a few guidelines should ensure that you avoid these risks. 

1. Firstly, remember that understanding the Qur’ān is a vast, multidimensional process, comprising many types, aspects, degrees and levels. 
   1. You should know them all. 
   2. Understanding to nourish the heart will be of a very different order from understanding to derive legal precepts.
2. Secondly, evaluate yourself and recognize very clearly your limitations and capabilities. 
   1. For example, evaluate your understanding of the Qur’ānic framework of guidance, your grasp of Arabic, your familiarity with Hadith and Sirah, and your access to sources. 
3. Thirdly, understand your objectives precisely, and set specific goals for your study. 
   1. Never attempt to do anything beyond what your limitations and capabilities allow. 
   2. For example, if you do not know the Arabic language, do not delve into grammatical and lexical issues. Confine yourself to direct, literal meanings. If you have no knowledge of things like tanzīl (revelation), nāsikh-mansūkh (abrogation), and the works of the earlier jurists, you should not begin to derive your own fiqh from the Qur’ān, or criticize and support any particular view. 
4. Fourthly, never take as conclusive nor start propagating any of your findings which are different from or against the general consensus of the Ummah. 
   1. This is not to bar you from holding your views nor to deny that the opinion of the learned may be wrong, but to controvert or go against them you must possess an equal learning, if not more. 
   2. Nor does this absolve you from the responsibility to do what you find from the Qur’ān to be morally right and avoid what you find to be morally wrong. 
5. Fifthly, whenever in doubt about your own conclusions, which you may often be in view of your limited knowledge, keep your views ‘in suspension’ unless you have made a full comparative study or discussed them with a reliable, learned scholar of the Qur’ān.

Categories of Understanding 

Broadly speaking, we may divide the study of the Qur’ān into two categories: 

1. tadhakkur and 
2. tadabbur, after the Qur’ānic verse: 
   1. ‘That men may ponder over (li yaddabbarū) its revelations and . . . may take them to heart (li yatadhakkara)’ (Sād 38: 29). 

Tadhakkur 

Tadhakkur, used extensively in the Qur’ān, has been translated variously as receiving admonition, deriving advice, remembering, taking heed, and taking to heart. 

It can therefore be taken to signify the process whereby you try to grasp the general messages and teachings being conveyed by the Qur’ān, to find out what they mean for you and what demands they make upon you, to take them to heart, to bring forth corresponding responses of heart and mind and attitudes, to have the will to act in accordance with whatever you find, and, finally, to determine what message you have to deliver to your fellow human beings. 

Tadhakkur is a category of understanding which, in its essential nature, should not require any sophisticated tools of scholarship. 

• You may not know the meaning of every word, you may not be competent enough to explore the full meaning of all the important and key words, and you may not understand every verse, but the general, overall message, especially the message for you – how to live – should come out clearly and radiantly.

It is in the sense of tadhakkur that the Qur’ān categorically states that it is easy to understand, it is available to every sincere inquirer if he only comprehends what he is reading and ponders over it. It is to this tadhakkur that the Qur’ān invites everyone who can hear, see and think, to be guided by it. It is in this sense that it says: 

Indeed we have made this Qur’ān easy for understanding and remembering (dhikr). Is there any, then, that will take it to heart (muddakir)? (al-Qamar 54: 17). 

Indeed we have made it [the Qur’ān] easy [to understand] by your tongue [O Prophet] so that men might take it to heart (yatadhakkurūn) (al-Dukhān 44: 58). 

Indeed We have made propounded unto men all kinds of parables in this Qur’ān, so that they might understand (yatadhakkarūn) (al-Zumar 39: 27). 

In this there is indeed a reminder (dhikr) for everyone who has a heart, or will give ear while he is a witness [present with his mind] (Qāf 50: 37).

Tadhakkur is not some lower category of understanding; it is the basic essential purpose of the Qur’ān. You will have to strive all your life in order to gain the light and guidance and healing through tadhakkur – and through this process you, personally, must continue to gather an unlimited number of gems.

Tadabbur 

Tadabbur is the other category of understanding. 

• It signifies that you try to find the full meaning of every word, Ayah, and Surah, that you explore the fuller meaning behind those words, metaphors and parables, that you discover the textual cohesion and underlying unity, that you determine the central ideas, delve into lexical intricacies, tanzīl, and historical background, and that you undertake a comparative study of different tafsīr. 
• Then, that you discover all the implications for the relationship between man and his God, his fellow human beings, his own self, and the world around him; that you derive laws and morals for individuals and society, rules for state and economy, principles for history and philosophy, and implications for the current level of human knowledge.

Tadabbur and tadhakkur are not entirely separate nor mutually exclusive categories of understanding, they overlap.

Your Aims 

What should your aims be? 

1. Tadhakkur, in my view, is obligatory for every Muslim who is or can become capable of understanding the Qur’ān. 
   1. Hence, as an average-educated Muslim, who is trying to fulfil his commitment to Allah in the light of his capabilities and limitations, tadhakkur should be your first aim, and the most important one. 
   2. You will stay with it forever; you will never reach a stage where you may dispense with it. 
2. In tadhakkur, remember, you essentially set out to nourish your heart and mind, to increase your faith, to discover the message that the Qur’ān is giving to you, to take it to heart, to remember it. 
   1. Through all your labours you should be able to hear God’s voice: 
      1. what He wants you to be and to do.

Levels and Forms of Understanding 

Your understanding of the Qur’ān may have various levels and take different forms. 

1. Firstly, that you comprehend its simple, literal meaning, as when you read a book in a language you know, or as an Arabic-knowing person would understand the Qur’ān. 
   1. Such comprehension must be the bare minimum requirement, the key to all other stages, but it is not enough. 
2. Secondly, that you find out how the learned have understood it, either by hearing their expositions or reading their exegeses and other sources. 
3. Thirdly, that you study and ponder, on your own, to discover and absorb its meaning, to attain tadhakkur and, if you have the capability and need, then tadabbur as well. 
4. Fourthly, that you discover its meaning by obeying its messages and by fulfilling the duties and mission that it entrusts to you. 

Basic Requirements 

There are certain basic requirements which you should fulfil in order to make your endeavours fruitful.

Arabic 

1. One: Try to learn at least as much Arabic as will enable you to understand the meaning of the Qur’ān without the help of a translation. 
   1. This is the first step, the most essential prerequisite. 
   2. It may seem an arduous task, but I have known semi-illiterate persons accomplish this within a few months, once they took to it seriously and devotedly. 
   3. With the help of a teacher, or even a suitable book, you should not require more than 120 hours of study to learn enough Arabic to comprehend what the Qur’ān is saying. 
   4. But do not postpone your endeavours to study the Qur’ān till such time as you learn Arabic. 
      1. Take a good translation, or the best available, and start your pursuit. 
      2. This is still better than reading the Qur’ān without any comprehension.

Reading the Whole Qur’ān 

1. Two: Read, first, the whole Qur’ān, from beginning to end, comprehending the direct, literal meaning. If you do not know Arabic then use a translation. 
   1. Indeed you should make a special project of completing the first reading of the Qur’ān in one month. This should not take more than two hours a day. 
   2. After that you can settle down to a slower pace as may be convenient for you. But you must continue with such overview reading throughout your life, at whatever pace suits you, as you have already come to know under the rules of reading.

Reading Tafsīr Works 

2. Three: Once you have completed one reading of the whole Qur’ān with comprehension, and you are keeping up with regular reading at the slower pace that you find feasible, take a short and reliable tafsīr or notes, and read it through. 

Study of Selected Portions 

1. Four: Ideally you should start a study of the Qur’ān from the very beginning and carry it through to the end. One day, inshā’llāh some of you will undertake such a venture, but for most of us that day may be too far away, or may never come. You should, however, start your own study as soon as you can.
   1. The important thing is to start and know how to study, not what to start with. Some suggested passages are listed at the back of this book.
   2. To start studying selected passages will benefit you in many ways. 
      1. Firstly, you will begin making progress on one of the most important parts of your journey through the Qur’ān by establishing the very essential relationship of tadhakkur with it, rather than waiting indefinitely. 
      2. Secondly, you will acquire important clues, keys and methodologies which will help you to understand even those parts of the Qur’ān which you may not be in a position to study immediately in detail; for it repeats its messages in manifold forms (al-Zumar 39: 23). 
      3. Thirdly, you will develop a fuller perception of the total Qur’ānic framework, so essential for keeping your understanding on the right course. 
      4. Fourthly, you will become better equipped to communicate the message of the Qur’ān to fellow human beings.

Reading Again and Again 

1. Five: Whatever part you have chosen to study you will have to read again and again. Take this as a maxim you should always follow. Stay with it as long as you can, live with it, dwell in it and let it dwell in your heart and mind. Such prolonged companionship is an essential key to understanding meaning.

Inquiring Mind 

2. Six: Develop an inquiring mind, a searching soul, a heart hungry for meaning. The Qur’ān, as you already know, does not require a blind faith, nor does it ask you to read it with ears closed, eyes shut, and minds locked. Invitation to think is one of its most persistent and pervasive themes. 
   1. To question, remember, is the key to understanding and knowledge. 
   2. So, always raise as many questions as you need to. 
      1. For example: 
         1. What does this word or verse literally mean? 
         2. What other meanings can be construed? 
         3. What is the historical background, occasion of revelation, if known? 
         4. What is the context of each word, phrase, and sentence? 
         5. How does each link with what precedes and succeeds it? 
         6. What internal order and thematic unity can be discerned?
         7. What is said? 
         8. Why is it said? 
         9. What are the general and specific implications? 
         10. What are the major themes? 
         11. What is the central theme? 
         12. What is the message for me, us, now? 
      2. Make a note of your questions and try to find their answers as you continue your study and reading.

Aids for Study

1. Seven: There are certain aids which you will require to help you in your study. Try to acquire as many of them as you can. 
   1. (1) Have a copy of the Qur’ān with a translation in your language. 
      1. This is the minimum that you will require. 
      2. This you should use for both general reading and study. 
      3. The same can be used for memorization, if it is handy. But, take care that throughout life you stick with the same copy for memorization, otherwise revision will be difficult. 
      4. Remember, too, that no translation can be perfect or accurate. 
      5. Each translation contains an element of interpretation by the translator. 
      6. There is not, and cannot be, an ‘authorized’ translation of the Qur’ān. 
   2. (2) The same copy may contain a short commentary, or you may have to acquire one separately. But you must have one. A translation and a reliable commentary should be enough for your initial, main objectives. 
   3. (3) You may find it useful, though it is not necessary, to have more than one translation and commentary to investigate various meanings of words and text as understood by different scholars. 
   4. (4) For more advanced study, you should have at least one more detailed tafsīr. You may not find one in English; but, then, try to acquire whatever part-tafsīr works are available. 
   5. (5) Have a good Arabic dictionary, preferably a Qur’ānic dictionary, to enable you to look deeper into the meanings of words. 
   6. (6) Have a concordance. A few such suggested aids for study are listed at the back of this book.

How to Study 

Below a step-by-step procedure for studying in detail any selected passage is suggested. 

There are, however, no fixed rules about it. Indeed you may find it more useful to develop a procedure of your own which suits your capabilities and limitations better. What is important is that you proceed in a systematic way, and try to observe the following sequence. 

First, you study the passage entirely on your own. 

Next, consult your study aids or go to a qualified teacher to learn whatever you can about its meanings. 

Finally, combine your learning from both phases to arrive at such fuller understanding as you can. 

Stage I: Acquaint yourself and define your problems.

Step 1: Recollect very quickly what you can remember of the basic prerequisite and inner participation. Realize that Allah is with you and pray to Him to help you understand what you are going to read. 

Step 2: Read the passage, comprehending its meaning, at least thrice, or as many times as is necessary to enable you to recollect its broad contents without looking at it. Then you will have absorbed it and will be able to think on it whenever you desire. 

The rule is: let the words and meanings soak in before you begin to look for interpretation. 

Step 3: Note down, without reading the text, all major themes that you can discern. Then check these with the text, and revise. 

Step 4: Note down the central theme, if you can discern one. 

Step 5: Divide the passage into such shorter portions which you think convey one single message or group of messages. 

Step 6: Underline all words and phrases that you think are central to understanding the meaning. 

Step 7: Ask questions, as we have explained above, and note them down.

Stage II: Think over what you have read: try, on your own, to answer your questions, and understand the meaning and message within the framework of guidelines outlined in the next section. 

Step 8: Find what the important words mean. 

Step 9: Determine the meanings of each phrase or statement. 

Step 10: Think how they are interlinked, why one follows or precedes another, what unity and cohesion there is. 

Step 11: Find and understand the meaning within the immediate context of the passage, the larger context of the Surah, the overall context of the Qur’ān. 

Step 12: Determine what are its various messages and teachings. 

Step 13: Ask: What does it say to me and for our time? 

Step 14: Think how you, the Ummah and mankind are required to respond.

Stage III: Try to find meaning from whatever study aids or teachers you may have, and go through Stage II (steps 8-14), with their help. Revise, correct, modify; enlarge, affirm, or reject, your own understanding. 

Stage IV: Write down or preserve in your mind and heart the understanding you arrived at. 

Make note of whatever questions remain. 

Do not take any understanding to be complete and final: you will continue to find more meaning and realize the need for revision as you continue your study.

How to Understand Meanings 

General Principles 

Understand as a Living Reality 

One: Understand every word of the Qur’ān as if it was being revealed today.

Understand as a Message for You 

Two: Take, more importantly, every message in the Qur’ān as being addressed to your person, to your community.

Every attribute of God asks you to build a corresponding relationship with Him, every description of the Life beyond death asks you to prepare for it, or aspire for its reward, or seek protection from its evils, every dialogue involves you in it and every character presents a model you should either emulate or avoid following.

Understand as a Part of the Whole 

Three: The whole Qur’ān is a unity within itself. It is a single revelation. The message itself, though conveyed in manifold and diverse forms, is one message. It has one world-view, one total framework of guidance. All parts are therefore fully consistent with one another. This is one sign of its Divine authorship. 

What! Do they not ponder the Qur’ān? Had it been from any but God, surely they would have found in it much inconsistency (al-Nisā’ 4: 82).

Understand as a Coherent Unified Text 

Four: The Qur’ān possesses coherence and order of the highest degree, despite the apparent randomness you observe. Each part is related to the other, Ayah with Ayah, Surah with Surah. Behind the apparent fluctuations of themes there is a unifying thread.

Understand with the Whole of Your Being 

Five: Understand by applying the whole of your being to the study of the Qur’ān. Both heart and mind, feeling and intellect are fused together in your person.

Understand What the Qur’ān Tells You 

Six: Understand what the Qur’ān tells you, not what you tell the Qur’ān.

Stay Within the Consensus 

Seven: You are not the first to study and understand the Qur’ān. Before you there was a continuous chain of people who took up this task, and who have compiled a rich heritage.

Understand by the Unique Qur’ānic Criteria Alone 

Eight: The Qur’ān is not like any other book; it is unique in every respect. It has its own language and diction, style and rhetoric, logic and argumentation, and, above all, a unique approach and purpose. To measure and understand it by extra-Qur’ānic, human, standards and criteria will be of no avail. 

Its unique purpose is to guide man, every man, to his Creator, to radically change him by bringing him into a totally new relationship with his God. Everything is directed towards this goal, is informed and shaped by this objective. This has some important implications. 

1. Firstly, though the ocean of its meaning has no depth and no shore, the meanings that are enough to guide an average seeker after truth on how to live his life, are plain and intelligible, in some degree, to him, whenever he approaches it in true spirit and in the right way. 
2. Secondly, its language is such that a common man can understand it. It uses words taken from common parlance, used in everyday conversations. It does not coin new, unintelligible terms, nor does it use the technical, academic language of philosophy, science, logic, or any other discipline. It does impart, however, radically new meanings to old, everyday words. 
3. Thirdly, it is neither a book of history nor of science, neither of philosophy nor of logic, though it uses all of them, but only to guide man. Hence do not try to make the Qur’ān confirm any contemporary human knowledge, nor is that knowledge essential to understand it. Though one can always derive help from it to increase comprehension. 
4. Fourthly, the Qur’ānic method of argumentation is based on man’s everyday experience of nature, history, and his self. It is unique in confronting its hearer in his own world that he recognizes, on his own premises that he accepts. That is how it captures his heart and mind, and changes them.

Understand the Qur’ān by the Qur’ān 

Nine: The best tafsīr of the Qur’ān is the Qur’ān itself. It, seemingly, repeats many of its words and discourses. But in fact it is not pointlessly repetitive; repetition of a particular word or discourse usually sheds new light on its meaning, or brings into focus a new aspect. That meaning you should try to understand. 

So, to understand the meaning of any word, or Ayah, or passage, look into the Qur’ān itself. For example, you may better understand key words like rabb, ilāh, dīn, ‘ibādah, kufr, īmān, dhikr, by studying them in the various contexts that the Qur’ān has used them.

Understand with the Hadith and Sirah Language 

Ten: One of the Prophet’s main duties, blessings and peace be on him, was to explain the Qur’ān.

Language

Eleven: Language is your first key to the Qur’ān. Together with the life of the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, it is crucial to its understanding. Through language the Qur’ān makes itself clear, alive and understood. Some characteristics of the Arabic as used in the Qur’ān you should remain aware of.

Firstly, the Qur’ānic style is that of the spoken word, not written.

Secondly, not only that, the Arabic language in its expression is highly concise and elliptical.

Thirdly, direct literal meanings of words and texts, in isolation, are not enough to understand them or the text fully.

Methodological Guidelines 

Studying Words 

One: First, try to determine the meanings of those words which you find crucial to the understanding of the text.

Textual Context 

Two: Once you understand the words and the direct, literal meaning, place the passage in its textual context and try to understand what it means.

Historical Background 

Three: Collect as much historical information as you can find and as is necessary and relevant. But ensure its authenicity.

‘Original’ Meaning 

Four: After comprehending the direct, literal meaning, try to understand, as best you can, how the text may have been understood by its first hearers.

Translating to Your Situation 

Five: Your next task should be to read and understand the text in your own context.

Far-fetched and Irrelevant Meanings 

Six: Do not concern yourself with discovering such far-fetched, allegorical, inner meanings which no ordinary person can ever understand. Nor look for meanings which have no relevance to your life or to the lives of the Qur’ān’s first believers.

Level of Knowledge and Intelligence 

Seven: Understand meanings at the level of intelligence and knowledge that you possess.

Current Human Knowledge 

Eight: There is no escaping the fact that each person will employ his own knowledge to understand the Qur’ān. Indeed, you need to have this knowledge in order to critically evaluate it by Qur’ānic criteria, to seek guidance from the Qur’ān on the issues it raises, and to understand the Qur’ān in current idiom.

What You Cannot Understand 

Nine: There will be many words and sentences, that you will not be able to understand after every effort.

Life of the Prophet 

To understand and absorb the Qur’ān, you must come as close as you can to the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, who received it first from Allah. His life is the best ‘exegesis’ of the Qur’ān, the surest guide to its meaning and message.

If you want to see the Qur’ān rather than merely read it, see the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him. For, as Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah said, ‘his conduct was nothing but the Qur’ān’. You will find his Sirah much more helpful in understanding the Qur’ān than great exegetic works like Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Kathīr, Kashshāf and Rāzī.

To move closer to the Prophet, you should, firstly, read his sayings, the Hadith, and his life, the Sirah, as much as you can.

By doing so you will really understand him and, therefore, the Qur’ān. Also you will love Allah and Allah will love you (Āl ‘Imrān 3: 31).

Chapter 6: Collective Study 

Importance and Need 

Your journey through the Qur’ān requires that you seek and join a community of quest and study.

Significantly, the Qur’ānic address is almost always collective. And the Prophet, blessings and the revelation of the Qur’ān, set out to create a community with the Qur’ān at the centre of its life, and spent every moment of his life in this effort. The instruction to ‘read’ was followed, in time, by the command to ‘arise and warn’. The instruction to continue to ‘read what has been revealed to you in the Book of your Lord’ is immediately followed, contextually, with the instruction to ‘bind yourself with those who call upon their Lord at morning and evening, desiring His countenance, and let not your eyes turn away from them’ (al-Kahf 18: 27-8). These Qur’ānic teachings clearly and forcefully establish the link between its reading and the need for a strong, closely-knit community rooted in that reading. 

Again, no Prayer can be complete without reading the Qur’ān, nor, if it is obligatory and there is no genuine excuse, without fellowship with others (Jamā‘ah). What is the purpose of reading the Qur’ān in Prayer if not to hear it, understand it and ponder over it? Thus five times a day this purpose should be accomplished in collective endeavour.

The word tilāwah, when used with the Arabic preposition ‘alā, means to communicate, to propagate, to spread, to teach. To do the tilāwah in this way is one of the basic functions of the Prophethood, and, therefore, of his Ummah (al-Baqarah 2: 129, 151). In Surah al-Jumu‘ah (62), failing to understand and live by Divine guidance is emphasized in the context of failing to stay with the Friday Prayer for which every worldly activity must be given up. 

The Qur’ān also hints at the reading of the Qur’ān in families and homes in the following verse: And remember that which is recited in your houses of the revelations of God and the Wisdom’ (al-Aḥzāb 33: 34). 

Those who gather together to read and study the Qur’ān are blessed because upon them descend the angels with God’s abundant mercy, as the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, said: 

Whenever people gather in one of the houses of Allah for reading the Qur’ān and teaching it to one another, peace descends upon them, mercy covers them, angels spread their wings over them, and Allah mentions them to those around Him (Muslim). 

So you should not be content with reading and studying the Qur’ān alone, but should set out to find other seekers and invite them that you may do so together.

Forms of Collective Study 

Collective study may take two forms. 

1. One: Where a small group gathers to study and deliberate upon the Qur’ān so that each participant takes an active part in the process, though some among them may be more knowledgeable than others and one will lead the study. This we shall call ‘Ḥalaqah’, (after the above Hadith), or Study Circle. 
2. Two: Where a group, small or large, gathers to study the Qur’ān by actively listening to the exposition given by a knowledgeable person. The participants only raise questions. This we shall call ‘Dars’ , lesson or lecture.

Four Basic Rules 

Four rules are basic to the success of any collective study.

1. One: You must always make all the preparations necessary to fulfil your responsibility. Do not take your task lightly, do not postpone your preparation till the eleventh hour, do not consider a quick glance enough, never say anything about the Qur’ān without having given it full consideration. It is always better to make note of what you have studied and what you want to say. 
2. Two: Whether you are a novice or you already possess some knowledge, whether you have to give Dars or participate in discussion in a circle, undertake a study on your own of the selected part, broadly in line with the procedure described earlier. 
3. Three: Always keep your niyyah right, that is, understand and live the Qur’ān in order to seek Allah’s pleasure. 
4. Four: Do not study together merely for pleasure, intellectual curiosity, or argument and discussion. Your studying the Qur’ān together must result in your obeying the Qur’ān together and fulfilling the mission it entrusts to you.

Study Circle 

Participants 

1. One: The number of participants should be 3-10; with no great divergence in the levels of their knowledge and intelligence. Anything less will make it a dialogue, anything more may hinder the active participation of everyone. 
2. Two: The stress should always remain on the message, context and what guidance and lessons are to be drawn. Never get entangled in fine points which have no relevance to real life. 
3. Three: All members should be fully aware of their aims, limitations and procedures. 
4. Four: All members should have the necessary commitment to their task and realize that time, attention and hard work will be required. It is especially important that regular preparation and attendance are observed. 
5. Five: All members should know how to find their way through the Qur’ān. A study of this book may be of some use. 
6. Six: The group members should not sit as strangers, but as brothers in faith in the Qur’ān, committed to understanding and obeying it.

How to Conduct a Study Circle 

One: One member should, first, make a presentation of the results of his study. 

Two: The rest should then join in, further elaborating, correcting, modifying, raising questions, or providing answers. 

Three: If all the members are required to study, then you may either designate beforehand who will do the presentation; this will result in better standards of presentation. Or, call upon anyone present to do the presentation; this will keep everyone alert and working hard. 

Four: It will always be useful if at least one member of the circle is more knowledgeable and has access to sources. He would, then, during the discussion, overcome any deficiencies and shortcomings in the original presentation. He may also set and steer the tone and direction of discussion. 

Five: If one member who is learned in the Qur’ān participates, he should not intervene from the beginning. Rather he should let the participants say what they want to say, and only then, gently correct them if they are wrong, or add to their knowledge. His method should be suggestive and interrogative rather than discursive. 

Six: Towards the end, one member, preferably the leader or teacher, should always sum up the broad message of the passage, its main themes, and its call to action.

Dars 

Preparation 

1. One: Have a fair idea about the audience: such as, their level of knowledge and intelligence, their state of Īmān, their concerns and worries, and their needs and requirements. 
2. Two: Select the passage in keeping with the state of your audience, rather than what you find yourself eager to expound. 
3. Three: The nature and level of your style, language, exposition should correspond to the nature of your audience. 
4. Four: Pray to Allah to help you in bringing the true message of the Qur’ān to your listeners. 
5. Five: Study the passage and write down your notes: what do you want to say? In what order? How? How do you begin? How do you end? 
6. Six: Give due regard to the time at your disposal. Never exceed your time. You may have a lot of good points and be very eager to pour them all out. But, remember, your listeners have a very limited capacity to retain. They may admire your learning and erudition, but may not learn very much from it. Long passages can always be dealt with in a short duration and short passages can be dwelt upon for a long duration. It all depends on what you think you have to communicate from the passage under study. 
7. Seven: Give full attention as to what clear message or messages, out of all that you may say, you would like to leave with the listeners for them to retain, reflect and act upon. This must conform with the central idea of the passage, not with your own desires.

How to Deliver 

One: You must have only two aims: 

Firstly, to seek Allah’s pleasure by doing your duty in making others hear His words. 

Secondly, to communicate the message of the Qur’ān clearly and effectively. 

Two: Remember that it lies in the hands of Allah to make your communication effective in reaching your listeners’ hearts and minds.

Three: You may first read the whole text and give its translation, and then take up the exposition, with or without reading each verse and its translation again. Or, you may give a brief introduction and start by taking up one verse after another, or a group of verses. What procedure you adopt will depend on the time at your disposal and the situation. 

Remember that it is not essential to read the whole passage and its translation in the beginning, especially if time is short. You may spend the time better in preparing the listeners for what they are going to hear. 

Four: As far as the individual verses or groups of verses are concerned, you may use a mixture of various approaches. If the verse is clear and short, you may first read it and then elaborate. You may turn to the theme before and after your exposition.

What you must ensure is that your listeners get a sense of cohesive unity – each statement should be seen to flow from the preceding one and lead to the next. 

Five: At the end, you must sum up the contents, and emphasize the message. You may also, if you have time, even read the whole text again, or only the translation. Reading the text or translation towards the end serves to bring your listeners in direct contact with the Qur’ān after they have understood what it means in light of your exposition. 

Six: Always be on guard that it is the Qur’ān which must speak, and not you. The Qur’ān has been effective, without any exposition, for those who knew the language and the Messenger. It still is. You may hinder the Qur’ān from speaking not only by inserting your own views too much, but also by your very lengthy and elaborate explanations. By the time you finish your long discourse, your listeners may very well forget what the Qur’ānic text said. 

So, firstly, keep your explanations as short as possible; and, secondly, if they have to be long as may be necessary in some instances, you should refer back to the text as often as possible. You should create no distance between the listeners and the text of the Qur’ān, not only in meaning, but also in hearing.

Seven: Model your own exposition on the pattern and style of the Qur’ān. This may be the most effective means of ensuring the success of the occasion. 

Initially you may find it difficult, but gradually – as you move nearer to the Qur’ān, read it often, memorize it – it will become part of your own style. 

You must remember certain characteristics of the Qur’ānic style. 

Firstly, that it appeals to both reason and feeling, intellect and soul as one whole. 

Secondly, that it is short, precise, direct, personal, and evocative. 

Thirdly, that it confronts its listeners with choices and decisions and inspires them to heed and act. 

Fourthly, that its language is as powerful as the message, which penetrates deep inside you. 

Fifthly, that its argument is always what its listeners are able to understand, that it is always drawn from their everyday experience, that it always finds an echo inside them. Above all, that it is not abstract, logical, speculative. 

Eight: Do not make overly abstract statements, nor conceptualize and systematize at the cost of the Qur’ān’s dynamic impact. Concepts and systematic presentation are vital to the presentation of the Qur’ān’s message, but so long as they are made in simple and ordinary language and within the grasp of the audience. Calls to action; summons to commit, must be essential ingredients of your Dars. Whether it is nature or history, injunction or statement, dialogue or address – each should result in some call to respond, to come forward, to decide and to act. 

Nine: Do not use the Qur’ān as a pretext to propound your views, instead make yourself an exponent of the word of God. 

Ten: Let the Qur’ān make its way to your listeners hearts, let it reside there, let it stir impulses of recognition, love, gratitude and awe: this should be the thrust of your Dars. 

Eleven: Always remain attentive to the response of your audience. You can always cut an argument short or give up what you may consider valuable to impart, if you feel that it does not interest them or arouse them. You can always introduce new points, styles, and emphasis, depending on what you feel are the demands of the situation.

Chapter 7: Living the Qur’ān 

Obeying the Qur’ān

On every page of the Qur’ān is an invitation to surrender and submit, to act and change. At every step the reader is confronted – to decide and commit himself. 

Reading the Qur’ān should induce faith inside your heart; that faith should shape your lives. It is not a gradual, piecemeal process, by which you first spend years reading the Qur’ān, then understanding it and strengthening your faith, you only then act upon it. The whole is one unified process, all things take place simultaneously. As you hear or recite the words, they kindle faith inside you; as you have faith inside you, your life begins to change.

Fulfilling the Qur’ān’s Mission 

Now we, as his followers, as people possessing the Book of God, are charged and entrusted with the same mission. To have the Qur’ān obliges us to convey it; to hear the Qur’ān is to make it heard. We must make it clear and known to mankind and not let it remain concealed: 

And when God took a pledge from those who had been given the Book: ‘You shall make it known to mankind, and not conceal it.’ But they cast it behind their backs, and bartered it away for a small price – how evil was their bargain (Āl ‘Imrān 3: 187). 

If there is a lamp in your heart and hand, it must spread its light. If there is fire inside you, it must radiate its warmth and glow.

Look at yourself! Look at Muslims today! Why, despite the fact that the Qur’ān is read by millions day and night, does it make no difference to our situation? Either we read it and do not understand it; or, if we understand it, we do not accept it nor act upon it; or, if we act upon it, we accept part of it and reject part of it; or, while we are engrossed in reading it and acting by only part of it, we are guilty of committing the worst crime and concealing it and not bringing its light to the world.

Nor shall we succeed in discovering and understanding the full and real meaning of the Qur’ān, whatever Qur’ānic scholarship we may attain, unless we obey the Qur’ān. 

To surrender and obey is not only to fulfil the real mission of the Qur’ān, it is one of the surest keys to its understanding. You discover a meaning by obeying that you never discover by mere thinking. You, then, begin to ‘see’ the Qur’ān. Writes Syed Mawdudi in memorable words one can hardly forget: 

... but all that you may do to understand the Qur’ān is not enough. If you want to identify with the spirit of the Qur’ān, you must practically involve yourself with the struggle to fulfil its mission. For the Qur’ān is not a book of abstract theories and cold ideas, which one can grasp while seated in a cosy armchair. Nor is it merely a religious book like other religious books, whose meanings can be grasped in seminaries and oratories. 

On the contrary, it is a Book which contains a message, an invitation, which generates a movement. The moment it began to be sent down, it impelled a quiet and pious man to abandon his life of solitude and confront the world that was living in rebellion against God. It inspired him to raise his voice against falsehood, and pitted him in a grim struggle against the lords of disbelief, evil and iniquity. One after the other, from every home, it drew every pure and noble soul, and gathered them under the banner of truth. In every part of the country, it made all the mischievous and the corrupt to rise and wage war against the bearers of the truth. 

This is the Book which launched a glorious movement, with the voice of a single individual, and continued to provide guidance to it for twenty-three years, till the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. At every stage during this long and heart-rending struggle between truth and falsehood, this Book showed its followers the ways to eradicate the old order and usher in the new. 

Is it, then, possible to reach the heart of the Qur’ān merely by reading its words, without ever stepping upon the battlefield of faith and disbelief, of Islam and Ignorance, without passing through any stage of that struggle? 

No, you can understand the Qur’ān only when you take it up, begin to act upon it, and call mankind to God, and when every step you take is in obedience to its guidance. 

Then, and only then, you will go through all the events and experiences which occurred during the course of its revelation. You will then pass through makka, and ḥabash, and ṭā’if; you will face badr, uḥud, ḥunayn and tabūk. You will encounter abū jahl and abū lahab; you will meet with hypocrites and jews; you will come face to face with those who instantly responded to this call as well as those who were drawn into Islam seeking some gain. You will come across all of these human models; you will deal with all of them. 

This is a path different from the so-called ‘mystic path’, which I name the ‘Qur’ānic path’. Such is this ‘Qur’ānic path’ that, as you pass through its various stations and stages, certain Surahs and Ayahs will disclose their full message to you, and tell you that they were revealed precisely for this stage and station that you are passing through. You may miss some linguistic and grammatical subtleties, you may miss certain finer points in the rhetoric and semantics of the Qur’ān, yet it is impossible that the Qur’ān will fail to reveal its full and true spirit to you. 

In the same way, no person can ever understand the legal injunctions, the moral teachings, and the political and economic directives of the Qur’ān, unless and until he puts them into practice. Neither the individual who lives independently of the Qur’ān nor the nation which runs its institutions in violation of its guidance can discover the spirit of the Qur’ān (Tafhīmul Qur’ān, Vol. I, Lahore 1979, pp. 33-4).