In this series I’ll explain some of the ways in which we can endeavour to really achieve some sort of presence and nearness to Allah this Ramadan in shāʾ Allāh.

How can we make sure we’re making the most of this blessed month, how can we make sure we are going above and beyond just being hungry while fasting?

In Part-1 we looked at the virtue of praying. We explored the basis for some prayers on top of our mandatory (fard) prayers:

• Tahhajud before Fajr
• Ishraq & Duha prayers in the morning
• and finally Taraweeh after Isha

This week we will look at the lofty and esteemed status of Allah’s holy book The Noble Qur’an.

2 – Reading the Qur’an

وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ تِبْيَـٰنًۭا لِّكُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَهُدًۭى وَرَحْمَةًۭ وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ ٨٩

“We have revealed to you the Book as an explanation of all things, a guide, a mercy, and good news for those who ˹fully˺ submit.” –Qur’an 16:89

As outlined in the introduction Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an:

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًۭى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ

“Ramaḍân is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the decisive authority.” — Qur’an 2:185

During this month, how can we best engage with the Qur’an in a way that is meaningful to us?

2.1 Reciting the Qur’an in Arabic

Nowadays the Qur’an is more accessible than ever thanks to apps and the internet. We always have access to the Qur’an at our fingertips, simply a few taps away.

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ مَنْ قَرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ بِهِ حَسَنَةٌ وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا لاَ أَقُولُ الم حَرْفٌ وَلَكِنْ أَلِفٌ حَرْفٌ وَلاَمٌ حَرْفٌ وَمِيمٌ حَرْفٌ ‏”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever recites a letter from the book of Allah, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it.”

Those of us who aren’t able to understand Arabic can still get reward by listening, memorising and reciting what we hear. Not being able to read Arabic isn’t a barrier for us, the Qur’an is first and foremost recitation revealed to us and passed down through an oral tradition.

I often hear people say how moved they have been by the Qur’an. Even without understanding the Arabic, just through listening to the recitation and being touched by its beauty. The Arabic recitation of the Qur’an is the divine revelation that reaches us from Allah Himself and we should strive to engage with it as much as possible.

“We send down of the Qur’ān that which is healing and mercy for the believers”

“وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا” — Qur’an 17:82

If we’re able to understand Arabic recitation then attending taraweeh prayers at the mosque can be a great way to listen to the Qur’an, to learn from it and benefit. While also hopefully listening to a complete recitation of the book throughout the month of Ramadan.

2.2 Reading the Qur’an in a Language One Understands

If we don’t know Arabic we should still seek comfort in the words, and soothing recitation of the Qur’an. We will naturally benefit even more if we’re using a “translation” and can reflect on the meanings that reach us. We will often find that when we open the Qur’an to an unplanned page, we will find a verse that resonates with us and is pertinent to our current situation. One more of the miracles of the Qur’an.

Through these “translations” we hope to better understand Allah, our religion and the world that He has created around us. We hope and endeavour that we may benefit from some of the abundant guidance that Allah has sent down to us in this Qur’an.

Some accessible “translations” in English are:

• Saheeh International Translation – clear English and direct translation
• Dr Muhsin Khan – more lofty English and has footnotes explaining matters by using ahadith
• Abdul Haleem – A modern translation written in simple to understand English aiming to capture the meaning of the Arabic text while still being readable and eloquent in English prose. [OUP]
• The Majestic Qur’an Translated by Musharraf Hussain
• And many others!

For the Qur’an we are blessed to have so many “translations” in English, but it can be better to think of them as “interpretations” or “explanations”, as they always take the inimitable word of God and filter it through a human lens that is imbued with its own context and perspectives. This provides great benefit but also something different from the original.

2.3 Further Explanation of the Qur’an and Qur’anic exegesis (Tafsir)

In this vein, we can use books written explicitly for the purpose of explanation (tafsir) to help us to delve deeper into the meanings. Books of tafsir are available in both English, Arabic and many other languages. They offer a deeper explanation of the Qur’anic text providing context, extra narrations (from hadith and other sources), as well as context around revelation of the Qur’an.

Translators that write accompanying works of tafsir will generally expound upon some of their choice of words; as well as providing more in depth translations where a single word isn’t able to capture the meaning of the original Arabic.

Some good works of tafsir in English are:

• The Study Qur’an (with consideration)
• The Majestic Qur’an Translated by Musharraf Hussain
• Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir if you can find a good translation

2.4 Apps & Websites To Read and Explore the Qur’an

As my friend used to lament in Ramadan “Some days I spend more time with Facebook than with Allah’s book!”. There are so many things vying for our attention in the modern world it can be hard to stay focused on what’s truly important and meaningful to us.

A more positive aspect of being surrounded by technology is that we now have such easy access to the Qur’an on our phones, on Spotify, online and in the book itself, we can easily make an effort to introduce it further into our lives.

There are numerous apps we can install and websites we can go to for reading or listening to the Qur’an:

• https://www.quran.com (app + website)
• https://www.quranicaudio.com – Many reciters and downloadable audio-files for each Surah.
• https://quranhive.com/surah/
• Quran Companion (website + app)
• iQuran (android + iOS)
• IslamHouse.com — High quality PDFs of the Arabic text
• Bayan Quran (android + iOS)
• Golden Quran (android + iOS + website)

We can set regular reminders on our phones to read at least one verse of Qu’ran a day. This should only take a few seconds and we may find we’re deeply moved by what we read, always proving pertinent, touching and insightful to our day.

“This is the Scripture in which there is no doubt, containing guidance for those who are mindful of God”

“ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ”— Quran 2:2

2.5 Memorisation of the Qur’an

Finally one of the best ways we can engage with the Qur’an is to continue to memorise some chapters that we can use in our own prayers.

By learning the Qur’an by heart we commit it to our memory and we increase our ability to engage with the Qur’an on a daily basis. It’s much easier to recite the Qur’an throughout our day if we have it memorised. For example if we’re walking along and able to recite a short Surah to bring us some comfort, that’s much easier from memory as compared to reading from a book or phone. What we’re not able to learn by memory we can listen to through headphones and this in turn helps our memorisation in shāʾ Allāh.

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ” خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ”

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The best among you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” — [Sahih]

Memorising the Qur’an doesn’t have to be a monumental task, there are many short chapters that are only a few lines. Once we pick a chapter (surah) to memorise, we should aim to read it several times. We can take a bit of time after each of our daily prayers to recite it again and we should in shāʾ Allāh be able to memorise it.

One way we can also help our friends to help us is to have them test us and to help us in our memorisation, this is a great way for friends to mutually draw closer to Allah and also draw closer to one another in the process.

As we memorise, ideally we can learn the translation at the same time. By understanding what we are reading and reciting we improve our prayers. We understand some meaning from every sentence and this helps us to engage with our prayer (salaat) not just as a routine action, but as an act of submission to Allah where we understand the meaning and the words behind every sentence we utter.

I pray that Allah grants all of us a successful and uplifting Ramadan, may He grant us nearness to Him and forgiveness for any shortcomings and may He make us of those who earn his pleasure and are guided to the straight path.