From The Chaplain’s Desk: Engage With The Quran

The Quran is the divine, eternal, uncreated speech of Allah ﷻ; the Lord and Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything they contain. The Sustainer, the Nourisher, the One Who gives life, and the One Who gives death. It is the last and final revelation sent for the guidance of humanity until the end of times.

The words of Allah ﷻ -the Lord and Creator of the Heavens and Earth- are extremely powerful, profound, heavy, deep, beautiful, eloquent, and awe-inspiring. In order for us to have an idea of how powerful the words of the Quran are, Allah ﷻ gives us an example. He ﷻ tells us,

“If We had sent this Quran down to a mountain, you [Prophet] would have seen it humbled and split apart in its awe of God: We offer people such illustrations so that they may reflect.” [Surah Al-Hashr: 59;21]

This is very powerful and illustrative imagery. A mountain is the largest and strongest physical structure that we can see with our eyes. It is a symbol of ultimate strength and power. Allah ﷻ is telling us that if the Quran would have been sent down to a mountain we would have seen it humble itself and burst apart into fine particles of dust in its awe and reverence for the power and beauty of Allah’s words. If the power, beauty, and eloquence of Allah’s words can do that to a mountain, imagine what it can do to our hearts. 

The Quran is the single greatest miracle, a living miracle, given to the Prophet ﷺ. Part of its miraculous nature is that it can have a profound effect on a person’s heart and mind. The Quran is the absolute most important book in our lives. Because the Quran isn’t simply a book: it is the divine speech of Allah ﷻ – His words revealed to the Prophet ﷺ. It is our primary source of belief, rituals, ethics, morals, principles, laws, and guidance. Our entire lives as Muslims are supposed to revolve around the teachings of the Quran. It is our source of guidance to navigate through the world and live a life that is pleasing to Allah . It is literally our manual for life that we use to build a path toward the Divine. It is our source of inspiration, encouragement, and the tool we use to deal with the different challenges of life. It contains guidance for every single aspect of our lives.

The Quran and its Barakah

The only way for the Quran to serve that role in our lives is if we have a real connection and relationship with it. Our relationship with the book of Allah can’t be superficial. Our relationship with Allah’s Speech has to be real and deep. We are supposed to love His Words just as we are supposed to love Him more than anyone and anything else in this world.

The primary objective of the Quran is to think, ponder, and reflect on its meanings so that we can be reminded. Allah ﷻ tells the Prophet ﷺ,

“This is a blessed book that we have revealed to you, so that they may reflect over its verses and that the people of understanding can be reminded.” [Surah Sad: 38;29]

Allah ﷻ starts this verse by giving a one-word description of the Quran. He describes it with one adjective: blessed. The Quran is blessed in every single aspect; in terms of its words, meanings, laws, guidance, and message.

Part of the blessings of the Quran is that those who are involved in learning and teaching it are considered to be among the best of people. The Prophet ﷺ said,

“The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.”¹https://sunnah.com/bukhari/66/49

Part of the blessings of the Quran is that reciting its words is a source of unimaginable rewards and blessings. The Prophet ﷺ said,

“Whoever recites a letter from the book of God will get one reward and one reward is multiplied by ten. I’m not saying that Alif Laam Meen is one letter, but Alif is a letter, laam is a letter, and meem is a letter.”²https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:999

Part of its blessings is that the Quran will intercede on behalf of its companion on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ said,

“Recite the Quran because it will come as an intercessor on behalf of its companion on the Day of Judgment.”³https://sunnah.com/muslim:804a

Through the blessings of the Quran, Allah ﷻ elevates nations; he gives them honor, dignity, respect, and authority. The Prophet ﷺ said,

“Truly through this Book Allah elevates some nations, and truly though it he lowers others.”⁴https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:218

Meaning, the communities and nations that are connected to the Quran, who recite it regularly, think/ponder/reflect over its meanings, Allah elevates them. However, those nations that have left the Quran, Allah ﷻ lowers them.

There’s absolutely nothing better than being engaged in learning and studying the words of Allah ﷻ. It is a source of tranquility, mercy, blessings, and favor from Allah . The Prophet ﷺ said,

“No people gather together in one of the Houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that sakeenah (tranquility) descends upon them, and mercy envelops them, and the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them amongst those who are with Him.”⁵https://sunnah.com/nawawi40:36

All of that comes from the Quran being mubārak. That is not the main purpose of the Quran however. The main purpose is to think, reflect, and ponder over its verses (al-tadabbur) and to be reminded (al-tadhakkur).

As Allah ﷻ says in the verse in Surah Sad, “So that they may reflect over its verses.” We are supposed to engage with the verses emotionally and intellectually, ponder over their meanings, and extract their meanings and guidance. “And so that the people of understanding can be reminded.” When we read the Quran with consciousness, awareness, and reflection we will be reminded; we will be reminded of the existence, oneness, might, and power of Allah . We’ll be reminded about our purpose in life, that the life of this world is temporary, the life of the hereafter, accountability, judgment, reward and punishment, paradise and hell. We’ll be reminded about what’s right and wrong, and of good character. 

In order to reflect upon the meanings of the Quran and benefit from its reminders we have to have a strong relationship and connection with it. We have to recognize its importance and significance in our daily lives. We have to recognize that the Quran is not simply a book of blessings; it is a book of practical guidance and application. It is a book that is practical and relatable. It speaks to our needs and realities as human beings on this journey of life. That is why we have to learn about the Quran and fall in love with it. We should know its history, preservation, compilation, subject matter, themes, and structure. 

Practical Steps To Engage with the Quran

There’s no better time to start our journey with the Quran than now. I want to leave everyone here today with some practical keys we can use to enrich our engagement with the Quran.

1. Read on a regular and consistent basis – Ideally, we should be reading some portion of the Quran every single day. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The most beloved deeds to Allah ﷻ are those that are regular and consistent even though they may be small.”⁶https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6465 Find a good translation that you can use and that you feel comfortable with. 
2. Experience Emotion – Try to connect to the concepts we’re reading emotionally. For example, when we recite “Alhamdulillah” try to think of all the blessings that we are grateful for.
3. Imagination – try to visualize and imagine what we’re reciting. Can we visualize and imagine the descriptions of Paradise? Visualize the stories of the Prophets and Messengers.
4. Sūrah Overviews – Before reading the Sūrah, learn what the topics, themes, and objectives of that particular chapter are and look for them while reading.
5. Tools – In addition to our own personal reading and reflection, use tools that are available that will provide more details, knowledge, and context. Some examples are:

• Have a tafsir book that we read
• Tafsir Lecture series
• Apps with tafsirs on it
• Classes
• Build a community around learning the Quran

May Allah make it easy for us to truly engage with his Book, and make it the lightness of our hearts. Ameen.

Related reading:

– Before Ramadan: Ten Ways to Renew our Vows with the Quran

– Making Sense Of The Quran Through Journaling