TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE QURAN
Are you one of those people who rarely touches the Qur'an? Or do
you read
daily, but don't find it is having the impact on you that it
should?
Whatever the case may be, these are some simple tips that can help
you connect
with the Qur'an.
Before you touch it, check your heart
The key to really benefiting from the Qur'an is to check your heart
first,before you even touch Allah's book. Ask yourself, honestly,
why you are
reading it. Is it to just get some information and to let it drift
away from
you later? Remember that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him)
was described by his wife as a "walking Qur'an": in other words, he
didn't just
read and recite the Qur'an, he lived it.
2. Do your Wudhu (ablution)
Doing your Wudhu is good physical and mental preparation to remind
you you're
not reading just another book. You are about to interact with God,
so being
clean should be a priority when communicating with Him.
3. Read only 5 minutes everyday
Too often, we think we should read Qur'an for at least one whole
hour. If you
aren't in the habit of reading regularly, this is too much. Start
off with just
five minutes daily. If you took care of step one, InshaAllah, you
will notice
that those five minutes will become ten, then half an hour, then an
hour, and
maybe even more!
4. Make sure you understand what you've read
Five minutes of reading the Qur'an in Arabic is good, but you need
to
understand what you're reading. Make sure you have a good
translation of the
Qur'an in the language you understand best. Always try to read the
translation
of what you've read that day .
5. Remember, the Qur'an is more interactive than a CD
In an age of "interactive" CD-Roms and computer programs, a number
of people
think books are passive and boring. But the Qur'an is not like
that. Remember
that when you read Qur'an, you are interacting with Allah. He is
talking to
you, so pay attention.
6. Don't just read, listen too
There are now many audio cassettes and CDs of the Qur'an, a number
of them with
translations as well. This is great to put on your walkman or your
car's CD or
stereo as you drive to and from work. Use this in addition to your
daily Qur'an
reading, not as a replacement for it.
7. Make Dua (supplication)
Ask Allah to guide you when you read the Qur'an. Your aim is to
sincerely, for
the love of Allah, interact with Him by reading, understanding and
applying His
blessed words. Making Dua to Allah for help and guidance will be
your best tool
for doing this.
