Yet, we all have that desire to have a functional relationship with the Qur’an every day. We want to spend some time reciting it, some time memorizing it and also some time towards listening or reading tafseer (exegesis) to understand it. So how can we practically create a consistent, meaningful relationship with the Book of Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He), when the time we have to invest in it is so little?

1)     If we make something a priority for ourselves, we will be able to make time for it.

Allah (swt) says, “And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways,” (Qur’an, 29:69). Meaning that Allah (swt) requires us to put in the effort for Him to make our matter easy for us. Once He sees that we are sincerely trying and our actions can prove that, He will place blessing in our time and open it up for us.

The reality is, the reason we have time for everything that we make time for is because we have placed a certain level of importance to it that creates within us the urgency to get that task done. If we place importance on Fajr (pre-sunrise) prayer, we will make sure we take the means to facilitate it for ourselves—even if those means are setting up multiple alarms, having a friend do a wake-up call, or anything else. Likewise, if we mean to make the Qur’an a priority in our lives, we will be able to carve out 15-20 minutes daily to spend time with it. This isn’t to belittle any of our daily responsibilities or commitments but rather to place the Qur’an along the same level of importance as them.

2)     We don’t need to jump into everything all at once!

The Messenger ﷺ (peace and blessings upon him) said: “The acts most pleasing to Allah are those which are done continuously, even if they are small.”

There is so much wisdom in this statement of the Messenger ﷺ.  A lot of times, when we are motivated to do something, especially when it comes to learning an aspect of our religion, we get on a spiritual high. That spiritual high causes us to get involved in one too many things, study too much all at once or volunteer too much. It creates in us a zest that in turn creates an unsustainable system. The eventual end is that we burn out and fail to accomplish anything and are left unmotivated to start again due to the negative experience. The better and more effective way to approach this is to take on a little at a time and establish a system within our life that is sustainable.

So how can we do this with the Qur’an? There are many ways. For example, start off by making time after Fajr prayer or after Isha’ (night) prayer, the two times you are most likely to be at home. Start by reading half a page of Qur’an on a consistent basis. If you are already doing that, move on up to a page or two pages. If you drive to work or school, use that time to listen to Qur’an in the car. Find a reciter or two whose voice you like, fill up your mp3 player and use that time to listen to the Qur’an. If you commute on public transportation, pop on some headphones and listen as you are getting to and from work/school. Mix it up so you don’t get tired out; maybe listen to recitation on the way to work and listen to a tafseer podcast on the way back.

The goal here is not do it for the sake of doing it. Rather it is to make this a part of your lifestyle and routine so that it becomes part of your day subconsciously as opposed to something you need to remember to do. Once it is a part of your lifestyle, it becomes easy to sustain. This takes time but it is definitely doable. Remember, little by little with consistency!

3)     Build a support system around ourselves

I remember back in college one of the main reasons some brothers finished memorizing Qur’an while going to school full-time and working was because they had a support system. Every day, without fail, these brothers would meet, sit and spend 15-20 minutes reciting to each other whatever they had memorized the night before, even if it was during midterms or finals. If they hadn’t memorized anything new, they would just review. Slowly but surely, each of them completed memorization. When asked about what helped them with that, they said it was because each time they felt like they were about to burn out they had that support system which pushed each other ahead towards completion.

Try to find friends who you can create a support system with at school or outside. If you are married and working full-time, make reciting Qur’an a couple’s thing—something that you do to get closer to Allah (swt) together. If you have kids, make it a family thing after Isha’ (bonus: this then becomes part of your children’s lifestyle as well!). Initiate something with your parents. The point is, it is possible to create a support system around you that can help you progress with your relationship with the Qur’an and it is very helpful to have one.

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These are three simple tips on carving out times in our daily lives for the Qur’an. It is by no means exhaustive, but I believe that implementing each of these one by one will have an effect in creating time and place for the Qur’an in our daily lives. The reality is that we all have unique schedules, multiple commitments and responsibilities. Yet, prioritizing and creating time for the Qur’an in our lives is still within our grasp. The beauty of the Qur’an is that once it takes a hold in our lives and really becomes part of us through recitation, reflection and memorization, through its blessings, Allah (swt) places blessing in our time and in our day in ways that we would not have experienced otherwise. May Allah (swt) help us in becoming strong companions of the Qur’an!

So how can we protect ourselves from being caught in such a spiritually destructive cycle? We find that in Islam, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) has – after making the vast majority of the world permissible for us to enjoy as a blessing – placed certain inherent checks in our lives by way of our `ibadah (worship) to properly mediate us. These acts of worship, if observed correctly, prevent us from becoming enslaved to anything other than Him and therein lies true spiritual freedom.

Our 5 daily prayers are a way to curb over-attachment to anything material. The five prayers regulate our lives with their specific timings to teach us that indeed God is greater than anything else that we might be occupied in at that moment. The dawn prayer teaches us that the most beloved thing to us, comfort and sleep, should not control us – so we rise up in the cold morning, wash ourselves and pray in an acknowledgement that God is greater than our love of comfort and sleep. The midday and afternoon prayer teaches us that no matter how engrossed we are with work or the short lunch hour that we so highly value, it’s not the purpose of our existence. So we leave it for a few minutes and stand and pray testifying that God is indeed greater. On Friday, we dedicate most, if not all of our lunch hour to attend the Friday sermon and prayer. The dusk prayer, that time when we’re finally home and about to spend time with our family, eat dinner or simply relax – we get up and pray together to confirm that God is Greater than any of that. Finally the night prayer, Isha’ – when we’re tired after a long day of work and responsibilities ready to fall into bed and sleep, we pray again proving that submitting to God is greater than falling into the warm bed. All these serve as constant reminders to us that as much as we love life, we live for a higher purpose. Conversely, if we’re having a terrible day, these spiritual checkpoints save us from a fatalistic outlook and serve to remind us that there’s always something more and our problems are not the permanent.

In the prayer, we also recite the Qur’an, which if we truly understand what we are reciting, will only serve to increase our spiritual well-being. Imam Shatibi, in his poem on the recitations of the Qur’an, ‘Hirz al-Aamani’ writes about the spiritual state of the person who recites the Qur’an. He explains that such an individual, one who is connected to the Qur’an and is sincere in it, is truly spiritually free. The occupation with the Qur’an, in its recitation, in learning its meanings, in contemplation upon its glad tidings and warnings, all coupled with sincerity to please Allah (swt), keeps him free from becoming overly attached to worldly things until such an individual meets his Lord.

Likewise, the other three pillars teach us a similar lesson. When we fast from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadan, without a drop of food and water, especially in the long, hot summer days, this is teaching us to remove our attachment for food and water. By making what is normally permissible, impermissible for a limited time, God teaches us to subjugate our lower desires and focus instead on our spiritual wellbeing. There is a profound sense of freedom and inner strength that is felt when one is fasting – it is a freedom from being a slave, not just of food or water or conjugal relations, but from the inner desire that is present within all of us to satisfy ourselves. It raises us close to the status of angels who are free of these desires.

Zakat (charity) teaches us freedom from attachment to our monetary wealth. By giving away a small percentage of our wealth, we are being reminded that the wealth we own is not really owned by us at all. It’s a change of perspective – and this is why whenever God asks us to spend in the Qur’an, He always says, ‘Spend from that which We have given you’ – reminding us that we are no more than managers of wealth that was given to us, the true owner of which is God Almighty. Wealth also gives us a false sense of security; by tapping into that human aspect, God teaches us that true security is with Him, not in our monetary value or assets. This is also highlighted in the Prophetic saying, “Charity does not decrease wealth” – though in terms of the immediate, money once given away is no longer with us, but what we have gained spiritually is far greater, in addition to the rewards promised by God for giving charity. Hajj, the fifth pillar is in reality a combination of all the above since it’s requires physical, spiritual and monetary fortitude to perform.

Sometimes, in the ritualistic nature of performing these acts of worship, we make them habitual which leads to a decreased spiritual impact. We tend to forget the deeper implications, and this is why we don’t notice much spiritual progress. By taking a step back and reflecting on the meaning of the acts of worship we perform, we realize clearly that these are not just something we do arbitrarily. There is immediate and long-term spiritual benefit there for us. It therefore becomes important that we stop and take some time to reflect on our acts of `ibaadah to revitalize their meaning and significance within our lives. They will then truly become cornerstones of our spirituality and become something we look forward to consistently.

Using Honored Titles When Addressing Him

Through reading the Qur’an, we will instantly realize that when addressing His Prophets and Messengers, Allah (swt) calls upon them directly by name. For example, He says ‘”O Noah, indeed he is not of your family…” [Qur’an 11: 46] and He says, “O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and My words [to you]…” [Qur’an 7:144] When we address someone, it is a sign of respect that we take their name when calling upon them as opposed to saying something like, “Hey man.” However, when we want to address someone with an even higher level of respect and mannerism, we don’t address them by their name, we address them by their respected title. For example, we say, “Mr. President” or “Mr. Senator” indicative of the respect given to them because of their high position. Likewise, Allah (swt) when He addresses the Messenger ﷺ, does not address him directly by name – rather He addresses the Messenger with the honorific title and position that he ﷺ holds, “O Messenger” and “O Prophet”.

In this is a lesson to the believers of the mannerism of speaking to (and by extension about) the Messenger ﷺ. Indeed, elsewhere in the Qur’an, Allah (swt) rebukes some of the Bedouins that came to the Messenger ﷺ and called out to him from behind his apartments, “O Muhammad, come out to us,” by saying that ‘most of them have no intelligence’. Allah (swt) is teaching the believers a lesson about the level of manner and respect required when addressing the Prophet ﷺ and by extension his sunnah (traditions) and ahadeeth (narrations) which are what are with us today. If Allah (swt) does not address His Messenger directly out of respect, but chooses to address him ﷺ with honor, the believers need to pay attention and take a lesson from this and adopt a similar level of respect towards him ﷺ.

Sometimes, in our haste to quote the Messenger ﷺ, we tend to forget the level of respect that is imperative. There are multiple instances in the Qur’an where Allah (swt) has commanded the believers to watch how they speak to the Messenger ﷺ and, specifically, to lower their voices when addressing him ﷺ. For example, Allah (swt) says in Surat an-Nur, “Do not make the calling of the Messenger between yourselves as the call of one you to another…” [Qur’an 24:63] and in Surat  al-Hujurat , “O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet or be loud to him in speech like the loudness of some of you to others, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not.”[Qur’an 49:2]. This does not mean that we don’t mention his hadeeth or anything like that; rather, it is teaching us the mannerism that ought to be present when doing so.

The early Muslims when deciding to take ahadeeth from an individual would look, in addition to everything else, the mannerism that he would show when narrating the hadeeth towards the Prophet ﷺ. It is known that Imam Malik (rahimahu allah, may God be pleased with him) would not narrate hadeeth to his students until he had bathed, dressed himself in his best clothes and perfumed himself out of respect and honor towards the Messenger ﷺ. As such, we should aim to instill this adab in our hearts as well.

Do not put yourselves before Allah and His Messenger

Allah (swt) addresses the believers in Surah al Hujurat saying,

[O you who believe, do not put yourselves forth before Allah (swt) and His Messenger…] [Qur’an 49:1]

In this ayah, Allah (swt) is giving the believers a command that they do not place themselves, either by their speech or actions, ahead of Allah (swt) and His Messenger ﷺ. This is a warning to the believers to understand their position in relation to Allah (swt) and His Messenger ﷺ, that they do not hastily lead themselves to saying something or doing something before Allah (swt) has commanded it or against what has been commanded. However, if we reflect upon this ayah, it leads to the question that, how can an individual place himself before Allah (swt) at all? After all, Allah (swt) is the Lord of the heavens and the Earth, and therefore it is inconceivable that an individual would be able to do anything that Allah (swt) is unaware of. If anything, it is conceivable that an individual can put himself before the Messenger ﷺ, intentionally or unintentionally – so why mention Allah (swt)? The scholars of tafseer (exegesis) explain this beautiful point by saying that the reason Allah (swt) is mentioning Himself first is to honor the Messenger ﷺ by placing his name ﷺ alongside Allah’s name. Meaning that, just as you would not put yourself before Allah (swt), likewise you are not to put yourself before the Messenger ﷺ. By mentioning Himself with the Messenger ﷺ, Allah (swt) is elevating the status of the Messenger ﷺ and equating disobedience to him ﷺ as disobedience to Allah, as Allah (swt) says elsewhere in the Qur’an, [whoever obeys the Messenger, has obeyed Allah]. [Qur’an 4:80]

“Your Lord has not forsaken you nor is He displeased”

In the early part of the seerah (biography of the Prophet ﷺ), after the Messenger ﷺ received the first revelation, there was a period in which revelation completely ceased for a period of time. This time was difficult for the Messenger ﷺ as he was afraid that since nothing further had come down, Allah (swt) might be displeased with him ﷺ. This led him to worry for a period of time.

To console His Messenger ﷺ, Allah (swt) sent down Surah Duha and through it, He consoled the heart of the Messenger ﷺ. Out of the entire surah, the ayah that strikes the heart is the subtlety of the third one when Allah (swt) says, “Your Lord has not forsaken you nor is He displeased.” [Qur’an 93:3]. Allah (swt) here is informing His Messenger ﷺ to not worry because Allah (swt) has not forsaken him and that He has not left him alone. If we reflect on the second part of the ayah, Allah (swt) says, “nor is He displeased.” The obvious question would be, displeased with whom or displeased with what? The ‘who’ or ‘what’ has been left out and the scholars of tafseer give us the reason for it. The surah itself in its entirety is addressed to the Messenger ﷺ – yet in this particular part of the Surah, where Allah mentions His Displeasure, He (swt) leaves out addressing the Messenger ﷺ directly. This is out of respect and honor towards the Messenger ﷺ because Allah (swt) does not even want to mention the Messenger ﷺ close to mentioning His displeasure. So He simply says, “nor is He displeased” and leaves it at that because out of His immense love for the Messenger ﷺ, it is inconceivable that Allah (swt) will be anything but pleased with him ﷺ.

There are many, many other instances in the Qur’an where this love and respect to the Messenger ﷺ is shown and each is a lesson on its own. Allah (swt) has a truly special way of addressing His beloved Messenger in the Qur’an. What we should try to take away from this is implementing the adab and respect in our own lives towards the Messenger ﷺ whenever we speak about him ﷺ, mention his seerah, or quote ahadeeth. This is what we have from him ﷺ today and it is equivalent in the level of adab and respect it requires. Sometimes we might get carried away and start quoting hadeeth to each other back and forth to prove a certain point or refute someone – but when was the last time that we thought about the mannerism we are employing when quoting the statements of the Messenger ﷺ? If Allah (swt) Himself addresses His Messenger ﷺ with such respect, it is only imperative after all that we too show the same level of respect and honor when we mention him ﷺ.

“And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people” (Qur’an 3:140)

If we think back to the deep truth conveyed in this verse we will find that this is indeed a reality that we experience daily. Allah (swt) tells us that, throughout our lives, we will always experience circumstances that will challenge us, change us, and cause us to reflect upon our response to each. With the justice of Allah (swt), these conditions alternate among mankind so that no one person experiences constant happiness while another experiences constant hardship or sadness.

For a believer, it is even more imperative to be aware of these alternating conditions in life and to have a proper attitude towards them so we can derive benefit from every situation and aim to please Allah (swt) through them. So what behavior should a submitter to Allah (swt) hold through this ever-changing life?

“Have you not considered how Allah presents an example, [making] a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches [high] in the sky? It produces its fruit all the time, by permission of its Lord. And Allah presents examples for the people that perhaps they will be reminded.” (Qur’an 14:24-5)

Allah (swt) presents an example of the ‘good word’, which is the statement of faith (‘There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) is His Messenger’) that it is like a ‘good tree’ which has certain qualities. According to many of the scholars of tafseer (exegesis), the ‘good tree’ with its specific qualities is a reference to the believer who affirms the statement of faith. Narrated Ibn `Umar that the Prophet ﷺ said, “There is a tree among the trees which is similar to a Muslim (in goodness), and that is the date palm tree.” [Bukhari]

Allah (swt) informs us that this tree is not ordinary; rather it is a strong, firm tree whose roots extend deep into the Earth. Likewise, the believer needs to work to have his ‘roots’ deeply and firmly established by having a strong connection with Allah (swt). Salah (the 5 daily prayers), recitation and pondering upon the Qur’an, and seeking guidance in the seerah (story) of the Prophet ﷺ  are excellent ways to establish and strengthen our roots. The branches of this tree are described as being really high, as if they’re reaching far into the sky. One of the benefits of the branches is that it provides shade to those under it, and to the believer.

In addition, a tree that has the aforementioned qualities has to be mature, having gone through the process of growing up to reach such a height, strength, and firmness of foundation. And such is the believer—he does not have super strong imaan overnight. He goes through the process of growing his imaan (faith) and little by little it eventually strengthens. As the tree requires constant rain fall to grow and mature, the believer requires constant ‘watering’ of his heart to cultivate the growth and strengthening of imaan. As the tree can only grow with pure water, such is the heart of the believer which demands pure substances to penetrate it for proper nourishment.

Lastly, this tree is not dry without any benefit, as Allah (swt) says that it constantly produces fruits and benefits its environment regardless of the weather or season and it does so by the permission of its Lord. Likewise the believer who establishes his roots and matures in his imaan becomes a source of benefit at all times to those around him. The tree gives its fruits consistently – in rain or shine, wind or thunder, summer or winter. It is steadfast and patient through all the different seasons and situations it encounters throughout its life due to the qualities it has acquired and embellished. This is what the believer aims to do as well, to remain connected to Allah (swt) throughout the seasons of life.

Connecting back to how our lives are constantly experiencing changes, we can now answer the initial question: what behavior should a submitter to Allah (swt) hold through this ever-changing life?  He must hold firm in his roots and stand tall, he must constantly seek to water his heart with what is pure in order to strengthen his roots and soul, and he must finally aim to be of constant benefit to his environment and to those around him. If we aim to instill these qualities within ourselves, the constant changes within our lives will cease to be a source of distress; rather they will transform into sources of strength and will define us and in turn become causes of closeness to Allah (swt). As the Messenger ﷺ  said, ‘Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it.’ [Muslim]

(c) Rehan Shaikh

Knowingly or unknowingly, we all sin and make mistakes. This is something from our nature as human beings that we will never be able to completely overcome. We all fall into that second look or say a white lie or miss a salah (prayer). While we may repent from the sin after, an aspect that is generally forgotten are the very real effects sins have in our lives.

It is from the sunnah (tradition) of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) that He establishes balance and justice. When we sin, we’re transgressing against ourselves, and transgression by definition is an imbalance. This is why in the famous ayah (verse) in Surah Zumar where Allah (swt) tells us not to despair of His Mercy, He doesn’t say, ‘O My slaves who have committed many sins,’ but rather He says, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves‘ (Qur’an 39:53)—highlighting that sin is a transgression and it is against one’s own self.

In order to rectify the imbalance caused by sins, harm may affect a person as a consequence. This is alluded to many times in the Qur’an; for example, Allah (swt) says, “And whatever strikes you of disaster – it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much,” (Qur’an 42:30). And He says, “…but what comes to you of evil, [O man], is from yourself […]” (Qur’an 4:79). The Messenger ﷺ  (peace be upon him) also indicated the cause and effect relationship between sinning and harm in the following narration, “A man is deprived of provision because of the sins that he commits,” (Ibn Maajah, Hasan).

It is important to realize this relationship between sins and the problems in our lives because a lot of times as humans we tend to deflect the cause of something harmful to someone or something other than ourselves. True, it may be that the harm originated from a source other than us, but it may be that the reason it originated in the first place was the sin we committed. We forget that whatever is happening to us may in fact be a result of a sin that we regarded as insignificant. It is rare that we attribute something evil befalling us as a consequence of our own disobedience to Allah (swt). The Companions and the early Muslims had this understanding of the effects of sin and would actively engage in seeking tawbah (repentence) in order to wipe them out. They understood the reality of actions and the way they affected one’s life.

This is highlighted in their statements and actions. For example, in the famous poem of Imam Shafi’i where he complains to his teacher about bad memory in seeking knowledge, he is advised to cease sin. And Imam Abu Hanifa, when he would be confronted by a fiqh (jurisprudence) issue that he was unable to conclude, would attribute his inability to decipher it to a sin that he had committed and would consequently get up and pray two units of prayer in repentance. In fact, the understanding of this reality was so deep with the early Muslims that they would say that if they disobeyed Allah (swt), they would see the result of their disobedience in the attitudes of their spouses. This understanding of the effects of sin is elaborated further by Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allahu `anhu (may Allah be pleased with him) who said,

“Good deeds make the face light, give light to the heart and bring about ample provision, physical strength, and love in people’s hearts. Evil deeds make the face dark, give darkness to the heart, and bring about physical weakness, lack of provision and hatred in people’s hearts.”

This statement is interesting because he draws a parallel between the effects of sins and the effects of good deeds. Good deeds result in good whereas evil deeds beget evil. This is a Qur’anic principle as Allah (swt) says,  “Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life […]” (Qur’an 16:97) and He says “And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed life […] ” (Qur’an 20:124).

If we engage in deep self-reflection and self-audit and analyze the problems in our lives, we will definitely find that most of them are a result of our sins. It is important that we try and instill this understanding of the effects of sins within ourselves so that we can actively try to cease from them. It can be asked though, why allow harm to result from sin in this life? Allah (swt) informs us of the wisdom behind this,

“Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].” (Qur’an 30:41)

The profound truth is that the reason we are harmed by sins in our lives is that it is in fact a Mercy from Allah (swt). Why? To get us to return back to Him in repentance. Would it be better that He allowed us to continue sinning inconsequently and then took us to account altogether on the Day of Judgment? Or is it better that He (swt) gives us some problems as a result of our sins so that we can reflect and return to Him by making tawbah? Going back to the earlier point about balance, it is important to understand as well that the harms that come to us as a result of our sins are the very expiation of our sins. Aisha (ra) narrated that the Messenger ﷺ  said,

“No trouble comes to a believer even if it is the pricking of a thorn that it becomes (the means) whereby his sins are effaced or his sins are obliterated.” [Muslim]

Taking all this into account, we can understand that our sins (and our good deeds) have a spiritual consequence that translates into our daily lives even if it is not apparent. The benefit of this is that it will allow us to i) put in more effort to stop sinning; ii) to accurately analyze the problems and harms that befall us so that we can see if it is because of our sins and react accordingly; iii) to actively engage in tawbah and istighfaar (seeking forgiveness) to return to Allah (swt); and iv) to increase in good deeds. Instilling this into ourselves will help us think twice before committing a sin and remove hesitation in doing good deeds. This will, insha’Allah (God willing), allow us to have a closer relationship with Allah (swt) as well as make us more aware and conscious of our actions.

With Ramadan drawing closer to us, preparations for the month of fasting are already underway. The brothers who will be leading taraweeh (optional night prayers during Ramadan), the huffadh (those who have memorized the Qur’an), are revising their memorization to get ready to lead, making sure they’ll be in top form with their memorization. Others are preparing themselves spiritually to welcome the month by increasing in good deeds, reciting more Qur’an, and increasing in their remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). In fact, early preparations for Ramadan is the way of the Companions as they would begin getting ready months in advance in order to be in top shape—physically and spiritually—to maximize the benefit they gain from the month.

Personally, I’ve noticed the difference for myself in the years where I consciously prepared for taraweeh as opposed to the ones where I jumped right in without any actual preparation. The years where the preparation was done beforehand were a lot more beneficial, and looking back, a lot more memorable. In the spirit of the Companions radi Allahu ‘anhum (may God be pleased with them), who would prepare early for Ramadan, here are some practical items we can do starting now that will help us maximize our time spent in taraweeh.One of the highlights of Ramadan in addition to fasting is taraweeh, in which long portions of the Qur’an are recited. This practice, where the entire Qur’an is generally completed in the extra prayers at night by the end of the month, is an excellent opportunity for the community to increase in their relationship with the Qur’an. Because taraweeh is something that most of us will engage in for a couple of hours each night in Ramadan, it is important that we try to maximize the benefit we can reap from it so that it becomes more than just a nightly habit; rather, it becomes a conscious action that allows us to interact with the Qur’an as we stand in prayer.

Get in check with your post-Isha Salah (prayer) activities

Since we’ll be spending roughly two to three hours at the Masjid in Ramadan from ‘Isha salah (obligatory night prayer), to taraweeh, to Witr (optional nightly prayer), a good way to prepare ourselves for that would be to start going to the Masjid for ‘Isha if we don’t already do so. If we are already in the habit of praying ‘Isha at the masjid, then spending 10-15 more minutes after salah engaged in extra prayers or reciting Qur’an will help us in our transition when Ramadan begins. This is going to help spiritually prepare us for the increased ‘ibaadah (worship) as well as help set up a routine that will be easy to expand once Ramadan starts. It is quite difficult to break our daily routine out of the blue and maintain a new routine for an entire month—so in order to make that easier, it is helpful to redefine our evening routine to accommodate a bit of what we will engage in during Ramadan for those evening hours.

Review the Qur’an

Because taraweeh is all about the Qur’an, the best way to get ready for it, and by extension the month of Ramadan itself, would be to recite more of the Qur’an daily. This will help open our hearts and familiarize ourselves with parts of the Qur’an that we might not know. It’s quite difficult to not be in the habit of reciting or listening to the Qur’an on a regular basis and then suddenly jump into it. Because of this, a lot of times what happens is that the first few nights of Ramadan are full of zeal and we’re going all out but as we get used to the month we begin to slack. The energy that was present in the first few nights begins to wear down. The best way to avoid such a dip is to be proactive and preventative by establishing a relationship with the Qur’an before so that maintaining consistency during the month will be easier. This goes back to the last point since increasing the time spent in the masjid will make it easier to spend longer periods of time there during Ramadan.

Become Familiar with the Meaning of What is Going to be Recited

Keeping in mind this definition, we can see that day in and day out, we are all constant recipients of mercy and always will be because our very existence is a mercy from Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). No matter in what state we are in, we are always receiving mercy in some form or other, even if it passes us by without our recognition. If our situation is pleasant, than that is from the Mercy of Allah (swt), and if it is not so great, it is still a mercy from Him because it could have been much worse.

This is important to keep in mind because it allows us to become more aware of ourselves and our lives and the constant blessings we enjoy as a result of Allah (swt)’s mercy on us. From small things that we overlook, such as our breathing that happens naturally or our heartbeat, to more significant instances of mercy such as being guided to Islam, faith, and being from the nation of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him).

All of this stems from Allah (swt)—and one of His Names is Ar-Rahman—the most Merciful. Rahman denotes completeness, extensiveness, and prevalence of the attribute of mercy. Therefore, it makes sense that one of the oft-repeated names of Allah (swt) is Ar-Rahman. Allah (swt) says,

“Say, ‘Call upon Allah (swt) or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call – to Him belong the best names.'” [Qur’an 17:110]

This name occurs very often in the Qur’an, and we recite it every day in our prayers when we recite the Opening chapter. In the chapter named after this Name of Allah (swt), Ar-Rahman, Allah (swt) speaks about His Mercy and gives many examples of it to the reader. We are reminded of our creation, our language and ability to communicate, the food which sustains us, the water which quenches our thirst, and more. Yet, the most interesting thing here is that preceding all of these examples of mercy, immediately at the beginning of the chapter, right after mentioning Himself as the Most Merciful, Allah (swt) mentions the greatest and foremost example of His Mercy. He says,

“The Most Merciful taught the Qur’an,” [Qur’an 55:1-2]

Before even mentioning that He created us, He gives the greatest example of His Mercy: that He taught us the Qur’an. This mercy is greater than anything else because in this act of mercy of teaching us the Qur’an, the entire scope of mercy is captured. The Qur’an is a form of compassion because it guides us to our success in this life and the Hereafter. It is something to be grateful for as it gives us the opportunity to protect ourselves from harm. It is a cause for thanks because it relieves the hearts from suffering and anxiety. The one who recognizes this and takes it as a guide is the one who will be successful like Allah (swt) says,

“Indeed, this Qur’an guides to that which is most suitable and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward.” [Qur’an 17:9]

The very next verse says, “He created the human being.” – This raises an interesting question: to teach the Qur’an, humans need to have been created first because they are the ones being taught the Qur’an. Why mention us second then? If we think about it, isn’t it possible that Allah (swt) could have, if He wished, created us and left us to do as we wished without giving us guidance? He could have; and as humans we gravitate towards our desires, and they would have consumed us and lead us to the Fire. By mentioning the Qur’an first, Allah (swt) is highlighting that giving us the tool that would guide us and enlighten us to the purpose of our creation is more of a mercy than creating us and leaving us without guidance.

It is very interesting to note that Allah (swt) does not say in Surah al-Rahman that He ‘gave’ us the Qur’an or that He ‘revealed’ or ‘sent down’ the Qur’an as He does in other places. Rather, He says that He ‘taught’ it. This gives some deep implications. The first is the constant relationship between the Qur’an and Allah (swt)—meaning that we are always dependent upon Allah (swt) when it comes to the Qur’an. Knowledge of it isn’t something that we can gain on our own but it if we learn anything from it, then it is a direct consequence of His Mercy on us. The teacher we study Qur’an from, whether it is recitation, grammatical analysis, or commentary, learned it from his teacher who learned from his teacher. This chain continues back to the Companions, who learned from the Prophet ﷺ, who was taught by the Angel Jibreel who received the Qur’an from Allah (swt)—the source of knowledge will always be Allah (swt).

The second is that when one teaches another, there are two roles automatically being assumed, that of the teacher and that of the student. By saying He taught us the Qur’an, Allah (swt) is putting Himself in the role of the teacher and we are the students. A student is to recognize his role, his lack of knowledge and humble himself before his teacher—this is how Allah (swt) wants us to approach the Qur’an, with humility and an open mind eager to learn. He is teaching us the Qur’an out of His Mercy so that we can learn how to protect ourselves from the Fire and enter Paradise. Receiving guidance is a direct consequence of the manner and attitude of the one approaching the Qur’an. Humility in approaching it leads to guidance and arrogance to misguidance.

Another implication is that, if we choose to become students of the Qur’an, we are in for a journey that lasts a lifetime. We will constantly be learning. The source of all knowledge is the Qur’an and everything revolves around it. We should try and adopt this attitude of making our days a constant journey of learning the Qur’an in order to actualize the greatest of Allah (swt)’s Mercy within our lives.

It is important that we seek to secure parts of this mercy everyday so that we can illuminate our life with guidance. By becoming students of the Qur’an we are taking advantage of the greatest mercy that Allah (swt) has honored us with. If we want to become from the best of people, then the recipe is very simple, given to us by the Messenger ﷺ:

‘The best among you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.’ [Bukhaari]

How many times has the following happened to us?

We’re driving down the highway and suddenly, a car swerves in front of us and cuts us off causing us to swear as we swerve sharply out of the way. Or we’re late for work or class and we’re being pushed into the packed bus at rush hour. Someone steps on our foot really hard and we mutter, “#$@!#@”—swearing out of frustration. Or someone did something that really got under our skin and we decide to express our anger at them using the choicest of swear words.

It happens to all of us sometimes. In the heat of the moment we’re not aware of what is coming out of our mouths and sometimes, the words that do come out are not befitting of a servant of God to utter. It is at these times that we need to be extra mindful of what we are saying precisely because this is when we lose control over our tongue. Everything we utter, no matter how insignificant we believe it to be, is being written down by the angels and will be shown to us on the Day of Judgment:

“Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].” (Qur’an 50:18)

Our speech is part of our actions and we will be questioned about what we say.  Therefore, it is imperative that we try to keep our speech clean and modest. It is not correct for a servant of God, who knows that his Master is watching him, to speak immodestly. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ (peace be upon him) said,

“A true believer does not taunt or curse or abuse or talk indecently.” ((At-Tirmidhi))

If we are in the habit of losing control and speaking immodest words, can we guarantee that those words that come out of our mouths won’t be our last? What if they are our last?

Imagine that the car that cuts you off on the highway bumps into you and throws you straight into oncoming traffic—and imagine that as you’re losing control of your car and about to run head-on into another, you say the first thing that comes to your mind. What do you want to say at this point? Do you want to remember God and say, “La ilaha illallah (none is worthy of worship except God),” knowing that the one who does so as his final words enters Paradise ((The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “He whose last words are: `La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah)’ will enter Jannah.”)) ? Or do you want to swear? Of course, we all want to remember God in those moments but what we forget is that in those situations, we don’t have control of our tongue. Our body takes over and we’re in auto drive. What is within us, the reality of who we are in our heart of hearts, is what comes out. If we are people who remember God often and are constantly in dhikr (remembrance of God) and reciting Qur’an with our tongues, we will be blessed with the ability to say the dhikr and recite the Qur’an at those moments as well. If, on the other hand, our tongues are used to resorting to foul language, then we will by default use that language and it may so happen that those become our final words.

Breaking the Habit

To break the habit of using foul language is not difficult, but it requires a conscious effort. If we train ourselves daily to be engaged in dhikr, even if it is something simple such as uttering, “Alhamdullilah (All praise belongs to God),” or “Subhanallah (God is free of all imperfections),” whenever we can, we can begin to replace the swear words with the words of remembrance. Memorizing Qur’an is also helpful because memorization requires repetition. If we do this, we are not only getting the reward of remembering God but we are also cleaning our hearts and tongues of the darkness of foul language. This will allow us to be conscious of what our tongues are saying and we will be able to catch ourselves before we accidently swear.

“Indeed, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearl, and their garments therein will be silk.  And they had been guided [in worldly life] to good speech, and they were guided to the path of the Praiseworthy.” (Qur’an 22:23-24)

Good, pure speech in this life is a cause of being admitted into Paradise because it is a sign of a good and pure heart. The words that appear on our tongues are only a manifestation of what is in our hearts. A heart that is aware of God and a tongue that is moist with the remembrance of God will not turn from something so noble to something so low. It is a sign of nobility that one does not use foul speech. In the above verse, God equates good speech to being guided on the path towards Him and the reward described in the previous verse is given to those people who uttered the testimony of faith and followed that up with pure speech—a sign of their pure hearts.

Imagine that every time we used inappropriate language, we remembered God instead. We can begin to do that and resolve to purify our tongues. Once our tongues are used to remembering God frequently, no matter how intense a situation, our tongues and hearts will immediately revert to His remembrance and our tongues will only utter that which is pure. And the amazing thing about this is that, regardless of where we are or what we are doing, we will constantly be in a state of worship and as a result, if God wills, we will be counted amongst those who receive the reward mentioned in the verse above, all by simply purifying our tongues.

“I heard the Messenger of Allah recite ‘Surah Al Tur’ in the Maghrib prayer, and when he got to the verses “Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? No, but they have no firm Belief. Or are with them the treasures of your Lord? Or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like?” [Qur’an 52:35-37], my heart wanted to fly from my body out of awe.” ((Tafsir Ibn Kathir 4/309))

These and many other such examples lead to the conclusion that clearly the Qur’an is supposed to have a powerful effect on the listener. It is meant to change us for the better, cause us to be humble before the Words of our Creator and move our hearts. But all that comes when we understand what the Qur’an is saying to us. So why is it that we cannot experience the Qur’anic narrative the way they did? Why do we not feel what Jubayr radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) felt in salah (prayer) when he heard the Qur’an being recited? What can we do to help ourselves taste at least some of what they tasted from the Qur’an? The fact is that most of us do not have the time to sit down full-time and dedicate ourselves to learning the Arabic language or the intricacies of balagha (rhetoric). It is not practical to forego our responsibilities and commitments and set out to master the Arabic language and detailed explanation (tafseer). However, there are certain practical steps after forming sincere intentions and du`aa (supplication) that we can take on a daily basis that can help us come closer to the Qur’an and its message.

1. Make the Qur’an a part of our daily life. We can the take the time to understand the chapters we recite in our daily prayers. A lot of us know many of the short chapters from the 30th part of the Qur’an, so that is a good place to begin and work backwards. Take some time daily, even if it is 10-15 minutes, to sit down and engage the Qur’an. Read the translation, listen to or read some commentary on the chapter and try to memorize it as well. Take some time to reflect on the verses and what Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) is saying and how it relates to you and your life. The next time you stand up and recite that chapter in prayer or hear someone reciting it, you will have a much deeper connection to it because of the time you invested in seeking to understand. You’ll be able to experience the Qur’an in a whole new way.
2. Dedicate some time daily or weekly to learning Arabic. The keys to truly experiencing the Qur’an lie in learning the Arabic language. It opens a whole new dimension to the Qur’an and allows you to feel the profound subtleties that are embedded in the text. Even with a basic understanding of the language, you will experience the Qur’an on a completely different level. A lot of times we get scared away from learning it because we feel studying Arabic needs our full attention. We put it off until such a time that we think we’ll be ready to dedicate hours to it daily. The thing is, we don’t have to give up everything and dedicate ourselves to studying Arabic full time, nor is it practical to do so for the majority of people. Instead, with the many available resources today such as videos on YouTube or self-study books, a lot of progress can be achieved with putting in a small amount of time, even ten minutes a day. All it requires is dedication, focus, and consistency. A common pitfall usually is focusing on too much at the same time, which leads to getting overwhelmed and burning out. Instead, taking it easy, focusing on one resource, mastering it, and then moving on to another will be of much more benefit. Once we start to comprehend the language, the Qur’an will open itself up in a completely new dimension.

These are two practical steps that we can begin to implement in our lives to help us come closer to the Qur’an. It is not required of every one of us to become scholars, rather what is required of all of us is to experience the ayaat (verses, lit. signs) of the Qur’an. We are asked to make the effort to come closer to it in order that we can better ourselves, and as a result, better our families and communities. The Companions were not all memorizers of the Qur’an, nor were all of them scholars but what they had in common was that when they heard the Qur’an, it had an impact on them. It changed them into better people. It had a practical impact in their life, in their attitude, and it deepened their insight. It touched their hearts each time they heard it, even if it was the same verse they had listened to and knew from before. With some effort on our part, we too can start to try and experience the Qur’an as they did.

In such a reality, it becomes very easy for us to get caught up in a rat race and forget the reality of who we are, why we are here and what we are meant to do in our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). We are constantly moving from one stage in our life to another. We were once kids, carefree, and life was easy. We then moved on to school and eventually made it to and through college. We started our careers, we entered into marriage and eventually parenthood and so on. All of these are stages of our lives; some we might have experienced, some we might be experiencing, and some we might have yet to enter. Allah (swt) alludes to this constant movement from stage to stage in the Qur’an: “[…] you will surely experience state after state,” (84:19).

What are we doing if not experiencing one state and then another and another constantly? Our busy lives cause us to forget to take a step back and evaluate the reality of our situation and where we stand in our relationship with Allah. It is very important that in the midst of everything, we engage in self-reflection so as to evaluate ourselves and our standing with God through the lens of the Qur’an. This will help us to see our lives according the Qur’anic reality and we will be able to prioritize our days by seeing through the Divine perspective given to us in the Qur’an. It is very easy for us, as flawed and imperfect human beings, to overlook the reality of our lives and incorrectly assess our situations thus leading us to give importance to secondary matters while neglecting more important ones such as our relationship with God, our families, our parents and our children.

In another place in the Qur’an, Allah (swt) gives a description of the life of this world:

“Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children – like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion?” (Qur’an, 57:20)

This is one of the most amazing verses of the Qur’an. In it, Allah (swt) defines the human experience—from Adam `alayhi sallatu wa sallam (may Allah send his peace and blessings on him) to us. If we were to examine the different descriptions given to the ‘life of this world’ in the verse, we can see that each very clearly defines certain periods in our lives. We are always in one of these states no matter how old we are or how young. There was a time when we were children that our main concern was amusement—we wanted to have fun and we sought to spend our days playing with toys, games and cartoons. Eventually we grew out of that and moved into our high school and college years where we started noticing the opposite gender and were distracted by our studies. After this, we began to think about our careers and marriage and we focused completely on seeking them. We then proceeded to buy a house, move into a new place, begin our new lives and seek to build a family. We moved ahead to building our family and speaking to each other about how we secured a promotion, or bought a new car, or how our son or daughter spoke their first words. Finally we reach our final state that stays with us to the end where we begin to compete with our peers in our wealth and kids; the time when we tell our kids, “His daughter got into Harvard, you need to get into Harvard as well!” or “He just got a raise to six figures, I have to get that too!”

Allah (swt) draws a profound parallel between these states of our lives and the yearly cycle a farmer experiences. A farmer plants the seed, waits for the rain or waters it constantly, cares for it as it grows and blossoms into a plant, reaps the benefit from it and eventually the plant grows old, turns yellow, dies and turns to dust. Is it not the case that we do this in our life? Don’t we plant the seed for something we desire so it becomes a reality? And then we tend to it and preoccupy ourselves with it so as to enjoy the blessings it offers until eventually it grows old and turns yellow and is no longer valuable—and we look forward to the next big thing. Isn’t this exactly how our lives are passing us by? We buy the latest model car or iPhone and we love it until next year when the new model comes, and this model that was so new and amazing just yesterday ‘turns yellow’ and looses value.

Immediately after micro-assessing our life and eloquently summing it up for us, Allah (swt) forces us to see it in the perspective of the Hereafter, the way He sees it, and the way the Qur’an wants us to understand it. In the same verse, He says, “And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion?” (Qur’an, 57:20).

There are many subtle things happening here that we can easily overlook at first glance. The first is that Allah (swt) mentions punishment first, and second His forgiveness and approval. It’s as if to say that if we were to allow ourselves to forget about the Hereafter and our relationship with Allah (swt), then we are liable for the punishment in the Hereafter because we have strayed from the purpose of our creation. The second very profound thing is that out of His Mercy, Allah (swt) does not couple punishment with Himself but instead couples Himself with His Mercy and His Pleasure. It is as though He is telling us, that He does not desire to punish us so He does not even mention Himself with punishment in His Speech. By distancing Himself from punishment, He is asking us to do the same by taking heed of His warnings. Allah (swt) says in another place in the Qur’an, “Allah wants to accept your repentance […]” (Qur’an, 4:27). Finally, the question comes in a rhetorical fashion, concluding for us the reality of this life as a deluded sense of enjoyment when compared to the Hereafter. This reminds us that the Hereafter is very close to us and that we only need to view our lives through the perspective of its relation to the Hereafter so as to understand its reality. It is narrated by `Abdullah radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) that the Messenger ﷺ said, “Paradise is nearer to any of you than the strap on his shoe, and so is the (Hell) Fire.”1

Allah (swt) then changes the conversation slightly, saying:

“Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is like the width of the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believed in Allah and His Messengers.

That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.” (Qur’an 57:21)

We are told to race towards Allah’s forgiveness and Paradise as opposed to running towards this life. As humans we always need something to look forward to, a goal—it gives us hope and allows us to see past difficulties and tough times. Allah (swt) knows this about us and because of this, He gives us His forgiveness and Paradise as the ultimate goal worth seeking, thereby allowing us to see our temporal problems and difficulties as just that: temporary. It does not mean that we let go of our numerous responsibilities and commitments and isolate ourselves, but it means that we see them as a means towards something greater and that we work towards Allah (swt) with moderation and establish a balance between what our lives demand from us and what Allah (swt) requires from us. We do not make this life the goal, but rather the means towards the higher objective—the forgiveness of Allah (swt) and Paradise.

Abu Hurayra (ra) narrated that the Messenger ﷺ said, “Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allah in the forenoon and in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a middle, moderate, regular course whereby you will reach your target (Paradise).”2

We seek Paradise by utilizing our busy lives and doing good deeds sincerely and moderately as a means towards the Mercy of Allah (swt) and His pleasure. Allah (swt) asks us to see past the temporal nature of this life and see it for what it is and what it was always meant to be—a means towards Him and Paradise.

The verse goes on to give us a description of Paradise, not what is within it as in other places in the Qur’an, but rather of its size and vastness. This is interesting because firstly we cannot quantify in our minds the width that is being spoken of; and secondly, if we take a look at the previous verse—keeping in mind our context—we see a subtle comparison between the constricted nature of this life and this world to the vast expanse and pleasure of the Hereafter. Allah (swt) wants us to know that Paradise is huge, much greater and much longer lasting than anything we think is great in this life. He wants us to keep that in mind so that we don’t get disillusioned and so entrenched in our daily lives that we forget of the Home that is waiting for those who believe in Allah (swt) and His Messengers. This allows us to view our daily problems, challenges and responsibilities as the path towards Him and the everlasting Home. “[…] the Hereafter is better and more enduring,” (Qur’an, 87:17).

The verse concludes with a reminder that, in the end, the blessing of Paradise belongs in its entirety to Allah (swt). He is the Owner of everything and the blessings we get are from Him. He has invited us to Paradise, so the question we need to ask ourselves is: Do we accept the invitation and work to enter the Home of Peace?