The very first verse revealed to the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was:
“Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists).”
Allah instructed the prophet PBUH to read. This was in fact the first order that was given to our prophet Muhammad PBUH. What does it mean to read? Reading means:
- Reading the verses of the Qur’an,
- Learning the Qur’an
- seeking knowledge from the Qur’an, the book that has been written by Allah the creator of everything that exists. This order from Allah encourages us to improve our education and knowledge, the responsibility of which is upon every human being.
We can witness the effect of this command, as in response to this the Muslim civilization is responsible for inventing modern universities, and educational degrees and authoring thousands of books. This command is for us all to act upon until our very last day on this earth.
How does Allah describe the Qur’an?
There are various verses in the Qur’an detailing the qualities of the Qur’an. Below are some words Allah has used to describe our holy book.
- Healer and source of Mercy:
“We send down the Quran as a healing and mercy for the believers.” (17:82)
Spiritually the Qur’an is there to heal us and take our Imaan to the next level each time we pray and connect with it. Qur’an recitation is incorporated into our daily lives through our 5 prayers. We should therefore feel a strong connection to Allah every time we read the words of the Qur’an.
Allah has promised mercy for us through the recitation of the Qur’an. It is a means of mercy and forgiveness for us which is one of our biggest blessings! We receive not only reward for reciting but also Allah’s mercy. How lucky are we to have a book which holds so many opportunities for forgiveness and reward for us!
- Lessons and truth:
“This is the Blessed Book that We have revealed to you, (O Muhammad), that people with understanding may ponder over its verses and those with understanding derive a lesson.” (38:29)
“Alif, Lam, Meem, Ra. These are the verses of the Book; and what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, but most of the people do not believe.” (13:1)
Allah knows everything about our journey in this life. He is aware of the trials and difficulties we go through daily. How many people have reverted to their faith after they have read or studied the Qur’an? How many perfect their Emaan through the Qur’an? Allah has advised us the Qur’an contains lessons and remembrance for us. These lessons often become moments of realisation for us and turning points. We reflect upon them, and they support us on our journey in this life.
- Guidance and connection to Allah:
“Alif-Lam-Ra. This is a Book which We have revealed to you (O Prophet) so that you may lead people out of darkness and into light, by the Will of their Lord, to the Path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy” (14:1)
Allah has repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’an how it has been revealed to bring mankind towards the light and away from all types of darkness. Our Qur’an is a source of attaining a bright future. The light here means staying in the path of reward and good deeds in this world and Jannah in the hereafter.
The Qur’an is the link we have to Allah’s path as mentioned in the above verse. How fortunate is he who is on the path of Allah? These words are directly from Allah, strictly preserved and unchanged for mankind to get to know Allah and build their connection with him. If we are on the path of Allah, then we are on the path of Allah’s happiness. If Allah is happy with us, then we have achieved the best outcome that this world has to offer us.
- Explanations and perfection:
“Alif-Lam-Ra. This is a Book whose verses are well-perfected and then fully explained. “It is” from the One ˹Who is˺ All-Wise, All-Aware.” (11:1)
“Do they not then reflect on the Qur’an? Had it been from anyone other than Allah, they would have certainly found in it many inconsistencies.” (4:82)
The Qur’an is such that there are no imperfections or contradictions within it. Allah has fully explained everything within the 30 chapters we have today for our understanding. The Qur’an has been kept concise and direct for our ease. Imagine, if in place of the one Qur’an, we have today we had volumes and endless chapters? Would it be as easy for us to recite, learn and study? Allah understands how our minds work; it is for that reason the Qur’an has been made perfectly so. Everything has been explained and made clear to us by Almighty Allah.
In the second verse (ayah) mentioned above Allah confirms this book is from him and had it been written by anyone else there would surely be plenty of mistakes and faults within it. We know from this that the Qur’an is most definitely the word of Allah, revealed to us through our prophet Muhammad pbuh. When we read its words, we should feel that we are reciting the words of our Almighty Lord and that its contents are a direct source of mercy and advice from him to us.
How can you make use of these qualities?
Plenty of us may recite the Qur’an but feel no change in our lives or increase in our spirituality and so, one may ask if the Qur’an contains these qualities why does it not affect me?
This is not at all a fault of the Qur’an but we as humans need to question ourselves, are we doing enough?
We have included two steps below we all need to make sure we have for the Qur’an to have its full effect on us:
- Rectify your intentions.
`Umar bin al-Khattab, (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, (peace and blessings be upon him) say:
“Actions are (judged) by intentions (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended…” (Bukhari, Muslim). This hadith means that whatever we truly intend, whatever we desire from action is what we will get.
Why are we reciting the Qur’an? Is it because our parents or elders advise us to recite it or are we chasing the rewards and attempting to strive in perfecting our Imaan? Has reciting the Qur’an just become a routine or are we reciting it as the divine revelation that it is, the direct words from Allah? Always correct your intentions and prepare yourself, for we are reciting the holy words from our Lord.
- Form a bond with the Qur’an.
Uthman ibn `Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The best among you [Muslims] are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” (Al-Bukhari)
Allah has created us all differently. For some of us by simply reciting the Qur’an an ultimate connection is felt, for others reciting the Qur’an becomes a routine and task.
In any case, it is highly recommended that we learn the translation of the Qur’an and study its text. How can we form a bond with a book we do not understand? If we wish to perfect our relationship with Allah and increase our spirituality, we must learn what the Qur’an means. How can we attain a spiritual highness from reciting a book but have no knowledge of what the words truly mean? Those who feel an instant connection when reciting the Qur’an will notice how this will drastically change upon learning and understanding its words.
These two small steps are all it takes to build a strong bond with the Qur’an thus building a deep connection with our Almighty Allah. Why not try to practise some of the suggestions in this blog within this month of Ramadan?
Join in our Ramadan challenges to allow yourself to achieve something signifiant for FREE! Click on our banner to sign up.