Iqra!
The first word revealed to our beloved Prophet 
was a command - iqra - to read, to recite. As I’ve mentioned in the past, the Quran was what drew me to Islam. I read it voraciously at first, and sought to own as many copies as I could afford. I’m reluctant to admit, but now more often than not, my extensive Qur’an collection sits and gathers dust. Rarely have I picked them from their place of honor on the top shelf of my religious books collection and engaged with them.
Every once in awhile, I’ll vow that I’ll read the entire quran. But, inevitably I’ll fail. I’m a fast reader, and over the years, I’ve perfected a form of skim reading that allows me to get the gist of a novel or textbook without actually having to read each word. However, this method does not translate well into Iqra or into understanding. I’ll turn page after page, only to realize later that I have no clue what my eyes just passed over. I’m aware of the problem and will conciously try to slow down, but the habit dies hard. Eventually, I get frustrated and quit.
In an effort to break the slump, I’ve decided to WRITE! while I read. Everyday, inshaAllah, I’m dedicating 20 minutes to the Qur’an. Half of that time, I will read x number of ayat, first in the Muhammad Asad translation with commentary, then in one or 2 other translations. I have a journal I bought specifically to become my quran diary, and in it, I’ll write about those ayat. Questions, thoughts, reflections, how these ayat relate to my life, it just has to be something related to the verses. The second 10 minutes will be dedicated to reading the ayat in arabic.
I know 20 minutes isn’t a terribly long period of time. Heck, I spend more time each night watching television. But, I figure that if I set a larger block of time out, like an hour, that when things get busy, I’ll just shuffle quran reading time down to the bottom of the list and skip it. By chosing a shorter period of time, it’s more managable and inshaAllah that means I will be more likely to do it every day.
The goal then, will be to read the entire quran in english and arabic, AND to understand it. What good is it if I skim through, and when I’m finished I gain nothing? inshaAllah with this endevour, I’ll develop my relationship with the book and with it’s author, Allah 
.
Want to take this journey for yourself? Here are some resources that may help you along the way:
- The Qur’anic Journal: why and how?
- al Tafsir
- Soundvision’s Qur’an Page
- Easy Dictionary of the Qur’an
- The Qur’an: A user’s guide
Dear readers, please share any resources you have or any thoughts on how you engage with the Qur’an, and how you seek to understand it better.
6 responses so far ↓
Jamerican Muslimah // May 1, 2008 at 7:54 pm
As salaam alaikum. That’s a great idea. I’m stealing it!
Jamerican Muslimah // May 1, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Oh, I meant the reading Quran and writing.
bb-aisha // May 2, 2008 at 9:36 am
This is a wonderful idea mashallah. in 2006, i finally read the complete translation of the Quran. Subhanallah-I’ve done it a few more times since then.
I usually open the Qur’an randomly & then reflect on the first verse I read.
I’m going to try this too-it will really add depth to the learning process
I’m hope it works out well for both of you :)
I started my journal last night with al Fatiha, the beginning, and also the surah I know the best. I chose to muse on arRahman irRahim, and why Allah (swt) chose to be known first and formost by these two names. It turned out pretty good. I’m thinking picking a word or a phrase and writing on it will be the way I go, at least for now. .
Aaminah // May 4, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Asalaamu alaikum.
I have the exact same problem you have! I’ve never heard of keeping a journal before and that is a really good idea. Thanks for the resources.
I just received Ingrid Mattson’s “The Story of the Qur’an”. I ordered it last week when I saw it on Jamerican Muslimah’s reading list. :) I ordered it because even though I know the “story” behind the Qur’an I thought reading a scholar’s thoughts and gain a deeper appreciation of the story.
Oh, and btw, like you, I have several copies of the Qur’an too. :) Now it’s to the point where non-Muslim friends buy them when they see them in second hand stores and bring them to me. I hope to be able to start giving some away to others who will benefit from them, inshaAllah.
Wa alaikum assalam wr wb,
I hope your journal goes well. Although I’ve only been doing it for a few days, it has really helped. I’ve decided that once a week, I’ll drag out all my quran translations, pick a word and compare the different renderings to see if that gives a deeper understanding of the word.
After you’ve read the book, please let me know how it is. I saw it at Barnes and Noble, but I have such a hard time paying $25 for a book. Yeah, I’m cheap. You’d probably also like Farid Esack’s The Qur’an: A User’s Guide. I borrowed it from the library and it’s definately been added to my to buy asap list.
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