How To Easily Learn To Read The Quran
How to Easily Learn to Read the Quran
Many of us struggle to read the Quran and connect with the Book of Allah. The experiences we went through in our childhood have made us feel like we can never learn to read, at least not correctly. But the Quran is the Book of Allah swt, and our Lord has gifted us with an innate fitra of which yearns to connect with His beautiful book. Throughout my life, I have struggled to read the Quran. I’ve tried signing up with in-person Quran teachers and online Quran tutors, but I have always felt that the task was too overwhelming. The teacher was not able to understand my specific need and therefore was not able to help me progress. This feeling of lost hope lingers with many Muslim moms and youth. Fast-forward about a decade, and I am now teaching the Muslim child, my teen students, to build a connection with the Quran slowly. Alhumdulillah, it is all with the help of Allah, the Most-Merciful. Our youth are curious and have the will and want to learn to read and recite the letters and words of the Quran.
The journey in learning to read the Quran has been a struggle for me. But with a little bit of effort and a lot of duas, anyone, no matter what age, can learn to read the Quran with confidence and beautiful pronunciation. How does one get there? First and foremost, it is with the help of Allah that prayers are the #1 thing to focus on. Then, if we put in the right effort, we will see something beautiful arise. We will see our teens connected to the Quran, and we will see ourselves connected to the Quran. We will open the Book of Allah and feel that we are beginning to see for the very first time. We have been blind all these past years, and now we have glasses to see. SubhanAllah, it’s a beautiful feeling.
The youth in our community have many issues to deal with. Their world is not as simple as ours was when we were their age. They are constantly being pulled from every direction and do their best to make sense of this very distracting and confusing world. If, as parents, our goal is to have them interested in reading the Quran, we must not criticize their pronunciation, and we must not fix their mistakes. Teaching and trying to connect them to the Quran should never be done harshly or strictly. Ultimately, I do believe we all need a one-on-one Quran tutor to help assist us in learning the letters, vowels, and their proper pronunciation. But my goal is to help you and your young adult child to open your heart to the Book of Allah and make an effort to learn on your own, in the comfort of your home, and holistically and beautifully. Let’s begin this incredible journey to connect and learn to read the Quran. Bismillah…..
We are all aware of how important it is to read/recite the blessed Quran. In the Quran, Allah swt Himself has promised us that the Quran will be easy to learn, recite & understand. He has made this promise four times in Surah Qamar, #54, where He has said-With certainty, and definitely, We have made the Quran easy to memorize, easy to understand, so who will take up this challenge, who will read it, who will remember it?
Here are a few easy steps to get your teen and yourself to learn the Quran:
1. Listen to the Quran repeatedly
Remember that the Quran is a beautifully rhythmic Book. The ayahs flow together, which makes it easy to recite and remember. Even though we may not understand the Arabic words, we can feel their words move and touch our hearts. Use this to your advantage. Just like when you are listening to a song in your car and have been listening to it many times, this song sticks in your head. If someone were to ask you to sing along to this song, you would know many of the words, if not all of it. There are many songs that I have heard in my childhood that if I were to listen to it today, they would be stuck in my head, and all day long, the words will keep coming back, the rhythm will never leave me. Do you ever have this problem? Lesson # 1 - if you want the Quran to stick in your head & your memory, then you need to make an effort to listen to it many times a day. If you are trying to get your children interested in the Quran, or do, you want to make an effort to learn the Quran yourself? Then play the Quran on your phone or laptop while cooking, cleaning, driving, or relaxing. Remember one important thing, listen to one recitation of the Quran and continue to listen to the same one. Choose a Quran reciter who is not too fast and not too slow but just the recitation that resonates with your heart and soul. Alhumdullilah, there are many to choose from.
2. While listening to the Quran, look at the words
Every morning after you pray your fajr prayer, spend at least 5-10 minutes listening, reading, and following the Arabic words. Then slowly begin to recite it first in your heart, then in a whisper, and soon in an audible voice. Make sure to focus on the letters and words and make them make sense. We have all been taught to read the Quran either by our parents or a teacher when we were little.
3. Use your three senses: Listening, Seeing, and Touching
Use your finger(s) to touch the letter while you see them on the page and follow through when you are listening to the recitation of the Quran. This will help you use your three senses, and when you put them all together to learn, they make a powerful impact, and slowly but surely, you will learn to read. You listen to the recitation of the Quran, you read the letters, and you touch each letter and word while you hear and listen. This is an essential exercise to do consistently daily. Every morning after fajr would be ideal, but even if you could recite four mornings a week, that would make a difference as well. Remember, small but consistent steps make for a vast improvement after a few months. Imagine how much you will learn after a year or so. Now is your chance to make it all make sense to you. As you simultaneously listen, see and read the letters, you will begin to understand how the letters and words sound and how the vowels make them sound and come together
4. Fajr time is the Best Time
Never underestimate fajr time(morning prayer), early morning hours before all the craziness begins. Some of the most successful people on earth start their day early in the morning (around 5 am). They use this time either by reading or learning something they are interested in. In the early hours of the morning, your brain is sharp and ready to absorb anything. Why not give that to the essential book in the world, the Quran.
5. Purify your intention
What does it mean to purify your intention? We know that there may be an action we want to accomplish, but if Allah SWT doesn’t want it to happen, that action will never come to fruition. The only thing we have power over is our intention, not the action. If we intend to do something good or something positive, we will be rewarded for the positive choice. And if we can perform and complete that action, we get a second good deed for it. For example, I am mad at my husband, but I make an intention in my heart to say something nice to him( a good act). I have not yet said that nice word, but I have already received a good deed. Allah swt is ever so merciful in rewarding us for an act just by intending to do it. So go ahead, purify your intention to have the desire to learn to read the Quran, to try to wake up for fajr to do it, and to listen to the recitation every day. Allah swt Most-Merciful will give you the reward to have completed the act of reading the Quran. And because of your beautiful positive intention to please your Lord, He will love you even more.
6. Make Dua(pray) and Ask Allah to Help you learn to Read
You can connect your dua to learn the Quran right after the intention you made to try to read. A wonderful time to ask for Allah’s help is right after your prayer. Take a moment to speak to Him and beg Him for His help. Imagine this time as a special one-to-one appointment with you, Lord. Some people find it easy to write their duas in a journal first and then read it out loud so that they don’t forget anything that they would like to say. Others need to be in a quiet room to speak to their Lord. And some have a difficult time putting the words together. For those who are struggling, let me give you a suggestion of what helps me. When we are walking upright, our head is above our heart, physically. In another sense, our arrogance and pride are above our humbleness, soul, and authentic self. When we are in prostration, the heart, and the head flip and switch places. Now in sujud, our heart is above our head. This position helps me become more relaxed, more in tune with my humble side, think clearly, and realize who I truly am in front of my Lord. In prostration, I can make dua most truly and articulately. Give it a try; you may be pleasantly surprised. This is the position in which Allah loves to see His servants the best.
*Beautiful Reminders:
One letter of the Quran read= 10 Hasanats (good deeds)
Here is another encouraging truth that I pray will help, Allah swt has ordered His angels to write down ten hasanats (good deeds) on our book of deeds for each letter that we recite. One letter in the Quran= ten hasanats.
Allah loves you even more, when it is difficult to read
And for those who struggle and have a challenging time reading, learning, and understanding the letters and the vowels of the Quran, Allah swt loves these individuals even more. Allah has mercy on them even more. Why is this so? Allah loves them more because they make an effort even when extremely hard to do. They continue to strive and have not given up on the Book of Allah. SubhanAllah. For some, learning the Quran comes easy. But for people like myself, it may be a struggle that lasted many years. And for the one who struggles, the Quran is even sweeter.
7. Beautify your Voice while Reciting, Don’t Be Shy
As you continue with the exercise of reading, listening, and looking after fajr for 5-10 minutes, after a few weeks or when you feel comfortable, raise your voice to an audible sound and recite the words Allah swt in a beautiful lyrical way. Your Lord wants to hear you beautifully read His words. He does not want you to be shy. It would be best if you had a tone and a beautiful tune. And read it in this lovely tune, whether it is in front of people or whether you are all alone. Feel the light and beauty resonating from your mouth; this is a blessing you have been given. Allah swt choses those He loves to recite His great words. You are unique, and there is Noor(light) emitting from inside of you. MashaAllah. Be proud and recite. Do not worry about the people listening to you, whether they recite better or not.
* A beautiful reminder:
When you recite the Quran, many angels come close to you and try to listen to you. The Angels love listening to the Quran, they love beautiful things, they love the pleasant scent, they love cleanliness, and they love modesty. Make an effort to do the following things before you read Quran:
A. Purify yourself by making wudu or ghusl and washing.
B. Wear your beautiful and modest prayer clothes. This can be anything that covers you modestly from head to toe and is clean.
C. Perfume your hijab and prayer rug. The scent is a beautiful thing that will remain with us for a long time as a good moment. To this day, the smell of baked bread brings back lovely memories of my happy childhood because my mother used to bake bread every week.
D. Have a clean and peaceful corner in your room to set your prayer rug down, to place your perfume and your beautiful Quran(mus-haf) near.
These seven simple steps have not only helped my teen student to read and love the Quran, but they have also helped me to do the same. After many years of struggling to read, I finally felt like I was able to see for the first time in my life when I was able to open the Book of Allah anywhere, on any page, and I was able to read alhamdulillah. I pray that you have the same beautiful opening of happiness and joy. Ameen. May Allah grant us the ability to recite and memorize the Quran quickly without any difficulty and hardship. In the Quran, Allah SWT has said, “ We have made this Quran very easy to memorize, to learn & to understand. Is anyone going to do this?” Let us be the ones to do it!
Are you looking for a reliable, patient, and caring Quran teacher who will share the love of reciting/reading the Blessed Quran? Please fill out the form below and we will match you or your child with a wonderful teacher, inshaAllah