Core Lesson 21 — Beginning With the Qur'an
How to Begin Reading the Qur'an
You have a Qur'an in front of you, or perhaps you have opened a translation on your phone or computer.
Now you may be wondering: What am I actually supposed to do?
You do not need a complicated reading plan to begin. You do not need to understand everything you read, and you do not need to read a large amount at once.
A simple way to begin:
Open → Read → Understand → Reflect → Return
Start with a small amount
The Qur'an contains chapters called surahs. Each surah contains verses.
You do not have to read the Qur'an like an ordinary book that must be finished from page one to the last page before you can benefit from it.
You may read a small passage and spend time understanding it. On another day, you can return and continue learning.
There is no need to set yourself a large beginner quota or race toward the end.
A small amount that you actually read, think about and return to can help you build a relationship with the Qur'an gradually.
If you cannot read Arabic yet
The Qur'an was revealed in Arabic. An English translation gives you a translation of its meanings.
If you cannot read Arabic yet, that does not mean you have to wait before you begin learning what the Qur'an teaches.
You can read a translation of the meanings and begin learning from it now.
In the next lesson, we will begin learning the Arabic script so that the Arabic text becomes more familiar to you over time.
You are not behind because you cannot read Arabic yet.
Begin learning what you can today, and let your Arabic reading develop step by step.
Do I have to start at the beginning?
No. You do not need to read the Qur'an strictly from beginning to end before you can benefit from it.
You may begin at the beginning, or you may spend time with a surah or passage you are currently learning about.
You will soon have dedicated lessons on Al-Fatihah and some of the short surahs that are especially important in your early learning.
For now, the important thing is simply to begin without feeling that you must finish everything in order.
What should I do while I read?
Read slowly enough to think about what you are learning.
You might notice something about Allah, a story about one of His Prophets, guidance about how people should live, a warning, a promise, or something you want to understand better.
You do not need to produce your own explanation for every verse.
If something is unclear, make a note of the question and seek a reliable explanation rather than guessing.
You may hear the word tafsir. Tafsir means explanation or commentary on the Qur'an. It can help explain words, passages and their context.
You do not need advanced tafsir study before you begin reading. It is simply useful to know that reliable explanations are available when you need help understanding something.
Learn your way around gradually
At first, the Qur'an may feel unfamiliar to navigate. That changes with time.
One simple learning habit is to begin noticing surah names and numbers, much like becoming familiar with the table of contents in a book.
You do not need to memorize all 114 surahs.
Just begin recognizing them naturally as you encounter them. When a teacher, khutbah or lesson mentions a surah later, it will gradually become easier to find your way there.
You will have questions
Some passages will be immediately clear to you. Others may raise questions.
That is part of learning.
Write down questions if that helps you. Ask a knowledgeable teacher. Look for reliable explanations. Then keep learning.
You do not need every question answered before you are allowed to continue reading.
Keep returning
You do not need to finish the Qur'an before it begins benefiting you.
Read what is manageable. Learn something from it. Think about what you have learned. Then come back again.
Islam is now your whole life, but you do not need to learn your whole religion today.
The same is true of your journey with the Qur'an. You are allowed to begin small and keep growing.
A simple first reading
When you next open the Qur'an, try this:
- Choose a small passage. You do not need to choose a large section.
- Read the translation of its meanings. If you are learning Arabic, you can also look at the Arabic text without expecting yourself to read it fluently yet.
- Notice what you understand. What is the passage teaching you?
- Notice what you do not understand. Keep the question rather than guessing at the answer.
- Return another time. Continue, reread or learn more about what you have already read.
That is enough for a beginning.
What comes next
You now know that you can begin learning from the Qur'an even before you can read Arabic.
Next, we will start making the Arabic text less unfamiliar by learning how the Arabic script works, one small step at a time.
Next: Learning the Arabic Script →