Reading the Quran as a new Muslim

Many new Muslims feel a mix of love and nervousness about the Quran. You want to read it, but the Arabic looks unfamiliar, the book feels big, and you may worry about doing something wrong. This lesson gives you a simple, gentle way to begin. Allah Himself tells us that He made the Quran easy to take to heart:

And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?

Quran 54:17 (Saheeh International translation of the meaning)

In other words, Allah made the words of the Quran easy to recite and memorize, and its meanings easy to understand and reflect on, for anyone who wants to take them to heart.

Start with the meaning in your language

The Quran was revealed in Arabic, and only the Arabic words are the Quran itself. An English or Spanish version is a translation of the meanings: a scholar's careful effort to carry the meaning into another language. That is a wonderful place to start. Reading the meanings lets you understand what Allah is saying to you while you slowly learn to read the Arabic.

• In English, many learners use the Saheeh International translation, which this site quotes.

• In Spanish, a widely used translation is by Isa García, which this site also quotes.

• Ask your local masjid (mosque) which translation they recommend in your language.

Some verses need background to be understood well: why they were revealed, or how the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, explained them. That explanation is called tafsir. A short, trusted tafsir is a great companion to a translation. The explanations in these lessons are based on Al-Tafsir al-Muyassar, a short and widely used Arabic tafsir. Ask a knowledgeable person at your masjid to recommend one in your language.

Start small, and keep going when it is hard

You do not need to read for an hour. A few verses a day, read with attention, are a real beginning. Start with surahs you already know from prayer, such as Al-Fatiha and the short surahs at the end of the Quran, and read their meanings. After that, read a page of the translation each day, from the beginning or from a surah that interests you.

If reading the Arabic is slow and difficult for you, you are not behind. The Prophet said:

The proficient reciter of the Qur’an will be with the noble and obedient angel-scribes, and the one who recites the Qur’an stutteringly and finds it difficult will have two rewards.

Sahih al-Bukhari 4937 and Sahih Muslim 798 (agreed upon)

Scholars explain that the one who struggles receives one reward for reciting and another for the effort. Every time you stumble over a word and keep going, you are being rewarded. Your struggle is not a sign of failure. It is part of your worship.

Respecting the mushaf

A mushaf is a printed copy of the Quran in Arabic. Muslims treat it with respect. Keep it in a clean, respectful place, such as a shelf, and handle it with clean hands. Before you begin reciting, Allah tells us to seek His protection from Satan:

So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].

Quran 16:98 (Saheeh International translation of the meaning)

Touching the mushaf. Most scholars, including the four main schools of Islamic law, say you should have wudu (the washing you do before prayer) to touch a printed Arabic mushaf directly. Their evidence includes a letter the Prophet sent to a companion named Amr ibn Hazm, may Allah be pleased with him, which says:

No one should touch the Qur'an unless he is pure.

Muwatta Malik, the letter to Amr ibn Hazm (graded authentic by the Hadith Encyclopedia)

Some scholars understood the word "pure" in another way and did not require wudu for this, so you may meet different practices. It is fine to follow the practice of your local masjid. This ruling is also narrower than many people think:

• If you have lost your wudu, for example after using the bathroom, you can still recite what you know from memory.

• You can carry a mushaf in a cover or a bag without wudu, because you are not touching it directly.

• Most scholars allow touching a translation of the meanings, or a tafsir book, without wudu, as long as the explanation is more than the Arabic Quran text in it.

• Contemporary scholars such as Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan have said that reading the Quran on a phone or computer screen does not need wudu, because a screen is not a printed mushaf.

So you can always read and listen. Wudu is simply a beautiful way to prepare when you pick up the printed mushaf.

Next, you will learn Ayat al-Kursi, the greatest verse in the Quran, one small part at a time.

Sources

• Quran 54:17 (Saheeh International translation) (opens in a new tab)

• Quran 16:98 (Saheeh International translation) (opens in a new tab)

• Sahih al-Bukhari 4937 and Sahih Muslim 798 (agreed upon) (opens in a new tab)

• Sahih al-Bukhari 6115 (wording of seeking refuge) (opens in a new tab)

• Muwatta Malik, letter to Amr ibn Hazm (authentic) (opens in a new tab)

• Islam Question and Answer 10672: touching the Quran without wudu (opens in a new tab)

• Islam Question and Answer 118244: touching tafsir and translations without wudu (opens in a new tab)

• Islam Question and Answer 106961: reading the Quran on a phone without wudu (opens in a new tab)