Ramadan, the month of the Quran par excellence has arrived like a long-awaited guest. It is here among us, as it is every year, and will remain with us for a few more days. Each of us cherishes it in our heart as a Muslim, but we may ask ourselves the question: are we truly giving it its due? What do we really take away from this blessed month? These are the questions we explore in this article.
Beginning with this one: how can we make this holy month a golden opportunity to reconnect with Allah through the Quran?
Which verses attest to the revelation of the Quran during Ramadan?
As we have already recalled, by consensus, the majority of scholars have accepted that the Quran was sent down from the Preserved Tablet, kept in the seventh heaven, to the lowest heaven (ours) during a blessed night of the blessed month of Ramadan, the Night of Decree. These various verses attest to this, as do the following hadiths:
"Indeed, We sent it down during the Night of Al-Qadr." Surah Al-Qadr, Verse 1
"Indeed, We sent it down on a blessed night. Indeed, We are Ever-Warning." Surah Ad-Dukhan, Verse 3
"(And We have sent down a Quran which We have divided into parts, so that you may recite it to the people at intervals. And We have sent it down in stages." Surah Al-Isra, Verse 106
"He has sent down upon you the Book in truth, confirming the Books that were revealed before it. And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. Surah Al-Imran, Verse 3
Allah, to Him belong Majesty and Glory, chose this month to honor us with this Book, this Guidance and Light for all.
Are we sufficiently aware of this?
The Quran, a final Message to humanity
More than a millennium ago, the Lord of the Worlds, in this blessed month, addressed us through the Angel Jibril (the Archangel Gabriel) and Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. He offered His Word to humanity as a Guide, a Healing, a Mercy, and a source of Discernment until the Day of Final Judgment.
For one last time until the end of days, Allah addressed His Word to us, and this is part of what is celebrated during this holy month. When each of us touches a mushaf (a copy of the Quran), we are not taking up a mere book, but the Word of Allah revealed to humanity more than 1,400 years ago. Ramadan is more than an opportunity to read it more during nights of prayer; it is an opportunity to relive this Truth, to better understand the divine Message: Allah will never again address humanity after this Quranic message!
It is our Sacred Link with Him!
There will no longer be the possibility of being corrected again in our shortcomings, those of the community, with new Messages, new Commandments.
The Quran is His Word, and it was revealed to teach us our values, our rites, and to give us concrete solutions to the ailments of our hearts and our lives, and this, until the Day of Resurrection.
A final Message sent down from heaven and revealed to the Seal of the Prophets to guide humanity: this is what the Quran is!
During Ramadan, let us listen to what Allah has to tell us, what He asks us to do, what He asks us to focus on. Let us relive it in every night prayer and throughout our fasting days in reading and in prayer, so as to draw each time the Light we so greatly need, His Light.
When we read with the heart and not just with the tongue, we discover the verses each time in a different way, one that affects us personally. The Quran was revealed in a fragmented manner, in different contexts, to help people in the situations they were living through. Thus we must meditate upon it and analyze it in the light of the tafasir, but also in the light of our own concerns, so as to make it a lifelong companion, and not merely an occupation during Ramadan.
Let us ask ourselves the right questions:
- Have I understood that it is Allah who is speaking to me as much as to all of humanity
- have I grasped the passage I have just read or what I have learned
- how can I make the verses before my eyes have a real impact within me?
Do we have the right adab (conduct) during our reading in order to derive the greatest benefits from it?
- have I set myself apart to read in calm and immerse myself in the Words of Allah
- have I prepared myself to begin reading as one dresses in one's finest for an important appointment
- have I placed the niyyah (the intention) in my heart to seek clear insight through His Word
Do we have the right reflexes during our reading, or is it so fluid, so fast, that we do not grasp its pearls?
- when I come to a supplication, do I pause to raise my hands to the heavens and implore Allah intensely to answer me (or do I do so only in my heart)
- when I pass over verses about Hellfire, do I seek to protect myself from it
- and when I read passages about Paradise, do I pause to ask for it sincerely?
Read like this, it may seem excessive, and yet this is the invitation extended to us when we take the Quran into our hands, whether it be our copy in the original language, a close translation of the complete Text, or a digital application. Whether we read during Ramadan or outside of it, we hold in our hands the Word of Allah, to Him belong Glory and Majesty, who is addressing us.
The Quran is the best means we have of connecting to what is most precious in our lives: Allah!
Allah calls us, speaks to us, tells us to reflect, to meditate, to question ourselves, to remember. He urges us to follow Him, forbids us what is blameworthy, and recommends to us what is proper. His Word is sufficient to map out our code of conduct, our life goals, and to prepare us for our True Life.
"This worldly life is nothing but amusement and play. The Home of the Hereafter is surely the True Life. If only they knew! Surah Al-Ankabut (The Spider), Verse 64
The reading of the Quran during Ramadan is an invitation to enter into deep contact with our Creator. For all those who wish to compete in good deeds and draw closer to the Straight Path to which Allah calls, associating nothing with Him, it is time to reconnect with one's Lord through His Word, the Quran.
This year's goal? Improving my connection with Allah through the Quran
With these few guiding lines for introspection, each of us can improve our relationship with our Lord simply by changing the way we read the Holy Quran.
- A physical preparation (making oneself beautiful for Allah) and an emotional one (setting the intention to seek the reward and Nearness of Allah) before reading places us in the best conditions for an effective reading
- More concentration during the reading in order to try to understand the meaning of the words, of the verses
- Pauses for meditation and supplication throughout the reading in order to truly connect with Allah, to whom I speak, from whom I ask in supplication, from whom I implore Forgiveness and hope for Mercy..
As time passes, the goals will rise higher. The aim being always to draw closer to Allah through reading, reciting, and learning the Word of Allah, and to come away from one's reading transformed and at peace.
The Quran was revealed for precise purposes, such as the pursuit of piety and the recognition of our Lord and of His Blessings upon us. It is certain that a hasty reading, even of a great quantity of verses, will not have the same effect on our hearts as the reading of a single verse practiced with sincere intention and a heart in contemplation that pauses to glorify its Lord.
Between family life and work, daily life does not always allow us to find moments of silent Quranic reading and meditation. Very busy people can, for example, favor a nighttime reading, or one very early in the morning, even if it is done with few units of prayer, so as to aim for concentration on the verses and their meanings rather than long passages skimmed over.
What is to be remembered is that Ramadan is a golden opportunity to remind us that Allah has left us a unique means of learning to know Him. Through His Word, He has left humanity a means of connecting with Him, of invoking Him, of knowing what He loves and what He hates, and what is expected of us.
If only we took more time to read the Holy Quran.
May Allah grant us to remember Him by reading His Word in this blessed month and outside of it, and grant us to follow the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. May this Ramadan make us appreciate the reading of the Holy Quran and His Signs, and make us relive the Message of Allah by finding in it the answers to our questions so that we may understand the meaning of our life, and may He, by His Grace, grant us Paradise.
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