Learn to read and understand the Quran. Reading the Quran is a way to learn Arabic quickly and easily
The Quran is the holy book of Muslims. From Arabic it is translated as "reading aloud", "edification". Reading the Quran is subject to certain rules - tajwid.
World of the Quran
The task of tajwid is the correct reading of the letters of the Arabic alphabet - this is the basis for the correct interpretation of divine revelation. The word "tajvid" is translated as "bringing to perfection", "improvement".
Tajweed was originally created for people who want to learn how to read the Qur'an correctly. To do this, you need to clearly know the places of articulation of letters, their characteristics and other rules. Thanks to tajvid (rules of orthoepic reading), it is possible to achieve the correct pronunciation and eliminate the distortion of semantic meaning.
Muslims treat reading the Quran with trepidation, it is like a meeting with Allah for believers. It is important to prepare properly for reading. It is better to be alone and study early in the morning or before bed.
History of the Quran
The Qur'an was sent down in parts. The first revelation to Muhammad was given at the age of 40. For 23 years, the verses continued to be sent down to the Prophet ﷺ. The Collected Revelations appeared in 651 - then the canonical text. Suras are not located in chronological order but remained unchanged.
The language of the Quran is Arabic: it has many verb forms, it is based on a harmonious word-formation system. Muslims believe that verses have miraculous power only if they are read in Arabic.
If a Muslim does not know Arabic, he can read the translation of the Koran or tafseers: this is the name of the interpretation of the holy book. This will allow you to better understand the meaning of the Book. Interpretation Holy Quran can be read in Russian, but it is still recommended to do this only for familiarization purposes. For a deeper knowledge, it is important to know Arabic.
Surahs from the Quran
The Quran contains 114 surahs. Each (except the ninth) begins with the words: "In the Name of Allah, the Gracious and Merciful." In Arabic, basmala sounds like this: The verses of which the suras are composed, otherwise called revelations: (from 3 to 286). Reading the suras brings many benefits to the believers.
Sura Al-Fatiha, consisting of seven verses, opens the Book. It gives praise to Allah, and also asks for His mercy and help. Al-Baqarah is the longest Surah with 286 verses. It contains the parable of Musa and Ibrohim. Here we can find information about the unity of Allah and the Day of Judgment.
The Qur'an ends with a short sura Al Nas, consisting of 6 verses. This chapter tells about various tempters, the main struggle with which is the pronunciation of the Name of the Most High.
Sura 112 is small in size, but according to the Prophet ﷺ himself, it occupies a third of the Qur'an based on its significance. This is explained by the fact that it has a great meaning: it speaks of the greatness of the Creator.
Transcription of the Quran
Those who are not native Arabic speakers can find translations in mother tongue using transcription. It is found in various languages. This is a good opportunity to study the Quran in Arabic, but some letters and words are distorted in this way. It is recommended that you first listen to the verse in Arabic: you will learn to pronounce it more accurately. However, this is often considered unacceptable, since the meaning of the verses can change greatly when transcribed into any language. To read the book in the original, you can use the free online service and get the translation in Arabic.
great book
The miracles of the Qur'an, about which much has already been said, truly amaze the imagination. Modern knowledge has made it possible not only to strengthen faith, but now it has become obvious: it was sent down by Allah himself. The words and letters of the Qur'an are based on some kind of mathematical code that goes beyond human capabilities. It encodes future events and natural phenomena.
Much in this sacred book is explained with such accuracy that one involuntarily comes to the idea of its divine appearance. Then people did not yet have the knowledge that they have now. For example, the French scientist Jacques Yves Cousteau made the following discovery: the waters of the Mediterranean and Red Seas do not mix. This fact was also described in the Koran, what was the surprise of Jean-Yves Cousteau when he found out about this.
For Muslims choose names from the Koran. Here were mentioned the names of 25 prophets of Allah and the name of a companion of Muhammad ﷺ - Zeid. The only thing female name- Maryam, even a sura is named after her.
Muslims use suras and verses from the Koran as prayers. It is the only shrine of Islam and all the rites of Islam are built on the basis of this great book. The Prophet ﷺ said that reading the suras will help in various life situations. The utterance of the sura "ad-Duha" can relieve the fear of the Day of Judgment, and the sura "al-Fatiha" will help in difficulties.
The Quran is filled with divine meaning, it contains the highest revelation of Allah. In the Holy Book you can find answers to many questions, you just have to think about the words and letters. Every Muslim must read the Quran, without knowledge of it it is impossible to perform namaz - an obligatory form of worship for a believer.
After graduating from 10th grade summer holidays I went to Dagestan. Usually there you are constantly surrounded by relatives. But one day I stayed in Makhachkala, left to my own devices. And went for a walk around the city. This was probably my first independent walk in a foreign city. I walked along Hamidov Avenue towards the mountains. And suddenly, I saw a sign "Islamic shop". No matter how strange it may seem, but my first acquisition in Dagestan was the Arabic script.
Arriving at my uncle's house, I opened it. There were all kinds of writing letters and their pronunciation was explained in relation to the Dagestan alphabet "The letter ع approximately corresponds to the Arabic gI", "The letter ح is similar to the Avar xI". Together with ظ, these were the most difficult letters for me, because it was hard to imagine how to pronounce them, and the others were mostly in my language. So I started learning to read Arabic on my own. An ordinary Russian teenager, far from religion. Then I went to the mountain village of my grandfather. It was a time filled with events of transitional age, when you try a lot for the first time. Along with all this, I tried and learn Arabic. What motivated me when I then bought this prescription is still mystical for me.
Recently I found my first attempts to write in Arabic, which I started just that summer in my grandfather's village. (If you click on the screenshots, they should enlarge. Not for the faint of heart, I warn you).
Then, already in the 4th year of university, I began to pray, began to go to the mosque, and met Muslims. One Friday in the mosque, I said hello to one of my friends:
Assalamu alaikum! How are you? What are you doing?
- Wa alaikum ssalam! Alhamdulillah. Here, I study Arabic.
- How do you study? Are there any courses?
- No, on your own, according to the textbook "Learn to read the Quran in Arabic."
Then this brother went to Kazan to study and there he got new textbooks, and he sold Lebedev's books "Learn to read the Koran in Arabic" to me for 500 rubles when he returned from Kazan for his first vacation.
I worked part-time as a night security guard in a store and took this book with me on duty. I started reading it in my free moments between the fights of the local drunkards and until I was cut down by sleep. It was worth starting to get acquainted with the book, as I thought - "Subhanallah, this Arabic language is so easy to learn."
My delight knew no bounds. I finished the first book in a month. I didn’t even memorize the words there - I just carefully studied the new rules and read the exercises for them.
Then another textbook fell into my hands (I already wrote about it in the post "Pencil writing to the brain). I began to teach a lesson a day (they are very small there). I just memorized new words in the morning - and then repeated them all day (on the bus, while walking, etc.) After a couple of months, I already knew almost 60 lessons by heart - all the words and turns of speech that met in them.
After 2 months of classes, I was visiting an Arab and was surprised to find that I can communicate in Arabic without speaking a word in Russian!!! It started out as a joke. I said hello in Arabic and my friend answered. Then I asked something else and he answered again in Arabic. And when the dialogue began, as if there was no turning back. As if we did not know Russian. My knees were trembling with happiness.
Previously, I had to learn the Koran "photographically" - stupidly remembering the order of all the letters in words. For example, it took me several days to memorize Surah An-Nas. And after I have mastered the basics of grammar, you can read the translation of Krachkovsky and the Arabic text of the verse once (comparing the translation to each Arabic word), repeat a couple of times - and the verse is remembered. If so, walk through a small sura (like An-Naba "News"). After half an hour of study, I can look at the translation of Krachkovsky and read the sura in Arabic (essentially from memory). The most difficult thing is usually to remember the order of the verses.
My tragedy is that, having learned to read (it took about two months on my own and unsystematic), I simply did not imagine that it was possible to study the basics of grammar by spending the same amount of time and more, if you make an effort and develop an active lexicon- you can speak Arabic very soon.
The biggest problem for many people is that they imagine the language as an impregnable fortress, which will take many years to assault and siege. And only after that you will master it. In fact, learning a language is better thought of as a small cottage that you build piece by piece. Having studied the basic grammar (changing verbs by person and tense, changing cases, etc. - in terms of volume this is a brochure of 40 pages) - consider that you have poured the foundation. Further, an opportunity arose - they built a room where you can already live and moved there. Then - the kitchen. Then they built a living room, a nursery, and all the other rooms. I saw how they build houses in Dagestan in this way. Instead of renting an apartment, they buy an inexpensive plot, pour the foundation and build at least one room, where they move. And then, as far as possible, they continue to build a house on an already filled foundation.
If suddenly someone wants to repeat my path, which I consider optimal for those who do it mostly on their own, for example, in their free time from their main studies or work, I have prepared a selection of materials (now they have become more accessible, and better).
→ (reading and writing tutorial with voice acting for each word and lots of hints)
2. Fundamentals of grammar. To study grammar, it is better to arm yourself with many books and choose the one that suits you best. The same rule can be given different words in different books - so that incomprehensible moments can be considered from different angles. Start with one book, and download the rest as needed.
→ Lebedev. Learn to read the Quran in Arabic - an unobtrusive explanation of the basics of grammar using the example of verses from the Quran (I personally went through the first volume. I hated studying foreign language all my life, but I read this book as fiction, and realized that Arabic is mine).
→ - compressed volume of 40 pages gives all the basics ( brief summary any textbook).
→ . A new solid textbook, contains the basics of grammar with numerous examples, as well as the basics of morphology. Very available language and generous volume.
→ (I didn’t pass it myself, but I heard reviews from friends).
→ (A classic of the genre. Usually it is used as a reference where you can find any grammar question).
I think these books should be enough with a margin. If you don’t like it, google Kuzmin, Ibragimov, Frolova and others.
3. Build an active vocabulary.
→ . - Read carefully the preface to this book and you will understand everything. I really lived with this book for several months, until I learned 100 lessons (I just wrote about this in the article "Pencil Writing to the Brain"). If you repeat "my feat", feel your closeness to the Arab world - no kidding.
4. Practice the language.
→ Get to know the Arabs, try to communicate with them. For example, you can search the mosque for students who have just arrived in Russia and do not speak Russian well. If you are hospitable and not intrusive, then you can establish very warm friendly relations. You will be able to learn the language directly from the native speaker.
→ Learn how to type in Arabic (). So you can google materials that are interesting to you, your favorite nasheeds on YouTube, etc. You will be able to immerse yourself in the Arabic Internet, participate in their forums, discussions, make friends on FaceBook, etc.
You can bookmark the second part of the article, here is the link
Learning to read the Qur'an consists of 4 basic rules:
- Learning the alphabet (the alphabet in Arabic is called "Alif wa ba").
- Writing training.
- Grammar (tajwid).
- Reading.
You may immediately think that this is easy. However, all these stages are divided into several subparagraphs. The main point is that you need to learn how to write correctly. That's right, not right! If you do not learn to write, then you cannot move on to learning grammar and reading.
2 more very important points: the first is that by this method you will only learn to read and write in Arabic, but not to translate. To fully delve into this language, you can go to an Arab country and already there gnaw at the granite of science. Secondly, you need to immediately decide on which Koran you will study, since there are differences in them. Most of the old mentors teach from the Qur'an, which is called Ghazan.
But I do not advise you to do this, because then it will be difficult to switch to the modern Koran. The font is very different everywhere, but the meaning of the text is the same. Naturally, “Gazan” is easier to learn to read, but it is better to start learning with a modern font. If you do not quite understand the difference, then look at the picture below, this is how the font in the Quran should look like:
I think that if you want to learn how to read the Quran, then you have already bought it. Now we can move on to the alphabet. At this stage, I advise you to start a notebook and remember the school. All letters must be printed separately in a notebook 100 times. The Arabic alphabet is not more complicated than the Russian one. Firstly, there are only 28 letters in it, and secondly, there are only 2 vowels: “he” and “alif”.
But it can also make understanding that language more difficult. Because in addition to letters, there are also sounds: “un”, “u”, “i”, “a”. Moreover, almost all letters (except "wow", "zey", "rei", "zal", "dal", "alif") at the end, in the middle and at the beginning of the word are written differently. Most also have problems with what needs to be read from right to left. After all, they read from left to right. But in Arabic it's the other way around.
It can also cause inconvenience in writing. The main thing in it is that the bias in handwriting should be from right to left, and not vice versa. You can get used to it for a long time, but after a while you will bring everything to automatism. Now UchiEto will show you the Arabic alphabet (yellow boxes highlight the spellings of the letters depending on their location in the word):
First, it is important that you write as much as possible. You need to get your hands on this as you are now building the foundation of your learning. In a month it is quite possible to learn the alphabet, know the spelling options and learn how to write. If you are interested, then you will meet in half a month.
Once you have learned the alphabet and learned how to write, you can move on to grammar. In Arabic, it is called "tajwid". You can comprehend grammar directly while reading. Only a small nuance - in the Koran the beginning is not where everyone is used to. The beginning is at the end of the book, but it is better to start with the first sura of the Qur'an called Al-Fatiha.
The Quran is the holy scripture Muslim people. If you learn how to read it correctly, then at the same time you can master the Arabic language.
Many people wonder how to learn to read the Quran and where to learn it.
- Before studying, it is recommended to ask yourself the question of why to study the Qur'an. If you were able to answer, then it is advisable to set a goal: not to stop in the study in the middle and reach the end.
- It is recommended to choose a place where you can read and study in peace. Most often, the choice falls on the evening, since it is before going to bed that you can quickly remember, no one will distract from such a matter.
- To study, it is worth putting a corner in the house. Also, some advise enrolling in circles for the study of the Islamic book. They already have knowledgeable people, and it will be easier to get used to, they will help and give advice on how to learn to read the Koran.
- It is advisable to learn how to read the letters of the Qur'an correctly, pronounce them correctly. At correct pronunciation you can quickly learn a book. Reading should begin with the first sura, pronounce at least 20 times. This will help you remember faster. At the first difficulties, do not be upset. At the first obstacles, one should not stop, it is worth studying in depth.
- Reading aloud is a good idea. Check what you read in front of relatives or friends. If a person is embarrassed to speak in front of people, then you can turn on the audio and check what you read. Some advise you to record your words on a dictaphone, and then check everything.
- If the sura is too long, then you can start learning a couple of verses. This reading allows you to quickly memorize suras and verses.
- Do not forget about the teachings before going to bed, and as soon as you wake up, immediately repeat what you have learned. Most often, it is easier to learn for young people under the age of 30. But, despite the age, you still have to try. To make it easy to learn, it is recommended to choose one way, this will allow you to quickly achieve your goal.
How to study the Quran
Many people wonder how to learn to read the Quran on their own, is it difficult. If you follow some rules, achieving your goal will be quite simple.
- To begin with, it is recommended to master the Arabic language, which is called Alif wa ba.
- Then you should practice writing.
- Learn Tajweed grammar.
- Read and practice regularly.
Success will depend on whether the person writes correctly. Only after mastering the letter can you move on to reading and grammar.
Many people immediately think that this is not difficult. But all these points are divided into several more rules. But main point is to learn how to write correctly. If a person does not learn to write letters without errors, then he will not be able to move on to grammar and reading.
What are the points in learning
There are a few more points to study the Quran in Arabic:
- A person learns only to write and read in Arabic, but will not be able to translate. If there is a desire to study the language more deeply, then you can go to the appropriate country and start studying.
- The main condition is what type of scripture will be studied, since there are differences in them. Many old mentors recommend learning from the Qur'an, which is called Ghazan.
But many young people say that it is better to study modern versions. The font of the texts will be too different, but the meaning is preserved.
If a person attends any trainings, he can already ask teachers about how to learn to read the Koran. Everyone will help to cope with the difficulties that have arisen.
What does the Quran look like in the modern world?
If a person has a question about how to learn the Koran, then he immediately acquires this book. After that, you can already begin to study the alphabet and read the Koran in Arabic. For this stage, you can purchase a notebook. All letters are written out separately about 80-90 times. not so complicated. The alphabet has only 28 letters, of which only a few vowels are "alif" and "ey".
It can also make it difficult to understand the language. Since, in addition to letters, there are also sounds: “i”, “un”, “a”, “y”. Also, many letters, depending on which part of the word they are in, are written differently. Many also have problems from the fact that you need to start reading in an unusual way for us from right to left (in Russian and in many others they read the other way around).
Therefore, it causes great inconvenience to many when reading or writing. It is recommended to ensure that the slope of the handwriting is also from right to left. It is difficult to get used to this, but, having studied, you can achieve excellent results.
After learning the alphabet, it will be possible not to ask questions about how to quickly learn to read the Quran. After all, after mastering the skills of the Arabic language, you can learn to read without effort.
How to read the Quran correctly
When reading the Quran, it is recommended to be in a state of ritual purity. This means that, regardless of gender, after intimacy, it is strictly forbidden to approach the Koran. During menstrual or postpartum bleeding, women are not recommended to touch the book. If they know it by heart, then they have the right to pronounce texts from memory.
It is also desirable to make taharat after performing the ghusl. Even if the latter has not been done, the reader can simply read it without touching the book.
Does it matter what you wear?
You need to pay attention to the clothes you wear. A woman should cover all parts of the body, except for the hands and face, but a man closes the distance from the navel to the knees. This rule must always be respected!
They read the Quran loudly, but if there is a chance that they will hear, then you can lower the tone a little.
- It is not recommended to put the book on the floor. It is advisable to put it on a pillow or a special stand.
- It is not recommended to wet your fingers with saliva when turning the pages of a book.
- Don't drop the Quran.
- Do not place on feet or under head.
- It is not recommended to consume food and water while reading the Qur'an.
- Do not yawn while reading.
If you have patience and strength, you can easily study and start reading the Quran in Arabic.
1. Teach for the sake of Allah.
Very often we encounter a common mistake among our brothers and sisters, who are engaged in some charitable deed more with the intention of showing off or keeping up with others, rather than doing it for the sake of the Almighty. And it is no coincidence that the author put this advice under the first point. After all, many imams, including Bukhari and Muslim, began their well-known collections of hadiths with a hadith about intention.
Therefore, the author further says: "This intention can be purified by learning about the benefits of studying and memorizing the Qur'an, as well as the dignity of those who study the Qur'an and know it by heart."
In this regard, I would like to cite a reliable hadith: "The best of you is the one who has learned the Qur'an and teaches it to others."
2. Determination of the goal (set a goal).
For example: “I will study tajweed with my brothers and memorize the juz of the Koran and do it in the best way, because Allah loves what is done in the best way.”
3. To do this, plan your time and your opportunities so as not to miss lessons and keep up with memorization.
That is, the author says that it is not enough to wish for something, one must also make some reasons for this.
For example: “On Monday I am busy all day, but on Tuesday I have a few free hours during which I can review the material covered and learn something from the Koran.”
If you have a daily routine where you pay attention to this, then, insha Allah, there will be a result.
4. Choose for yourself the most optimal time and place.
For example: “On Tuesday, I have to learn Surah al-Ihlyas, but my nephews will come to our house, they will make noise and indulge, so they will not let me memorize in peace. It would be better for me to go to the mosque, where no one will interfere with me and I can calmly do what I intended.
5. Choose a specific Quran from which you will constantly learn.
The author focuses on the fact that there is visual and auditory memory. That is, he wants to say that for the best result in memorization, it will be right to take as a basis one Quran, the font of which your eyes will get used to, and you will not be distracted each time by some features of the Quran printed in a different font.
6. Do not be afraid of the first difficulties (for example, in difficulty with pronunciation or memory). As a rule, all beginners face this. It's like playing sports. If some corns appear on the first day, this does not mean that you should give up playing sports.
And indeed, this is the problem of many Muslims who, at the instigation of the devil, can find a lot of reasons for themselves to leave any business.
Someone says that he graduated from the university a long time ago and studying is not for him, while another may say that he did not study well at school, and therefore nothing will work out now. This should not be, and if such thoughts visit you, then drive them away with the help of Allah.
7. If you are learning the Qur'an on your own, then check what you have learned from a sheikh who can read correctly.
I was convinced of the correctness of this advice when checking with one sheikh. It seemed that I had known that little sura for several years and memorized it to the smallest detail. But later it turned out that there are a number of inaccuracies that had to be corrected. Therefore, do not leave a single sura so that it is not checked by a knowledgeable sheikh.
This can also be checked on cassettes or discs.
The main thing is to have a clear audibility.
As an example, we can cite brothers who, by nature, have beautiful voices and begin to get carried away with this or that they pull, where sounds are necessary and not necessary, while pronouncing some letters incorrectly.
This is the essence of the words of Zayd ibn Harith, who said: "Read the Qur'an as you were taught."
8. When studying or memorizing the Quran, have a simple, small tafsir (translation of certain phrases, interpretation of certain expressions, etc.) with you, because if you take a serious tafsir, then you can be distracted and move away from the goal itself.
When you study verses, first learn one verse, then the next, then read them together, and so on in ascending order.
To be more focused, be at the bath.
When reading the Quran, sit in such a way that your posture likens you to serious study.
Here I would like to draw your attention to the fact that such a posture should also be present during dars with sheikhs or some other important activities. This is without a doubt an adab which must be adhered to in order to be among the successful.
10. Read what you have learned in front of your relatives or friends, thereby revealing your shortcomings in reading, you will become more confident, and also take your time and listeners by listening to the Qur'an.
It is important to overcome your shyness and ask a friend or relative to listen to you. Our grandparents especially love this business, they get great pleasure from the fact that their grandchildren study the book of Allah and rejoice in this more than we ourselves.
11. Review what you have learned from time to time. It is especially useful to repeat this in prayer.
A person who reads the Qur'an from memory feels the difference when he closes the Qur'an and the best test of his knowledge is to check it in prayer. It is important that the suras are not on duty. For example, earlier, due to ignorance and lack of experience, I knew 10 suras by heart, but in my prayers I most often used only half and occasionally the remaining half. And the half that I read more often I knew better than the other half. So try not to be.
Pay attention to similar or somewhat similar verses in different suras so as not to be mistaken.
12. In order for Allah to make your knowledge durable and your memory strong, follow that you learn and then do not sin.
Alhamdulillah, I have embarked on the path of gaining knowledge, but today I am all in righteous deeds, and tomorrow the day may pass in sin and Allah may punish you by taking away this knowledge. To prevent this from happening, one should strictly adhere to this twelfth advice, because Allah does not give Islamic knowledge to unrighteous people.
13. Go to all kinds of circles where the Qur'an is read in the presence of a knowledgeable person.
That is, in addition to the main place for studying the Quran, try to find a place where you can consolidate the material you have learned or discover something new. As a rule, this tradition is practiced in Arab countries which, insha Allah, we will also transfer to our region as a useful thing.
And it happens like this: for example, after some kind of prayer, those who wish remain, sit down, bring the Korans and read in turn. Among them there is one knowledgeable brother who corrects mistakes and makes a little tafsir of certain verses.
14. When you learn certain part Quran (whether juz, half juz, half Quran, etc.) refer to a person who has permission (ijaza) to teach the Quran.
This is necessary in order not to be self-taught, as practice shows that such people can make very gross mistakes somewhere.
15. Take advantage of youth when memory is strong. But if you started learning the Qur'an at an age, then you should be even more diligent.
As the sheikh told us, when he was studying, they had one adult brother who came to study after the army. Due to the fact that in the army at a construction site a brick fell on his head, he constantly complained of a headache. This brother spent whole days, wherever he was seen, sitting and studying the Koran, because. it was very hard for him. However, at the exams, he passed it better than anyone else and even better than those brothers who were 10 years younger than him and they were easily given hifz. But for his diligence and diligence, Allah gave him the opportunity to show the best results.
16. The one who seeks knowledge and learns the Koran should watch his food intake.
17. Don't get carried away planning for hifz (learning) more than hifz. And don't go from one way of learning to another.
18. When you achieve some first success, then do not show ‘ujb (complacency, narcissism, narcissism), because it is said in the hadith: “Three things are destructive for a person ... and one of them is when a person is engaged in narcissism.”
For example: “I started studying the Koran, tajwid, I have already learned the last 10 suras, and my brother still does not even know Arabic letters. What a fine fellow I am ”- at this moment the person begins to relax, which in the end can lead him to leave the goal.
19. Make the du’a that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did, in which he asked to save us from impotence (lethargy) and laziness.
In Russian transcription, it will sound like this: “Allahumma, inni a’uuzu bika minal ‘ajzi wal kasal.”
20. Make dua so that Allah will grant you this knowledge.
There are various du’a for this and as an example, you can use the verse from the Koran: “Rabbi, zidni ‘ilman.”
These were twenty tips from Mishari Rashid for those who want to learn how to read the Qur'an. May Allah grant that these tips will benefit us all and make our reading at least a little like the reading of our dear brother.