My unexpected Journey With The Qur'an

I once went to an Islamic bookshop with some friends and being a book lover I was looking for something new.So I asked for a book that is intriguing, captivating, something that when I start reading I wouldn't want to put down, & I was told, ...... 'Read the Qur'an'. I was surprised... because I didn't expect that answer, but deep inside I knew that was true. That was during Ramadan. I knew something was missing in the taraweehs and tahajjuds. I felt I just had to know why the Imams are always shaken to tears each time they recite certain verses. Most moments like that, I feel so isolated & left out of something special.

I always heard of how people talked about how amazing the meaning of the Qur'an is and I knew that was absolutely true from the little I knew here and there, but I never got the courage to read it myself. I always said "I want to learn Arabic so that I would understand the Qur'an". But turns out I wouldn't be able to study Arabic anytime soon. Then, I received an email (from an Islamic organisation Mus'ab Ibn Umayr), about someones journey to understanding the Qur'an.  How he started with reading the translation consistently and then memorization and then Arabic studies... Masha Allah. I was awe struck. The general message was learning Arabic was not an excuse for not understanding the Qur'an. 

Then it hit me!!! What have I been doing all this time? What have I been waiting for? Why hadn't I decided to do this a long time ago? (I know I know, Allah's time is the best). So I told my mum I needed a translated Qur'an  with tafseer 'cos I didn't want to miss out a single message which was sent to us by Allah in the Qur'an. She told me Abdullah Yusuf Allah is the most acknowledged  Qur'an translator so far and she bought me this Qur'an (Above). 

Subhanallah!!! This is the Qur'an that is changing my life and experiences. I love books and I think I might have a good taste for them, so u can believe me when I say The Qur'an is the best among all, as should be expected since it is words from The Most High ( subhanahu wa ta3la). By Allah, it's only now that I truly understand what people say about the Qur'an. The stories in it, the incidents... Subhanallah! One feels transported to the past, to the times of the prophets, to the people and all the incidents. The incidents go through my mind like scenes of a movie. You feel the Qur'an. You feel as it breaks the ice, breaks the barriers between you and your Lord, Allah. You suddenly feel His closeness, you feel His words flowing through your blood stream. This is a book that is hard to resist. It's magnetic I tell ya. It's even more beautiful when you read the translation alongside the Arabic text. Such poetry in the Qur'an... Masha Allah. Certainly, my words cannot fully describe the beauty of the Qur'an, the beauty of the words of Allah. Subhanallah!!!

I'm just at the beginning of my journey with the Qur'an and I pray that Allah keeps me steadfast in it. But I don't want to be in it alone. For those people like me who do not understand Arabic and who haven't tried to read the message of the Qur'an by themselves, I urge you to join me, Don't just take the words of people about how beautiful the Qur'an is and leave it that way. I dare you to find out yourself & believe me, you would be awe struck, just like I was. Just try to connect with the Qur'an. Try to imagine the incidents right in front of your eyes. Keep all thoughts aside and just flow with the vibe of the Qur'an. I believe that understanding the Qur'an is a mercy from Allah on it's own. 

May Allah soften our hearts towards the Qur'an and make us among the inhabitants of Jannah, Ameen. 

(Insha Allah would post the story that inspired me)

Allah's words about the Qur'an:

O mankind! The advice has come to you from your Lord and a cure for the hearts - and guidance and mercy for believers. [10: 57]

We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe: to the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss. [17: 82]