What role does the Quran play in Muslim life?

[wiremu.white]

What role does the Quran play in Muslim life?

For example, how does it affect your day-to-day decision making on practical matters.

[Muslim Woman]

Hi ,

Islam is a practical religion , it's a life style . Quran teaches us how to pray and worship our Lord , how to deal with parents and family members , how to be good and have noble characteristics , why not to cheat , steal , kill etc etc .

The most important teaching of Quran is God is one without partner , We must worship one God only .

[Muhammad]

Greetings wiremu.white,

Thank you for this great question.

What role does the Quran play in Muslim life?

For example, how does it affect your day-to-day decision making on practical matters.

The Qur'an is the very Word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad :saws:, brought down by the honourable and noble angel Gabriel. It is not only guidance from God to all of mankind, but it is also the proof of the Prophethood of Muhammad :saws:. It is the greatest of all miracles and the most sacred and blessed, and the clearest in proof. The very beginning of the Prophethood and mission of Muhammad :saws: began with the first few verses of the Qur'an being revealed. Thereafter it was revealed piecemeal over the course of 23 or so years during which the Muslim community grew and flourished. It was preserved both orally and textually since then, and will remain protected by God until the end of time.

The Qur'an is central to the life of every Muslim. It is a living reality. Just as it was for those who heard it for the first time from the lips of the Prophet :saws:, it is a communication from God directly addressing every person. Its words are timeless and eternally valid. It transforms events from a particular time and place into a great and complete lesson which is not limited by the specific circumstances in which they were revealed. Every word of it is deeply relevant to our concerns and experiences, and they are to be integrated fully into our lives. Day and night, it is ceaselessly recited. In homes, in mosques and from pulpits. Its recitation forms an integral part of the daily religious practice of each and every muslim in the world. The Imam recites from the Qur'an in the congregational prayers, and during Ramadhan every year the entire Qur'an is recited from cover to cover in most mosques by the Imam from memory.

Whilst the Qur'an outlines the basic tenets of the religion and the principles of ethical behavior, it is not merely a collection of rulings or facts. The Qur'an focuses on building a firm foundation in one's heart, and strengthening and nourishing the faith and spirituality of the reader. Whatever challenge one is facing in life, there is certainty that the Qur'an will provide immense comfort and encouragement, just as it consoled the Prophet :saws: in his greatest struggles to convey the religion to his people. We are also connected to the struggles of many of the earlier Prophets, many of which are found in the Bible. So many lessons and morals are derived from their lives that we find their stories woven and repeated uniquely throughout the Qur'an. Thus is ingrained very effectively that the core message to humanity has remained the same since the first man and Prophet on earth until the last.

Among our duties towards the Qur'an is reciting and memorising it, both of which are highly virtuous and rewarding actions. The Qur'an is unique in demanding to be preserved in memory. This is not a mechanical, ritual act; it is an act of high spiritual and devotional importance. It aids a person in pondering over its meaning, it makes the Qur'an flow on one's tongue, reside in one's mind, dwell in one's heart, such that it becomes a constant companion. Muslims everywhere memorise the Qur'an, many millions memorising the entire Qur'an from cover to cover, to the extent that such people have become ubiquitous within the Muslim community. The Qur'an can be recited in almost any place and situation, whether sitting, walking or riding.

Studying and reflecting upon the meanings of the Qur'an is also a highly important matter. Its knowledge is like a sea: the deeper one dives into it, the more pearls he will find. Hence it is no surprise that voluminous exegetical works exist expounding its meaning. With the same diligence and scrupulousness that the Words of the Qur'an were preserved and transmitted from generation to generation, so too were its meanings and explanations. This science of Qur'anic exegesis is considered the most honourable of all sciences, and is like a key unlocking the treasure that is the Qur'an. Words pour out incessantly to explain its teachings and to exhort us to live by it. Our predecessors have set a great precedence in their attachment and reflection upon the Qur'an. Some of them would spend entire nights or mornings reflecting and weeping upon a single verse.

Another unique aspect of the Qur'an is that it is a healing and protection, and part of our duty towards it is seeking cure from it. It is used to treat any form of illness, whether physical, psychological or spiritual. It is also recited to ward off evil and remove its effects. Among the names given to the very first chapter of the Qur'an are Ash-Shifa' (the Cure) and Ar-Ruqyah (remedy), due to its being used for these purposes - there is the narration of a Companion of the Prophet :saws: who used it as a remedy for a tribal chief who was poisoned. Also, when the Prophet :saws: was in his final illness, he would recite the last two chapters over himself. Muslims are likewise instructed to do the same. In addition, we are taught to recite specific portions of the Qur'an before sleeping, in the morning and the evening, and one can recite it over another who is ill. Similarly, the Qur'an dispels sadness, worry and regret. God tells us in the Qur'an: '...Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.' [13:28].

We see from the above glimpse that the Qur'an is an extraordinary Book that penetrates every aspect of one's life. Its message is for everyone. Its benefits are endless. It just needs an open, sincere heart that is looking for truth.

Please let us know if you have any further questions. And please feel free to browse other threads about the Qur'an. Here are two that you may find helpful - the first one touches on an aspect that has not been covered above:

Qur'an Recitation
I want to start reading Qur'an--as a Christian.


Regards.

[YusufNoor]

What role does the Quran play in Muslim life?

For example, how does it affect your day-to-day decision making on practical matters.

peace

thanks for asking, the short answer is 100% of decision making should be based upon the Qur'an and Sunnah of the Prophet, pbuh, (who lived his life as an example of the Qur'an and explained it along with any specific directions not actually found in it.)

:wa:

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[~Zaria~]

What role does the Quran play in Muslim life?

For example, how does it affect your day-to-day decision making on practical matters.

Thanks for a great question.

Apart from the many benefits that have been mentioned already, regular recitation as well as listening to the Quraan (with translation, if one is not Arabic-speaking), transforms a person from within.

I feel that it can be so difficult to detach ourselves from this temporary world - our days are often consumed by family commitments, work, interactions with others, etc.
As well as media - we are drowning in an information-overload.
There are TV and radio, news/ talk-shows that run 24 hours a day, as well as constant streaming of events across the world over the internet and other social platforms.
Thus, it is very easy to become consumed by the life of this world.

A few years ago, I gave up music as well as listening to news on my way to work (travel by car), and replaced it with quran (with translation).
Alhamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah), it is all that I listen to when im stuck in traffic.

It has been the means of me working on my focus, on our actual purpose here on earth.
It also softens the heart - just listening to the direct word of our Creator to us, can easily move one to tears.

They say: 'You are the company that you keep'.
So, imagine the impact on a persons heart - who is trying to keep company with His Creator as much as possible.

I personally feel that we need to try and cut as many ties as we have to social media - keep it at a bare minimum.
And spend more time in reciting, listening and memorising the message of our Creator instead.
It is only through this, that we can be able to keep our focus on the Hereafter, as much as possible......for this is all that really matters in the long run.

God Bless

[greenhill]

Salaam, from newbie:D

That was my question some years ago. First, it was a totally foreign language, secondly, totally different writings, how could I get anything out of it? So I left it. What is more like, it left me. I can never win this way. Major niggly questions needed to be answered so I read 3 different translations 2 in English and one in my mother toungue, Malay, and noted down any mention of points that had not rest. It gave me my answer, but I had to find it. Not only it gives you peace, rewards, and all other benefit Allah wishes to give, It can also guide you. I have once pondered on a venture, just decided on a whim to flick open the Quran, lo and behold, the first line I see warned me against undertaking that journey. Alhamdulillah!

So what role it plays, depends what you want to play with it, just don't play around with it. Take is as your companion. If you want it as a guide then you got to try understand its messages.

[Azzam90]

Reciting the Quran daily is light and guidnce for the muslim, also when a muslim feel sadend or depressed he read the Quran to change him positivley and remove sadnesse. Also the Quran make you healthier and stronger.

[Ahmad H]

I live and breathe the Qur'an. It is the only pure source of guidance in this world. No truth is higher than it, and no words are wiser than it. It guides to the straight path. In my everyday life, i strive to understand the Holy Qur'an better. The more I understand it, the better I become because of the wisdom I learn from it. It is the speech of Allah, and thus the best of all speech. It is unadulterated, and so it is the most reliable book there is.

In essence, no self-help guide is needed in life and no spiritist books or search for religion, outside of Islam. This is because the Holy Qur'an is a complete book and the moral guide on how to live life. If I have a problem, I can turn to it and I get my answer. If I am deceived, I go to it and its words breaks that web of deceit which lay before my eyes.

These are not just words, but these are actual facts of my life. I would not have been a complete person were it not for the Qur'an. People say that they get married so they become a complete person. Not for me. Whether I get married or not, the Qur'an completes me more than any woman can. It tells me the right way to live and when i follow it i am convinced I am doing the right thing. Nothing is more sacred than it. I have nothing but praise for this Holy Book. Without it humanity as a whole is lost. It guides every decision i make in life. From it proceeds the guidance of hundreds of scholars. Without this Book they would not have reached the level of wisdom they have reached and we Muslims would not have had a reliable way to make the right decisions in life. Everything we do is guided by the Qur'an. Whether it is eating, sleeping, talking, playing, etc.

[Born_Believer]

I am a bit late to this discussion but I just wanted to write a little about what role the Qu'ran plays in my life personally.

First of all, almost every decision I have made since I have been old enough to make my own decisions and to understand the world around me have been based on the Qu'ran and Sunnah (important to note just following the Qu'ran is not enough).

Now, in a Muslim's life, the Qu'ran and Sunnah guides our social and moral conscience, how we behave towards others, how we treat others, how we see the important aspects of life, how we deal with political beliefs, what stand we take on global issues. I don't think any other religious text in human history can ocmpare when it comes to all of the above.

[phylly9]

Quran is the path for all muslim.Quran teaches the muslims to spend their life on right ways.

[عابر سبيل]

It truly is beautiful. In everything you see aayaat, from the animals/trees that surround you to the news you see on TV. If you have the Qur'aan memorized and understand it, immediately you think of the verses that are constantly being confirmed by our surroundings. They just pop into your head, and it never gets old.