Beginning to read Qur'an

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I have obtained a copy of the Qur'an with English translation, and I have been reading it. However, I was wondering, for someone just coming to learn about Islam, is it best to start at the beginning (like a normal book) or are there specific surahs that you would recommend to start with?
 
:sl:

I am speaking for myself here. When I read the Quran for the first time ever, I found it pretty strange. I read some of it and then I bought myself a Quran with tafseer (explanations) just to make more sense of it.

:w:
 
Michael said:
I have obtained a copy of the Qur'an with English translation, and I have been reading it. However, I was wondering, for someone just coming to learn about Islam, is it best to start at the beginning (like a normal book) or are there specific surahs that you would recommend to start with?
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assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah ! :)


hope your good bro !

i just wanted to say that when beginning to "learn" about islam its best to find a good qualified teacher to teach you, a local masjid should have plenty :). Also in order to truelly feel the qur'an you'd want to learn to read it in arabic, so the teacher will inshaAllah help with that. Normally people start off reading the last chapter (commonly known as the juz amma) of the quran which contains all the short surah's.


may Allah grant you success in dunya and akhirah my bro :)
 
Michael said:
I have obtained a copy of the Qur'an with English translation, and I have been reading it. However, I was wondering, for someone just coming to learn about Islam, is it best to start at the beginning (like a normal book) or are there specific surahs that you would recommend to start with?
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Insha'Allah (God willing) you will get great benefit from your reading.

I agree that the Quran is not an easy book to read. It does not have a logical beginning middle and end that we are accustomed to reading. I agree that the last juz (1/30th part) is a good place to start which is surahs 78 to 114. These surahs pertain more to faith than the legal aspects. I recommend using the index to find ayat relating to topics you are interested in. I believe there are better translations, but I liked the commentary and index in the Yusuf Ali translation that I read before becoming a Muslim.

I have been a Muslim for 25 years and only now am I beginning to learn to read the Arabic. Although I know the meaning of only a few words, it is a joy to be able to put letters together and to recognize the words I do know.
 
I too bought a copy of the Qur'an in english and started to read it with virtually no background in it. Now I have read it a few times and I would agree that it makes the most sense to someone with little outside knowledge if you start towards the back. The shorter surahs are also easy to digest before getting into bulkier passages.

I had a copy with a little bit of commentary but a lot of references to put things into perspective historically or to tie them to other ideas more familiar in the west. My copy was translated by Muhammad M. Pickthall. You might want to check it out at a bookstore and see what you think.
 
The only problem is that the translation isn't really accurate and there could be different views on it, but I guess its a good reference.
 
for a Christian i think you should start of reading chapter 19, surah Maryam (Mary)
 
Yes you can start from begining and then read it until the end. That is what I did and I benefited tremendously from that. Reading the last juz first (Surah 78-114) is good start then going back and reading surahs 1-77. Just remember that it is not the Qur'an you are reading only a translation. A complete meaning of Quran is in original Arabic. You can definitely gain some insight and understanding of the Quran when reading the translation. When things are confusing or you don't understand then ask a scholar to help you understand the Arabic words that was used in the verse(s).
You can read this before you read the quran....http://www.islam-guide.com
May God guide us..ameen.
 
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Salih20 said:
maybe start with the chapters in the order they were revealed and read the biography of the prophet (pbuh) along with this IA
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why not, start at the START? or by the subject one needs to research?

do we have more wisdom than the compilers?
 
Salih20 said:
the compilers of the qur'aan- amongst them was Zaid bin Thaabit
this does not mean the ones who wrote it, but simply that they collected the written pieces and put them together in the correct order in a book form
previously the qur'aan was not in the form of a written book but preserved instead in the hearts of the sahaaba
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:) thank You wa salaam alaikum
 
When I read the Qu'ran for the first time I felt that it was easier to start from the beginning, but I don't think it matters just look through it and start where ever you want. I have a Qu'ran that tells you the history of each Surah and also explains what your reading. I think a Qu'ran like that would be very helpful for you. I hope you learn a lot. I wish you the best..

:sl:
 
The Quran instructs us to read from cover to cover...the complete book in order to fully understand it's message. Language is not important as it is God who teaches the Quran (Quran chapter 55 verses 1-2).

People read in Arabic..wonderful if you can understand what you read..but many don't..so what's the point, as the message is not understood. After all it's not the language that's important, it's God's message. If you read in a language you understand then you will understand what God has to say far quicker and that's the most important thing.

People say the Quran is difficult to learn...not so for those with a sincere heart. God states in chapter 54 of the Quran, in no less than 4 places in that chaper "We made the Quran easy to learn. Does any of you wish to learn?" (verses 17,22,32,40).

Read with an open and sincere heart and allow God to do the rest.
 
Hello!

I am a Christian, but I have read the qu'ran many, many times.

First off, it is good to read the Bible first. I actually read the qu'ran BEFORE I read the Bible(or before I was Christian for that matter.) The reason.. Because the qu'ran is a small book.. 20% smaller then the New Testament!

So, I first read it... And there were many strange things in there that I had no clue about. Like "And remember the inflictions on Job." So I hear that something happened to Job.. But what happened!! So then I search all over, and find no answers in the qu'ran.

Later on, I read the bible, and found all what Job was about..

It is an islamic belief that the Bible is corrupted. However, I think that once I read the Bible, I got a much better understanding of what the author of the qu'ran was trying to say. The Bible is a LOT more descriptive and a lot more detailed, and so it helps to see what the Bible says to fill in the pieces.

So, since you are Christian, you have probably read the Bible. So that is good.

However, there are still many confusing things.. Like different people being mentioned, or this or that. So, it is good to read tafsir. You can find it on the computer. Tafsir ibn kathir is the most popular. It sort of mixes different details together. It answers a lot of questions about why this or that surah was "revelaed" as well as more on the meaning, etc. You can view tafsir ibn kathir online.. Just google it, and go to the first result. So yeah, that always helps.

And, lastly just read all the 6 authentic sunni hadiths. Those answer some questions here and there. And, ibn ishaqs biography of muhammad is something you should read, even though it will not really help you with reading the qu'ran.

as for the order.. There is a hadith where someone asks aisha, and she says "it does not matter what order you read it." So yeah. However, I like to read it in the "order of revelation." You will see that a lot of the themes are repeated when you do such.

So yeah, that is just my little advice!
 
May Allah ease d path before you
personally i would suggest u start wit d short suras-easier to read,digest , analyse...etc( am referrin to juzu amma)
tho there is no set way of reading it jus depends on u
 
I agree that the Quran is not an easy book to read.{Mustafa}
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This opinion/assertion is straight in conflict with the claim made not once but sux times by Allah swt in the Grand Quran that this has been made easy to understand and remember {Refer 19:97; 44:58; 54:17,22,32, 40}.

Start reading the Quran from Alif Lam Meem. Read it with little concentration and you will InshaAllah find that it is in complete flow and continuity. One learns reading by knowing the sound of partices of the language and how they get shape in writing. In Arabic a word is made by bringing particles near to each other and conjoining them which is the basic perception infolded in the Arabic Root ک ت پ and bringing together pages having written material and sewin them makes what is called کتاپ the Book.

And basic purpose of picking up a book is the pursuit of finding the truth/guidance/road map for destination. But a truth seeker picking up a book has also some doubts as to whether he will get the purpose for which he is going to read the book after having read it completely. Grand Quran is a unique book; it addresses at the very outset that fear of any reader by telling him that this is the Book in which no conjectural/scum matter is there and it contains nothing but knowledge and the truth. Read it with confidence and comfort, you won't be disappointed.
Thanks.
 

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