How Can an Introvert Improve His Daily Acts of Worship and Seeking Knowledge?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Could you please provide me with a list of all the Quranic and Prophetic duas and when they should be recited? Exam dua in particular.
When, how much, and which sections of the Quran should I recite? I need to be better versed in Tajwid. I can recite the Quran, but I frequently mispronounce key letters, such as pronouncing “aa” when I should say “aw” (as in “raw”). Also, should I prefer seeking knowledge through your courses or the Quran?
Finally, I am an introvert. How can I get over it? I go to the masjid five times a day and, alhamdulillah, attempt to pray on the first row. But I keep silent; older people observe me, and some say they pray too. I’d want to be social and join their company, but I’m introverted and shy. How should I go about socializing with others?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Daily Supplications (Duas) for Morning and Evening
I want to recommend you a list of answered questions and books. Listing all the daily, morning, and evening supplications would be difficult. However, below is a list of comprehensive and authoritative books. Please consider buying them.
How Much Quran Should One Recite
There is no specific amount of the Quran that one needs to recite that is obligatory. The longest option that Imam al-Ghazali mentions is to finish the Quran once a month. All of these are honorable goals, and they are reasonable to attain if one remembers (1) to recite consistently with gradual increases and (2) to recite beautifully. As for consistency, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The most beloved of acts to Allah are the most constant, even if little.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
One should also gradually incorporate the daily recommended suras in one’s daily portion (wird), like Yasin, Waqi‘a, Alif Lam Sajda and Mulk, and Dukhan and Kahf in their respective times.
Read the links below for further details.
Tajwid
It is a personal obligation (fard ‘Ayn) to correctly recite the pronunciation of letters for each Muslim, male and female. Find a teacher or a local Imam who will help you correct your pronunciation of letters as an immediate goal; then, you can gradually build on other aspects of Tajwid later. You should continue to do the SeekersGuidance courses along with your Quran recital and improvement, Insha’Allah.
Being an Introvert
Being an introvert is a quality that Allah Most High has given some of us as a natural disposition. It is neither a good quality nor a bad one. However, these qualities that Allah Most High has created us with are extensions of our tests in this world. Because of them, some aspects of life and religion are easier and more challenging.
It would be best if you found ways to come out of your introverted state gradually and find yourself comfortable. Therefore take the step of socializing with the people in the masjid as a first step, see where it will take you, and build on that. Continue making dua to Allah and seeking advice from your family, local Imam, teachers, and elders. Start attending local circles of knowledge and remembrance. All this can be done gradually, step at a time.
Lastly, pray to Allah Most High with two rak‘at of Prayer of Need (Salat al-Haja) to allow you to make it easy that is pleasing to Him and most beneficial for you and others in this life and the Next.
Related Resouces
Please have a look at these links below to get the details.
Supplications:
- Asking From God – The Art of Supplication: A Comprehensive Reader
- The Reality and Etiquettes of Supplication: A Reader
- What Is a Good Supplication to Make for Studying?
- How Does One Perform The Prayer Of Need (Salat al-Haja)?
- The Life Of Shaykh al Islam Zakariyya al Ansari – Adab of Dua [Video]
- The Book Of Remembrances (Kitab al-Adhkar) [Book]
- Radiant Prayers [Book]
- The Original Handbooks [Book]
A Handbook of Accepted Prayers – this dua book builds a carefully considered framework that aligns our emotions with the most beautiful duas, all of which have a profound constructive purpose: the aim is to transport us smilingly and with the noblest etiquette towards the recognition (marifa) and steadfastness (istiqama) that every Muslim seeks, deep down. This book includes: “The Dua” Framework: the what, the why, the when and the how of dua. More than 200 of the most beautiful duas related to and help manage each of the 26 spiritual diseases. A glossary of more than 100 emotions is another way for the reader to navigate directly to those duas that will benefit most, in sha’ Allah.
Quran:
- Quran Recitation: A Comprehensive SeekersGuidance Reader
- Etiquette of Reading and Handling the Quran
- Is It Obligatory To Learn To Read the Quran?
- Rights of the Quran & Completing it Every Forty Days
- Memorizing the Quran and Intercession
- How Much Quran Should I Recite? – Islam FAQ [Audio]
- Tafsir of Great Suras: Yasin, Mulk, Waq’ia, and Kahf: Linguistic and Thematic Analysis [Course]
Introvert:
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
