How Can One Prepare for a Deeper Understanding of the Quran?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
How can one prepare themselves mentally and spiritually for a deeper understanding when reading the Quran?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
Attaining a deep understanding of the Quran and absorbing its lessons is a blessing from Allah (Most High). However, there are practical steps that can help facilitate this, including:
Steps
- Be in a state of purity: Perform ablution and ensure you are clean when reading the Quran. This will help you feel a sense of tranquility and peace. Also, ensure the place where you are reading and your clothing are clean.
- Start with supplications: Before reading, recite some supplications that include calling upon and seeking closeness to Allah (Most High).
- Have sincere intentions: Approach the Quran with a sincere intention, desiring to understand Allah’s words and draw closer to Him.
- Choose a quiet environment: Read in a peaceful place free from noise and distractions. The right environment can foster deeper reflection on the Quran.
- Select an optimal time: Read during times when your focus is highest, such as during the pre-dawn hours (suhur), about which Allah says: “Indeed, worship in the night is more impactful and suitable for recitation.” [Quran, 73:6]
- Read reflectively: Shallow, hurried reading lacks the impact that comes with thoughtful reflection. Deep reading, where one ponders over the messages and applies them to life, yields greater spiritual benefits.
- Refer to tafsir (exegesis): To grasp the deeper meanings of the Quran’s verses, consult the works of scholars. Understanding the basic meanings of the words builds a deeper emotional and intellectual connection.
Lastly, ask Allah (Most High) to grant you an understanding of His Book and to bless you with wisdom and insight. Remember that the ultimate goal of the Quran is to guide and direct us in life. As Allah (Most High) says:
“(This is) a blessed Book which We have revealed to you (O Prophet) so that they may contemplate its verses, and people of reason may be mindful.” [Quran, 38:29]
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
