Seven Tips to Understand the Holy Quran Better

The Holy Quran is the final message of God according to Muslims.

The book was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he was 40 years old. The very first verse was, “Read, in the name of your Lord.” After the first instance of revelation, it was a process that continued for 23 years until the completion of the Quran.

The Quran has hundreds of verses and each verse has a special meaning. When reading the Quran, many Muslims today neglect the meaning. They read without understanding the message being conveyed.

But, the Prophet asked Muslims to not only strive to understand the Quran but also implement its golden principles in their life.

Understanding the Quran is not that simple because it’s in classic Arabic and there are several verses with complicated contexts. People also mistake the meanings of various words and do not grasp the essence of divine revelation.

To tackle this problem and to make the Quran easy for you, here are seven tips you can follow. Let’s get started!

Seven Tips to Understand the Quran

Seek Allah’s Help

Allah helps those who invoke him to guide them. The Holy Quran is the most precious book and contains oceans of knowledge. Not going into its depths leaves you deprived of so much wisdom.

Well, the first you can take is to ask Allah for his help. Start reading the Quran with a dua. The dua should be earnest and true. Once you make a supplication, you will feel a strange energy inside yourself that will develop your interest in the divine scriptures.

As you begin to read along with the translation you will find yourself much immersed in the sacred words and understand the message of Allah better.

Read an Easy Tafsir (Exegesis)

There are hundreds of different kinds of tafsir and each tafsir is ranked on the basis of their complexity.

Some tafsirs are only for expert Quran readers and those that already have a good know-how of the Quran and its principles. Other tafsirs are however easy and intended for those with little knowledge of the Holy Quran.

If you’re a beginner in Quran tafsir you must choose a tafsir that is easy to understand and with minimum jargon words.

So, before you buy a tafsir book, seek people’s advice and ask those who have already read tafsir for their expert opinion. On a side note, tafsirs like Sirat ul Jinan and Kanzul Iman are great fits for Muslims (non-Muslims) starting their journey into the book of wisdom, the Quran.

Watch Videos by Experts

When beginning your journey into the Glorious Quran you will want to look at several available useful options. One of them is YouTube videos on Quran.

It’s not exactly about YouTube, but any platform that provides video lectures on the Quran can be of great help. Since beginners have hardly any idea what the Quran is about and what each surah (chapter) means, watching lectures will walk them through each page of the book.

To choose the best channels on the Quran make sure you check the ratings and viewer reviews.

Also, there are multiple interpretations of the Quran, thus the many sects, so it’s wise to pick the interpretation that makes the most sense and is easy to understand.

You can search for Ahle Sunnat or Dawat-e-Islami video lectures, for example.

Learn the Arabic Language

For most Muslims whose first language is not Arabic, reading the Quran becomes a repetitive drill from which they gain a little. But that doesn’t mean Arabs can understand Quran without any trouble.

The fact is that the Quran is in classic old Arabic, therefore, many Arabs find it hard to understand the meanings of Quranic verses as well.

So, the solution lies in learning the language just the way it was back then. As a beginner, it would help you a great deal if you started learning Arabic.

There are many language training centers that teach Quranic Arabic and it would be a worthwhile investment for you to get enrolled and become proficient in Arabic. That will allow you to grasp Quran and go to the very depths of Quranic wisdom.

So, get started with finding the best online or physical available classes for Arabic learning.

Read One Page A Day

You could have the longing to understand the Quran but finding time to read can be a challenge. One solution to this problem is to commit to reading one page a day.

By committing to reading just one page a day, you can develop a habit of reading that will help you expand your knowledge and improve your cognitive abilities. With time, you may find that you naturally want to read more pages each day, and before you know it, you'll have read the entire book!

After you've finished your page, take a moment to reflect on what you've read. This can help you retain the Quranic information and make connections with other things you've read or experienced.

When you're reading a page, make sure to give it your full attention. This will help you absorb the information and get the most out of your reading.

Don’t Read Without Context

The Holy Quran is a complex book and each verse contains a background that must be looked into. Because without understanding the background you can’t realize the true meaning of any chapter.

The problem is that each verse of the Quran has a different revelation date and time. So, one thing said in one part of the Quran doesn’t have exactly the same meaning in another part of the Quran. The contextual difference matters.

So, to get to know the context behind every chapter or verse you’ll need to read a good, detailed tafsir of the Quran.

As said earlier, a tafsir is a book of exegesis and gives a lot of insight into the context of the Quran, the time of its surahs’ revelation and the message. Make sure the tafsir fits your competence with the Quran.

Go Deep in the Meaning

Last but not the least, to understand the true meaning of the Glorious Quran you must read between the lines and go into the depths of the holy book.

The Quran is the final word of God according to Muslims. The book is full of wisdom and enlightens anybody that reads it with the intention to gain insight into this life and the life after death. But penetrating through the surface is important.

To go deep into the Quran, you should realize how each word has been used perfectly to deliver the divine message. And, not attribute any arbitrary meanings to the words.

You should consider the classic Arabic context in which the verses were revealed.

Once you begin to see the words are they were truly revealed without any personal projections you’ll be able to gain enormous understanding of the Quran.

That’s how your life will begin to change and you’ll transform as a person!