We have established that the Qur’an is, in fact, the words of ALLAH, therefore, the status that such a book has, is well above any other book. Reading

We have established that the Qur’an is, in fact, the words of ALLAH, therefore, the status that such a book has, is well above any other book. Reading the Qur’an is most definitely done in such a way that distinguishes it from other books, we call such method of reading “Reciting”. Could you tell us about this?

The way we read the Qur’an is certainly different from the way we read any other book. What distinguishes the Qur’an from other books is that every word in it had been descended from the ALMIGHTY ALLAH. Thus reading the Qur’an is done in an eloquent way to reflect its excellence. This is called “Tarteel” or “Tajweed” which means the art of reciting in accordance with the established rules of pronunciation and intonation. Therefore it is advisable that every Muslim should learn these rules.

The Qur’an, as the words of ALLAH, contains as well the legislation of the Muslims, their ways of life and their conduct. It has been revealed in the

The Qur’an, as the words of ALLAH, contains as well the legislation of the Muslims, their ways of life and their conduct. It has been revealed in the richest textual format and in occasions that vary from one to another. The Muslims rely on the Tafseer of this book to understand the concepts contained within. Can you elaborate on this and how many different tafseers are available and also how do they rank to each other.

As far as the number of Tafseers available, there are certainly many. Some of the Tafseers concentrate on the Scientific phenomenon, other would concentrate on the linguistic features, ... etc. Some of the Tafseers are very large and contained in a number of volumes (up to 30), other four or six volumes, some Tafseers are contained in only one volume. The Tafseer of Ibn Abbas (kinned as the interpreter of the Qur’an) is one of the most famous, others like Ibn Katheer is the most recommanded, and among the relatively recent ones is Tafheem Al-Quraan and also In the Shade of the Qur’an.

. Learning the Qur’an is part of the Islamic faith, at what stage in our lives ought we to start learning this book of ALLAH.

. Learning the Qur’an is part of the Islamic faith, at what stage in our lives ought we to start learning this book of ALLAH.

One must take advantage of the early years or more appropriately the golden years in one’s life to harness the strong capability of the brain in memorising. These years are between the age of 5 up to 23. Imam Al-Seeuty had reported in Al-Jame’a Al-SageerÇáÌÇãÚ ÇáÕÛíÑ that the Prophet (P.B.U.H) had said: (Memorising in youth is like engraving on stone whereas memorising when old is like engraving on water). Therefore, the younger you are the easier it is to memorise and less likely to forget, and the older you are the more difficult it would be to memorise and more likely to forget. However, this does not mean that if you pass the age of 23 years you should give up, this is absolutely not the case. A large number of new converts embrace Islam well above this age, they start not just memorising but even learning to read and write a new language. At this relatively late stage in their lives, they develop an excellent command of this new language and also memorise a great deal of the Qur’an. One must also remember that most of the Sahaba embraced Islam in time later years of their lives, still they managed to memorise if not all of the Qur’an but certainly a large proportion of it. A good example here is the Sahabi Salman Al-Farisi who at an age older than that of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) himself embraced Islam.