The Quran, Not Only in Ramadan
In a Hadith related in the collection of Imam at-Tirmidhi the Beloved ﷺ is reported to have given the following description of the Quran:
“God’s book. In it is news for what happened before you, and information about what comes after you, and judgement for what happens between you. It is the Criterion (between right and wrong) without jest. Whoever among the oppressive abandons it, God crushes him, and whoever seeks guidance from other than it, then God leaves him to stray. It is the firm rope of God, it is the wise remembrance, it is the straight path, and it is the one that the desires can not distort, nor can the tongues twist it, nor can the scholars ever have enough of it, and it shall not become dull from reciting it much, and the amazement of it does not diminish. It is the one that when the Jinns hear it, they did not hesitate to say about it: 'Verily, we have heard a wonderful Recitation (this Quran)! 'It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed therein.' Whoever speaks according to it then he has said the Truth, and whoever acts according to it he is rewarded, and whoever judges by it he has judged justly, and whoever invites to it then he guides to the straight path."
Although this Hadith is judged as weak, its meaning is sound and our scholars have deemed acting upon and taking lessons in virtuous actions to be permitted.
It is the final Revelation, promised to be preserved by God Himself. It is His letter to each one of us. It is a cure and a source of tranquility for the heart. It is a protection against doubts and evil for the one who submits. If you recite it, a veil will be placed between you and those in denial about the ultimate reality of existence:
وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا
And when you recite the Quran, We place between you and those who do not believe in the hereafter a hidden barrier;
وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَحْدَهُ وَلَّوْا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِهِمْ نُفُورًا
And We have placed coverings on their hearts and a heaviness in their ears lest they understand it, and when you mention your Lord alone in the Quran they turn their backs in aversion. [17:45-46]
Many of us unfortunately shelve the Quran and let it collect dust for 11 months of the year, only to open it once every Ramadan. It’s a blessing to recite the Quran throughout Ramadan, and for that we should be thankful. But more than that, it’s a greater blessing to be given permission from God to read His words to us every single day, all year long.
This Ramadan make it a point to establish a lifelong habit of having a daily portion of Quran to recite. It’s best to have it done in the morning so you’re not victim to becoming lazy as the day progresses then deciding to do it tomorrow, a tomorrow that never comes.
May we all become attached to the Quran this Ramadan with an attachment that sustains a relationship with it that goes beyond this blessed month, and have it transform us into the types of individuals who God and His Messenger and Beloved ﷺ would be pleased with.
