For our final installment in our Ramadan 2025 series, Inner Dimensions, we are going to reflect on our relationship with the Qur’an.
Back when I first wrote it and even still now, this is one of those posts that is addressed to myself first and foremost. As a convert I have always struggled a little bit with consistency in reading and reciting Quran, and making goals for myself that are realistic. And in the end, it all comes back to connection.
And We send down of the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.
Qur’an 17:82
Today's thoughts are largely a brainstorm and a reminder for me in how to achieve that connection that I crave and need in order to pursue my relationship with Allah's word in Ramadan and beyond.
Read a Good Translation
I’ve noticed one reason I am struggling to make a connection is that I am just not resonating with the translation I am reading. Some of the words are just strange, others strangely used, and in other places I am actually not sure even of the accuracy of the English translation.
So, that is my first thought: in order to start forming a connection with the Qur’an we have to read it in our own language, whether that be English or German or Urdu or Chinese. Beyond that, however, we need to search for the right translation.
Yes, I know that there will never be one “perfect” translation into any language, but it is so important find the translation that works for you.
If you can read the Qur’an and focus on the meaning instead of focusing on the antiquated words, the clunky sentence structure, or the bits that just seem “off,” chances are you will be more likely to get engrossed in the beauty of it and find a deeper connection.
Think Quality, not Quantity
Another mistake I make when setting my Quran goals is thinking more about quantity than quality. For example, during Ramadan I often make the blanket goal of a juz a day, the whole Qur’an by the end of Ramadan.
But what is the actual impact of reading cover to cover once, or even twice during the month if my heart is exactly the same afterward? If I didn’t even get one gem of wisdom from it? If I barely just scanned the pages to get through them, without stopping to reflect over even one verse?
There are various ways I could update this goal.
If it is really important to me to really get through the entire Quran by the end of Ramadan, I could set myself a reading schedule that actually takes into account my ebbs and flows in energy and time during the holy month.
Another shift I could make is to think about how I can foster comprehension and learning in my Quran goal, instead of just a number of pages per day i.e. reading so many pages plus tafsir, or reading only as many pages at a time as I feel like I can actually truly pay attention to and take in the words.
Find Ways to Connect
Related to the previous point, it is important to find ways that work for each one of us as individuals to connect to Quran.
For me, I’ve found that I really connect with Quran when I am listening to tafsir or other lectures about a specific surah or verse.
For some, even just listening to recitation can make them well up with tears. For others they find that connection in reading tafsir, or the context of the seerah that the verse was revealed in. Certain surahs resonate with each of us more than others do.
Explore what feels right for you. Listening to recitations of your favorite surahs, listening to lectures on the Qur’an and revelation, reading tafsir and explanations of verses, journaling on the verses that resonate with you, whatever it is that will help to create that connection that will lead to deepening your relationship with Allah, find ways to do more of that.
As we enter the last ten days of Ramadan, remember it is never to late to reevaluate and get back on track with goals in shaa Allah, and the last part of any race is where we push the hardest! I pray that we all are able to finish this month strong, whatever that may look like in our individual circumstances, and it is accepted from us, ameen.