By: KHURRAM MURAD

ATTITUDES OF HEART AND MIND

There are certain basic attitudes of heart and mind, to be integrated deeply in the conscious soul and in action, which constitute the necessary prerequisites to any fruitful study of the Qur'an.

1. Firm Faith and Conviction

2. Purpose of Recitation

Come to the Qur'an with a deep and firm faith and conviction that it is the revealed word of Allah. Such is the charm of the Qur'an that even if a man takes it up and starts reading it as he would an ordinary book, he would still benefit from it, provided he reads it with an open mind. But this is the Book of Allah; and you should always remain conscious that each word that you are reading has been sent for you by Allah. This constant awareness is vital to develop the right attitudes and strong determination required to reach the heart of the Qur'an and assimilate its meaning. Think of His majesty and glory and power, and you will feel the awe and devotion and a longing for His words. This is why the Qur'an reminds you of this important truth at the beginning of most surahs and frequently in between.

Recite the Qur'an with no other purpose than to come nearer to your Lord and seek His guidance and good pleasure.

3. Accept Truth, Knowledge and Guidance

4. Readiness to Change Attitudes and Behaviour

5. Seek Refuge with Allah

You should seek guidance from the Qur'an, for your total life, and only from the Qur'an. It is the word of Allah; and it requires as much exclusiveness as He does. One who desires worldly ends from the Qur'an may get them, but he shall surely lose a whole ocean that could have filled his cup. One who has the Qur'an with him and yet goes to other sources for guidance, is surely running after mirages.

Accept, without the slightest doubt or scepticism, every piece of truth, knowledge and guidance that the Qur'an conveys to you. You have every right to enquire, reflect and understand what it contains; but what you cannot fully comprehend is not necessarily unreasonable. You have a right to reject that it is the word of Allah; but once you have accepted it as His, you have no basis whatsoever to doubt even a single word of it.

There must be a total surrender and abandonment to the Qur'an. Your own opinion, beliefs, notions, whims and caprices should not be allowed to override any part of it.

Have the determination and readiness to change and mould your attitudes and behaviour - inward and outward - in accordance with the teachings you come across in the Qur'an. Unless you are prepared and begin to act, mere intellectual exercises will never bring you anywhere near the real treasures of the Qur'an.

Remain aware that, as you embark upon reciting the Qur'an, the possibilities and the potentials of your advancement are so great that Satan will, on this occasion, make greater efforts to deprive you of the fruits of your labour. He may pollute your intention; make you remain unmindful of its meaning and message; create doubts in your mind; create barriers between your soul and the words of Allah; or tempt you away from obeying the Qur'an. It is with the full

(Holy Qur'an 16:98)

6. Allah's Infinite Mercy

7. Constant Praise & Gratitude

consciousness of these perils and dangers that your tongue should, in obedience to the Qur'an, say: "A' uzubillahi ...."

Realise that, just as it has been Allah's infinite mercy that has brought His words to you in the Qur'an, so it can be only His mercy that can lead you to the full rewards of its reading. Your desire and effort are the necessary means; but His will and support are the only guarantees. So approach the Qur'an with humility, with a sense of utter dependence upon Him, with trust in Him and with supplication and devotion to Him at every step.

Make yourself constantly pulsate with intense praise and gratitude to your Lord for having blessed you with His greatest gift - the Qur'an, and for having guided you to its reading and study. It is but natural for your heart to beat with joy and murmur:

(Holy Qur'an 7:43)

The more you are grateful, the more Allah will give you from the riches of the Qur'an.

In this spirit of dependence, trust, praise and gratitude, let your heart and tongue, in mutual harmony, begin the recitation: "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful" - the verse which appears at the head of all but one of the 114 Surahs of the Qur'an. And also pray:

(Holy Qur'an 3:8)

"HEART" WITH YOU

Before starting to recite the Qur'an, you should ensure that so long as you are with the Qur'an, your "Heart" remains with you; not merely a piece of flesh, but the centre of all your attention, remembrance, emotions, aspirations and activities; or, your whole inner "person". Only then will you have the capability to receive the great gifts of Allah and respond with humble devotion. The seven prerequisites discussed earlier lay the foundations for the communion of the Qur'an with your heart. In addition to these, the observance of a few more rules will greatly increase the intensity and quality of this presence of heart.

a) In the Presence of Allah

(Holy Qur'an 57:4)

Always keep yourself alive to the reality that, while you are reciting the Qur'an, you are in the very presence of Him who has sent these words to you.

(Holy Qur'an 50:16)

(Holy Qur'an 10:61)

(Holy Qur'an 2:152)

b) Listening to the Qur'an from Allah Himself

You may not see Him, but He is certainly seeing you.

Feel, as a part of your effort to "remain" in the presence of Allah, as if you are listening to the Qur'an from Allah

c) Direct Addressee of the Qur'an

d) Posture Reflect Inner Submission

e) Purify Yourself

Himself. Al-Ghazali tells, in the Ihya, of a person who could move nearer to the Qur'an and could taste more of its sweetness by feeling that; first, as if he was listening to it from the Prophet (peace be upon him); then, as if from the angel Jibra'il; and lastly, as if from Allah Himself.

Consider that you, individually and personally, are the direct addressee of the Qur'an. Though the Qur'an has been received by you indirectly through persons, time and space, but let all these intermediaries recede and disappear for some moments and allow yourself to receive the Qur'an as if it is talking directly to you, penetrating your heart and intellect. The very thought of such direct reception will keep your heart seized by what you are reading.

Make your outward posture reflect your inner awe, respect, devotion and submission for the words of your Lord. There is a deep connection between the outward and the inward of a man. The "presence" of the body will keep the "Heart" present. There should be a difference in your posture while reading the Qur'an in comparison to an ordinary book.

Purify yourself as much as you can. You know that only the "pure" are entitled even to touch the Qur'an. You know that your body, dress and place should be clean. You also know about the purity of intention. But you should also realise that the purity of heart and body from sins is equally important. No one can be completely free from sins; but try to avoid as much as you can. And if you happen to commit some, try to turn to Allah in repentance and ask for His forgiveness, as soon as you can. Also take care that, while reading the Qur'an, you are not eating haraam, wearing haraam, living in haraam (obtained through means not permitted by Allah). The purer you are, the more your heart will remain with you, the more it will open itself to the Qur'an.

It is vital that you should understand what Allah is saying to you and reflect over it as much as you can. If you read the Qur'an without understanding, you may derive some reward because of your sense of devotion and your desire to read this Book. But this would not, in the least, fulfill the purpose for which it has been revealed. It has come to vitalize you, mould you and lead you to a new life and existence. It is not merely a source of blessing, a sacred ritual, a revered relic or a holy magic. The Qur'an is full of exhortations asking you as to why you "hear not", "see not", "think not", "use not reason", "ponder not". It says that, (Holy Qur'an 25:73)

 (Holy Qur'an 47:24)

You will find elsewhere better guidance on how to understand and ponder over the Qur'an, but there are certain important principles you should keep in mind.

1. Understand and reflect over the Qur'an as if it was being revealed today, as each word of it is as living and relevant today as it was when it was first revealed. In this light, you should try to relate and apply it to your own life, concerns, experiences and levels of knowledge and technology. Do not consider any verse of the Qur'an as merely a thing of the past.

2. Read the whole of the Qur'an, from beginning to end, with the help of a translation. This will give you an overall idea of the Book, its style and message.

3. Initially, read only short but good commentaries and do not delve in long and detailed tafsirs.

4. Try to learn at least as much Arabic as will enable you to understand the meaning of the Qur'an without the help of a translation. It may seem an arduous task, but I have known semiilliterate persons accomplish this within a few months, once they took to it seriously and devotedly.

5. Ponder and think deeply over the various parts of what you read. This requires reciting a particular verse or portion thereof slowly (with tarr'teel) or even repeatedly. The more you think and reflect, you will have a greater share of its rich and unlimited meanings. It is in this sense that Ibn 'Umar spent eight years on Surah al-Baqarah alone. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and many others used to spend whole nights repeating just one verse.

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