allaah, the exalted, revealed the quran, to be a beacon of light that cannot be extinguished. it is a methodology and way of life that is perfect in all respects. in it is strength that cannot be equaled or repelled. it is the foundation of eemaan (faith) and the spring of knowledge. allaah willed that the quran be what quenches the thirst for knowledge. it is the delight of the people of wisdom. the quran is the greatest cure for all ailments. it is allaah's rope that cannot be severed. it is the wise reminder and the truly straight path.

it is the speech of allaah, the almighty. because of that exaltedness, muslim should approach to it with special manners, taking the guidance from the prophet muhammad .

relation between human being and quran

allaah, the almighty states that anyone who truly believes that there is a life after this life also believes in this book. this negates any claim to legitimacy by those who claim to follow a previous religion and book but yet they reject the quran. allaah rejects even their claim to belief in the hereafter, he says (what means): “and they did not appraise allaah with true appraisal when they said, “allaah did not reveal to a human being anything.” say, “who revealed the scripture that moses brought as light and guidance to the people? you [jews] make it into pages, disclosing [some of] it and concealing much. and you were taught that which you knew not — neither you nor your fathers.’ say, “allaah [revealed it].” then leave them in their [empty] discourse, amusing themselves. and this is a book which we have sent down, blessed and confirming what was before it, that you may warn the mother of cities [i.e. makkah] and those around it. those who believe in the hereafter believe in it, and they are maintaining their prayers."[quran, 6: 91-92]

in the following verses, allaah reaffirms the relationship between belief in the hereafter and belief in the quran by mentioning the punishment of those who disbelieve in the hereafter right after mentioning the guidance of the quran. also, since this book is from our creator and is not the creation of any man, it contains the guidance to all that is best and most upright.

allaah says (what means): "indeed, this quran guides to that which is most suitable and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward and that those who do not believe in the hereafter — we have prepared for them a painful punishment." [quran, 17:9-10] 

allaah reminds us of his omnipresent knowledge and that he is fully aware of those who do not submit to the truth of the quran.  allaah command to "do as you wish" is the most serious of threats and is also a clear statement that those who choose disbelief and are later punished for it did so by their choice and so deserve what comes to them.  ath-thikr (the reminder) here refers to the quran.

because it is from allaah most high, falsehood cannot approach it from any direction.  any honest investigation of the quran will find it free from any contradictions and containing many miraculous statements consistent with human knowledge which wasn't acquired until centuries after the quran was communicated to the prophet  - that in addition to its comprehensive guidance to all that is best for mankind as individuals and societies. allaah says (what means): "indeed, those who inject deviation into our verses are not concealed from us. so, is he who is cast into the fire better or he who comes secure on the day of resurrection? do whatever you will; indeed, he is seeing of what you do. indeed, those who disbelieve in the message [i.e. the quran] after it has come to them. and indeed, it is a mighty book. falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [lord who is] wise and praiseworthy." [quran, 41: 40-42]

there is no better occupation or use of your time than learning and/or teaching the quran.  this includes mere recitation as well as its meanings, rulings and application.  the best of this nation are those who learn the quran and those who teach the quran.

it is narrated from ‘uthmaan  that the prophet  said:  "the best of you is the one who learns the quran and teaches it." (al-bukhaari)

in other narrations the prophet  said: "it will be said to the person who memorizes the quran, "read and ascend and recite as you used to recite in the worldly life, for your level is at the last verse which you read."  (at-tirmithi)

he  also said:  "a sign of glorifying allaah [by individuals] is [their] honoring the muslim elder, the bearer of the quran (the person who memorizes it), who is neither extravagant nor negligent towards it and honoring of the just ruler. "  (abu daawood)

etiquette of reciting the quran

it is befitting for one reciting the quran that he/she be in a state of ritual purification and approach allaah's book with the best of manners, humility and respect.  he should be sitting up and not leaning nor sitting in any disrespectful and arrogant manner.  the best recitation of all is that done in prayer and the best of that is in the mosque, but this does not suggest that one neglects it when at home.

as for the quantity of reading, there are narrations from the companions  regarding completing the entire quran every three days, every week or every month.  once every month is the recommendation of the prophet  one week is his  recommended minimum for those who desire to do more and less than three days should not be attempted since it will compromise comprehension which is the point of reading the quran.

it is narrated from ‘abdullaah ibn 'amr : "the prophet  said to me:"read the [entire] quran each month."  i said: i have more strength than that.  he  said: "then read it every twenty days."  i said: i have more strength than that.  he  said: "then read it every seven days and do not exceed that." (muslim)

you should not attempt to complete the quran in less than three days. the prophet  stated that one who does this has no comprehension.

‘abdullaah ibn 'amr  narrated that the prophet  said: "whoever reads the quran in less than three [days] will not comprehend it."  (abu daawood)

the simplest formula is that you should seek to maximize your recitation and study of allaah's book the most you can without impeding your necessary business and work, without harming your health and without compromising your ability to recite the sounds correctly (from reading too fast) or pondering their meanings.  this last statement implies that if you do not know the meanings of the quran, that it would be best to divide your time between reciting the quran and learning arabic and the meanings of the quran in order to arrive at the desired result.  ibn ‘abbaas  is reported to have said: "to read al-baqarah and aal 'imraan with correct recitation and careful contemplation is more beloved to me than to read the entire quran a hasty recitation."

if you find yourself with time on your hands, do not pass up this opportunity for reward and benefit and spend much of it reciting the quran.  strive to not let your recitation become less than one complete reading each year - and add another in ramadhaan if you are able.

beautifying the voice with the quran

you should strive to read the quran in a nice sounding voice.  one who was given a pleasant voice should strive as much as they are able. this should never resemble the style of music and songs.

al-baraa' ibn 'aazib  narrated that the prophet  said: "beautify the quran with your voices (i.e. by reciting it in a pleasant nice voice)." (abu daawood) the preferred reading is the quiet reading, where one hears himself without disturbing others.

'uqbah ibn 'aamir al-juhani  narrated that the prophet  said: "he who raises his voice with the quran is like one who displays his charity and he who lowers his voice with the quran is like he who gives charity privately." (abu daawood)

except of course that he should be able to hear himself.  it is also without harm to raise one's voice with the quran sometimes for a particular purpose such as to perfect pronunciation, aid in memorization or to fight drowsiness.  also included in this is teaching and learning and a condition for all of this is that it is not disturbing others or interrupting their prayer.  

contemplating the meanings

when you recite the quran, you should remember the great kindness and favor of allaah upon his creation in allowing the meanings of his speech to enter his mind by means of this book. you should remember always that what you are reading is unlike any other book. keep the reality and greatness of the source of the quran present in your heart and ponder the meanings of what you are reading. this pondering and this understanding is, after all, the point of the quran and the point of reading it. if it can only be accomplished by repeating verses over and over, then do that and do not rush on to more verses. if you do not understand the arabic, then read and contemplate a translation of the meanings in your language after each verse you recite while remembering that what you are reading in another language is not the speech of allaah, but only the translation of the meaning.

abu tharr  reported that the prophet  once spent an entire night in contemplation of allaah's statement (that means): “if you punish them, they are your slaves…” [quran, 5:118].

when you recite the quran and contemplate its meanings, you should bring as much understanding as possible to each verse you read and get the full benefit of that verse.  so for example, when you read verses that mention the creation of the heavens and the earth, have in your heart and mind the contemplation of the greatness and complexity of all that allaah has created.

when you read about the creation of the fetus from some liquids in the body and the stages it goes through in development, reflect on the great power of allaah in bringing about something so complex from something so simple.  

staying away from all that blocks or prevents understanding

for example, evil thought may inject into your heart that you have not read correctly and pronounced a letter exactly correctly and so you get stuck on that and forget about concentrating on the meanings. another cause is if the reciter is engaged in a sin on a continuous basis, or is arrogant or imprisoned by his desires.  all of this is a cause of darkness of the heart and its rust. it is like dirt on a mirror that prevents true vision.

the heart is like a mirror and the desires and distractions are like the dirt and the meanings of the quran are like the images seen in the mirror. so exercise your heart by setting desires aside and focusing against all distractions as if you are cleaning a mirror.

when you recite the quran, you must know that you are the one being addressed in the quran with the promises and the threats. and that its tales were not sent for entertainment but to learn from and take warning. on this basis, you can contemplate the book and act upon its directions.