Quran is not just for reading and to be memorised

EVERY 17 Ramadan, Muslims all over the world will commemorate one of the special occasions in the Islamic calendar known as the Quran Revelation Day or Nuzul Al-Quran.

This important date marked the day when the words of the Quran were first revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Muslims believed that Quran was verbally revealed by Allah SWT to Prophet Muhammad SAW through an angel gradually over a period of approximately 23 years beginning from 609AD when the Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW was 40 years old and concluding in 632AD, the year of the Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW's departure.

Muslims in the past and present regard Quran as the most important miracle belonging to the Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW, a definite proof of his own Prophethood and its revelation has been considered as a blessing to the entire Muslim.

Quran consists of culmination of a series of divine messages that started with the messages revealed to Prophet Adam AS and ended with Prophet Muhammad SAW Himself.

Quran not only consists of stories of all the prophets and peoples in the past, but it also embodies guidance and instructions for human being in conducting their daily affairs among themselves, with the non-Muslims as well as with the surrounding environment.

Allah SWT says in the Quran: “O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers”. (Surah Yunus: Verse 57).

This verse clearly indicate to us that the significant roles which the Quran played. In order for Muslim to understand all the guidances and instructions ordained by God in the Quran, it is very important for Muslims not only to read and memorize the holy book, but they must also understand each of the words mentioned in it and put into practice each of those words in their daily lives.

To understand the holy book will bring little bit difficulty for the Muslim as the holy book was revealed in its original Arabic language as it was first revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW more than 1,400 years ago.

Not all Muslims are from Arabic background as they consist of peoples which come from various community across the world where Arabic language is not their primary language.

Due to this problem, Muslim children have been exposed at their early age to learn the holy script by learning the Arabic text. Many of the Muslim children able to read Quran when they reach adulthood.

Though they are able to read the Holy Scripture in its original Arabic language, many still struggle to really understand the true meaning of it due to the complexity of the Arabic language and the divinity of the holy book.

As such, many Muslims put their priority towards the reading and memorisation aspect of the holy book without really understand its true meaning or even practices it.

Need to emphasis here that it is not enough for Muslim just to read and memorize the holy book without really understand all the messages it try to convey and practices it in their daily life.

The purpose of Quran is not for reading, memorization or becoming a decorative items in house or mosque.

The purpose of Quran is more than that and it has been the duty of all Muslim to search for its true meaning and practices all the commands given in it.

The life of a Muslim will become incomplete if they only read or memorise the holy book without really understand the true meaning of it and practices it in their life.

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Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow is Senior Lecturer at Faculty of Syariah & Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.