Way to The Quran

By

 Khurram Murad

'Be thankful to Me, and to your parents' (Luqman 31:14)
to
MY MOTHER

At her knees I learnt to read the Qur'an, upon her insistance that I must learn Arabic I was sent to the school maulavi saheb who gave me the rudimentary knowledge upon which I could build later; seeing her devotion to the Qur'an, reading it with understanding, for hours and hours, kindled a spark in my heart which has continued to illumine my way; and, finally, through her example and silent but solid support I found my way to a life of struggle in the way of Allah.

'My Lord! Bestow Thy mercy upon my parents, as they raised me up when I was little'  (al-Isra' 17: 24)

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1:

1.1	The Journey of Life
1.2	The Eternal, Living Reality
1.3	The New World that Awaits You
1.4	What is the Qur'an?
1.5	Infinite Mercy and Majesty
1.6	Hazards and Perils
1.7	Tilawah

Chapter 2: Basic Prerequisites

2.1	Faith: The Word of God
2.2	Purity of Intention and Purpose
2.3	Bringing Gratitude and Praise
2.4	Acceptance and Trust
2.5	Obedience and Change
2.6	Hazards and Obstacles
2.7	Trust and Dependence

Chapter 3: Participation of the Inner Self

3.1	Participation of the Inner Self
3.2	What is the Heart?
3.3	Dynamic of Inner Participation
3.4	States of Consciousness
3.5	The Quranic Criteria of Inner Participation
3.6	In Allah's Presence
3.7	Hearing from Allah
3.8	Allah's Direct Address
3.9	Every Word for You
3.10	Conversation with Allah
3.11	Trusting and Expecting Allah's Rewards
3.12	Acts of Heart and Body
3.13	Response of Your Heart
3.14	Response of Your Tongue
3.15	Tears in Your Eyes
3.16	Postures of Your Body
3.17	Reading with Tartil
3.18	Self Purifcation
3.19	Seeking Allah's Help (Du'a')
3.20	Reading with Comprehension

Chapter 4: Rules of Reading

4.1	Rules of Reading
4.2	How Often to Read?
4.3	How Much to Read?
4.4	When to Read?
4.5	Reading Correctly
4.6	Reading Beautifully
4.7	Listening Attentively
4.8	Completing the Reading (Khatm)
4.9	Memorizing

Chapter 5: Study and Understanding

5.1	Study and Understanding
5.2	Importance and Need
5.3	Personal Study
5.4	Argument Against Studying
5.5	The Quranic Emphasis
5.6	The Early Practice
5.7	Risks of Personal Study
5.8	Categories of Understanding
5.9	Tadhakkur
5.10	Tadabbur
5.11	Your Aims
5.12	Levels and Forms of Understanding
5.13	Basic Requirements
5.14	Arabic
5.15	Reading the Whole Qur'an
5.16	Reading Tafsir Works
5.17	Study of Selected Portions
5.18	Reading Again and Again
5.19	Inquiring Mind
5.20	Aids for Study
5.21	How to Study
5.22	How to Understand Meanings
5.23	General Principles
5.24	Understand as a Living Reality
5.25	Understand as a Message for You
5.26	Understand as a Part of the Whole
5.27	Understand as a Coherent Unified Text
5.28	Understand with the Whole of Your Being
5.29	Understand What the Qur'an Tells You
5.30	Stay Within the Consensus
5.31	Understand by the Unique Quranic Criteria Alone
5.32	Understand the Qur'an by the Qur'an
5.33	Understand with the Hadith and Sirah
5.34	Language
5.35	Methodological Guidelines
5.36	Studying Words
5.37	Textual Context
5.38	Historical Background
5.39	'Original' Meaning
5.40	Translating to Your Situation
5.41	Far-fetched and Irrelevant Meanings
5.42	Level of Knowledge and Intelligence
5.43	Current Human Knowledge
5.44	What You Cannot Understand
5.45	Life of the Prophet

Chapter 6: Collective Study

6.1	Collective Study
6.2	Importance and Need
6.3	Forms of Collective Study
6.4	Four Basic Rules
6.5	Study Circle
6.6	Participants
6.7	How to Conduct a Study Circle
6.8	Dars
6.9	Preparation
6.10	How to Deliver

Appendix 1: Prophets Readings

1.1	What the Prophet Particularly Read or Emphasized
1.2	What the Prophet Recited in