Why should we recite Qur’an during Ramadan?
Every year before Ramadan, we set ourselves on a mission to clean the house. It is our way of welcoming the blessed month. This year, while rummaging through Qur’an cupboard, I found an old copy of Qur’an; the one I had used for the longest time and had always felt a connection with. I could smell the ittar my childhood best friend had applied on the first page (kinda miraculous, ain’t it?). The copy and the fragrance brought back a lot of happy memories of the carefree days and our kind teacher.
I was a curious kid and the friendly Qur’an tutor had to answer a lot of the questions which were always popping up in my mind. With Ramadan around the corner, my brain threw forward a conversation between her and my 10-year-old self.
“It is Ramadan approaching. Brace yourselves. You should be reciting more Qur’an in this blessed month,” she told us.
“Okay.” I hesitated for a minute and then asked, “Why?”
She looked at me incredulously. Her expression made me think that it was something everyone knew about and I had been living under a rock. She regained her composure in a moment and smiled. (See? That is what I loved about her. She could be nice even when you asked silly questions.) She began telling me in her regular gentle manner.
“Do you know that the revelation of Qur’an began in Ramadan?”
I nodded enthusiastically, although I hadn’t known until that moment.
“To mark the beginning of revelation and expressing our love and respect towards it, we ought to recite more of it. But, this is more of a sentimental aspect to it. There are some other reasons for it, too.”
She continued, “Jibreel A.S used to review all the revealed parts of Qur’an with Prophet of Allah (P.B.U.H) in Ramadan [mentioned in Bukhari]. This makes it a Sunnah of our Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) as well as the angel A.S! And you know following a Sunnah is very rewarding and Allah writes loads of good deeds in our “good deed column”, right?”
I nodded again. This time because I really did know.
“Many of the righteous people (she probably meant salaf) throughout the history have followed this tradition,” she explained.
“Will you be fasting?” She asked me. She already knew I had started fasting at a young age under her guidance. It was only to keep my interest up.
“Yes,” I said, beaming.
“Isn’t it better to complement your fasting with Qur’an recitation? Ramadan is a spiritual month. With fasting and Shaytan imprisoned, our hearts soften and we feel closer to our Creator than we do on most days. It is the best month to recite as much Qur’an as is possible for you. You will notice it yourself that you will feel close to Allah Ta’ala.” She said with finality and a kind smile.
I smiled back. Our lesson time had exceeded a bit and she was late for her next class. She left me with many thoughts and pledges for myself. Little did I know that the coming Ramadan was my last with her.
