Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
What advice would you give someone who isn’t fluent in Arabic and has a hard time concentrating when reciting the Quran? My mind often wanders, and I go back and repeat the Surah because I wasn’t concentrating. Is there a quick solution?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah guide us to the belief and way of life that is pleasing to Him. Thank you so much for this treasured question.
The Quran itself describes some ways in which it should be recited.
Three Simple Etiquettes – For the Quran, from the Quran.
(1) Take refuge in Allah from Shaytan.
Allah says: “When you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.” [Quran, 2:45]
It’s sunna to commence one’s recitation with the taʿawwudh: To say a’udhu biLlahi min al-shaytan al-rajim (I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan).
In addition, we could make sure that our environments are free from Satan’s tools of distraction, especially when we recite the Quran.
(2) Only the Pure (Angels) Touch it.
Allah says: “None touch it except the purified [i.e., the angels].” [Quran, 56:79]
The above verse is often cited as evidence that ablution (wudu) is required when touching the Quran. The verse, more accurately, refers to the Angels, but the lesson we may derive is that only the pure touch it whether in a physical or metaphysical sense.
In light of the above, we should purify ourselves, bodies, clothes, breath, place, eyes, ears, minds, and hearts before reading the Quran. The cleaner we try to be in every sense, the more Allah will allow us to approach and benefit from the treasures of the Quran.
(3) Silence Your Outer and Inner Noise.
Allah says: “When the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent so that you may be shown mercy.” [Quran, 7:204]
Allah commands that when the Quran is recited, everyone should remain silent and listen attentively so that His Mercy can descend upon us. He (Majestic and High) suspended sending His Mercy on our silence.
Therefore, the more silent we can be, the more Mercy we may receive. What is more silent than silence? When you silence both your outer (voice and physical movements) and your inner (voice, thoughts, feelings, worries, anxieties, and ego), humbly submit yourself before Allah’s guiding Speech to receive His Blessings and Mercies.
Further Reading
Please read Imam Al-Nawawi’s book, Etiquette with the Quran [al-Tibyan fi Adab Hamala al-Quran] for more detailed guidance on the subject.
Also, please read Ustadh Khurram Murad’s book, Way to the Quran, for more detailed advice on how to spiritually focus when reciting the Quran.
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.