Each religious practice in Islam has its advantages and benefits in many different ways. Given the significance of the Holy Qur’an, the word of God, as a guide for humanity, there’s no doubt that the Qur’an is a spiritual cleanser and opens the hearts.

 

Reading Qur’an on a regular basis has multiple benefits.

 

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah, he [or she] will have a reward, and this reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that ‘Alif, Laam, Meem’ is a letter, rather I am saying that ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Laam’ is a letter and ‘Meem’ is a letter.” (At-Tirmithi)

Before reading the Qur’an, a Muslim should be prepared for it.

 

Physical preparation involves being in a state of cleanliness and purity, for example, dressing in clean and modest clothes, and to purify yourself physically.

 

Spiritual preparation involves being in the state of mind that would help the reader obtain the divine benefit of the messages. The first prerequisite to gain the rewards for reading the Qur’an is absolute humility and humbleness to Allah, in addition to sincerity and honesty in the intention to seek the pleasure of Allah alone.

 

Reading the Qur’an has a profound impact on our minds. Based on scientific studies, researchers recorded an analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals of the brain wave patterns in the brain of an individual reading the Holy Qur’an. The data collected for this study involved four different conditions, which are before, during and after reading the Qur’an and before, during and after reading a book, thus establishing the comparison between reading a book and reading the Qur’an.

 

Ten healthy individuals participated in the study, and their brain wave patterns were measured and recorded while they were reading the Qur’an, and then while reading a regular book. Results showed that the brain was in a rested, calmed state when reading the Qur’an. Brain wave patterns showed the brain to be at the most relaxed and calm state when reading the Holy Qur’an.

 

Reading the Qur’an could become an effective tool for meditation, to reduce stress, and calm the mind.

 

The study showed that reading the Qur’an activates the occipital lobes, which are involved in generating mental imagery. This brain region is also important in visual perception. Activating this section of the brain also indirectly improves visual perception capacities since the area activated is within the same region.

 

Other brain regions activated during recitation of the Qur’an are the frontal lobes and the primary motor cortex. The frontal lobes deal with higher order functions, including working memory, memory retrieval, speech production and written-word recognition, sustained attention, planning, social behavior, in addition to others.

 

Another observation on students of the Qur’an for example, is that reading the Othmani script, the student’s brain must quickly decide on the proper pronunciation of the word, and to distinguish it from other possibilities that include not only wrong words, but also wrong enunciation. The amazing thing about this is that the brain after practice will do these things without conscious control from the student. This trains the area of the brain responsible for inhibition, which is important for social interaction.

 

The impact of reading Qur’an on our bodies is great as well. A study investigated the effects of reading the Qur’an on Muslim psychology students’ blood pressure, heart rate, and perceived stress levels.

The sample consisted of 30 psychology undergraduates from the University of Salford. There were 15 males and females in the study.

 

The researcher concluded that reading the Holy Book appears to be psychologically and physiologically beneficial. It appears to reduce the reader’s perceived stress levels, heart rate, and blood pressure.

 

In studies, this effect cannot be found with the recitation of any other materials written in the same language as the Qur’an, the Arabic language.

Moreover, Quran is also rich in its content for history, parables, and logical arguments, all of which draw the reader’s attention and interest. It is a miracle in itself that no matter how many times you read and re-read the Holy Qur’an you never find it repetitive or boring, but if you were to read any other book more than once or twice, you would lose interest in it.

 

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it to others.” [Al-Bukhaari]

 

Tips on reading Qur’an

 

 Maintain humility, tranquility, and respect, while reading the Quran.

 Read the Qur’an in a moderate voice.

 

 Read the verses with short pauses in between each separate verse.

 Read the Qur’an attentively, calmly, and sincerely.

 

 Ponder over the words of the Qur’an and make efforts to understand the verses, and act upon them.

 

 Try not to talk or engage in other distractions while reading from the Qur’an.

 

 Keep the Qur’an within your reach and in sight in your home, and in a special place.

 

 Let no day pass, without reading or reciting from the Qur’an.

 

The key to really benefiting from the Qur’an is to check your heart first. Ask yourself, honestly, why you are reading it?

 

We must all remember that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was described as “A walking Qur’an” by his wife Aisha. In other words, he did not just read and recite the Qur’an; he lived it; he acted in accordance with its teachings.