Safar is the second month in the Islamic calendar. Unfortunately, even today Muslims in many regions consider Safer to be an unlucky month. In order to find the real reasons behind this myth, we have to take a look at history, particularly history before the advent of Islam.

Even before the advent of Islam, the people of Arabia considered some months sacred; including Rajab, Dhul Qadah, Dhul Hajjah and Muharram. They would stop fighting in these months. Wars and fighting was a regular for the people of Arabia. As soon as Safar started, and marked the end of sacred months, they would resume fighting. As they left homes to continue fighting, some inevitably faced death. This leaving of homes and facing death eventually led them to believe that this month of Safar was unlucky, instead of realising the actual cause for it. The Arabs used to call it "Tasfaru" meaning "that our homes have been deserted".

 Some historian also point out that after hajj, the pilgrims would start leaving for their respective homes. After being so full of pilgrims for quite some time, Makkah and Haram would suddenly look almost deserted. The hustle bustle would diminish, so they would call it "Sifrun", meaning "the days of being empty for the two houses (meaning Haram, and Makkah)".

The third opinion was that it was the season of autumn in Safar. Leaves turned yellow and fell out. So, they called it "Safar" meaning autumn.

The Arabs had their reasons to consider Safar unlucky, but in reality it isn't.It is just one of Allah's months. It has been forbidden to consider anything  unlucky in Islam. However, considering something as a good omen has not been forbidden.

Abu Huraira (RA)reported:

I heard Allah's Messenger (SAW) as saying: There is no divination but the best type is the good omen. It was said to Allah's Messenger (SAW): What is good omen? Thereupon he said: A good word which one of you hears." [1]

Some people, while considering Safar unlucky, try to ward off anything evil by doing some acts that have no basis in Islam. Some of them are:

1.    Offering a special prayer on the last Wednesday of Safar

2.    Cooking and distributing some particular food; like black chick peas to deflect their problems to others

3.    Writing the verses of SALAM, and putting them in vessels of water to drink them later

4.    Avoiding marriage ceremonies/Aqeeqah ceremonies, or any other ceremonies to avoid any mishap in their happiness

5.    Throwing 365 balls of flour in water to ward off all harm

6.    Considering Safar to be a difficult month for the dead

All of these are simply rituals that have no link to Islam.

Aishah (RA) narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (i.e. Islam) that is not part of it, will have it rejected." [2]

This shows that everything that has not been taught by Quran, or our Prophet (SAW), or his Companions (RA), then it is innovation, and innovation in our deen is a sin, and is looked down upon. It is essential to remember that innovation does not necessarily mean that it is an evil act. Most of the times, innovation has been disguised as a good deed. So, whether the innovation is a good deed or an evil deed, we should refrain from it because it is an innovation; a biddah. 

References:

[1] Narrated by Sahih Muslim:  Book 39, Hadith 150

[2] Narrated by Sunan Ibn Majah: Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 14

Believing in Quran, and the rest of the Books of Allah is an essential part of our Emaan. Torah was revealed to Musa AS, Zaboor to Dawood AS, Injeel to Esa AS, and the rest of books/pages that were given to some other prophets.Believing in them means that we believe that they were sent By Allah SWT and were the true word of Allah SWT then; Unfortunately, the rest of the Books suffered changes and are no longer just the word of Allah SWT, but Quran remains the true word of Allah SWT even after several centuries. It is because Allah SWT Himself took the responsibility of protecting Quran. 

                             إِنَّانَحۡنُنَزَّلۡنَاٱلذِّكۡرَوَإِنَّالَهُۥلَحَٰفِظُونَ  

Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Quran) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption). [1]

Since Allah SWT Has taken up the task of protecting Quran Himself, we can trust Quran to be the truest word of Allah SWT. Trusting it to be the true word of Allah SWT means embracing it completely with your heart and soul.  It offers us the guidance that we need to succeed in both the worlds, and to earn the Pleasure of Allah. It gives us detailed stories of the prophets who came before our last Prophet (SAW), so that we learn from the mistakes of their people. It also provides us details of the future; the Day of Judgement, so that we can prepare for it while we can. It gives us deep insight about the universe and how it works. It gives us guidelines to spend our family life accordingly. Such an amazing source of knowledge and guidance Quran is! 

Quran has many rights over us as Muslims. Some of them are as follows: 

1.               Believing in Quran to be the true word of Allah SWT

2.               Learning to read it

3.               Reading it in the best possible manner; with correct tajweed, and trying to recite it beautifully

4.               Learning to understand it, so that we may know what it holds for us

5.               Ensuring to act upon all the instructions that we find in Quran completely; not just picking and choosing a few and leaving out the rest. We need to enter into our religion completely and full heartedly

6.               Learning the Quran, and trying to impart the knowledge of Quran to others as much as we can

7.               Avoiding to be a show-off, or exhibitionist while reading Quran

8.               Showing deep love and respect for Quran as the word of Allah SWT, not just with words, but with actions, too 

There are a few manners to read Quran. We need to follow them to show our respect to the Book of Allah SWT. 

1.               Cleanliness and Wudu: Ensuring that you have performed Wudu, that your clothes and the place where you are going to read Quran are clean.

2.               It is better to face Qiblah while reading Quran, however, it is not essential.

3.               Reading Quran with medium pace, with correct tajweed 

                             أَوْزِدْعَلَيْهِوَرَتِّلِالْقُرْآنَتَرْتِيلًا 

Or a little more; and recite the Quran (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and)style.[2]                 

4. Reciting Quran in a beautiful voice. Loud recitation has been preferred.

Narrated by Uqbah ibn Amir al-Juhani: 

The Prophet (SAW) said: One who recites the Quran in a loud voice is like one who gives alms openly; and one who recites the Quran quietly is one who gives alms secretly.[3]

5. The minimum time limit to complete reading the Quran from cover to cover is three nights. It has not been liked to finish reading Quran from cover to cover in less than three days/nights.

6. Making a habit of reciting Quran daily

As mentioned earlier, that learning Quran and teaching Quran both have an immense value in Allah's eyes.  It is better to first perfect our reading and then start teaching Quran to others. Alhumdulillah, we can easily find online Quran lessons to take benefit of.

With online Quran lessons, not only we can learn to read Quran, we can also improve our Tajweed skills and Quran reading skills. Online Quran lessons are a wonderful combination of convenience and economy. The convenience? Learning to read Quran or perfecting Tajweed from the comfort of your home, avoiding all the trouble involved in transportation, and choosing a time for lessons that fit into your busy schedule easily.

Online Quran lessons are economical, too, depending on your choice of one-on-one lessons, group classes, or family lessons.

Online Quran lessons ensure quality, too.  The teachers have been hand picked for their experience, and qualification. They have been fully trained and are proficient in their Quran reading/memorising skills, Tajweed, and all other rules. Online Quran teachers know how to tackle their students; whether the student is a young child, an adult, or a senior citizen, online Quran teachers teach them with passion, instilling the passion of learning and understanding Quran in their students. You can even choose male, or female online Quran teachers according to your preferences, and needs.

If you are interested in understanding Quran, you can choose online Arabic classes, too. By learning Arabic, you can easily comprehend what Allah SWT wants you to know. Also, you can improve your Arabic kills.

References:

[1] Chapter 15, Al-Hijr, Verse 9

[2] Chapter 73, Al-Muzammil, Verse 4

[3] Narrated bySunan Abi Dawood , Hadith #1333

Allah SWT has mentioned in Quran: 

أَوْزِدْعَلَيْهِوَرَتِّلِالْقُرْآنَتَرْتِيلًا 

"Or a little more; and recite the quran (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and)style." [1] 

This shows that Allah SWT wishes us to recite Quran not only correctly, but also beautifully. We all know that reading and reciting is a good deed that would be weighty in our scales on the Day  of Judgement. But do you know that the correct pronunciation of every word is also important? Even the slight mistake in pronunciation can change the entire meaning of the text, and it may become a sin, instead of a good deed.

The rules of correct pronunciation of Quran are known as tajweed. It is essential to learn the reading and recitation of Quran according to the rules of tajweed to earn the Pleasure of Allah. Although learning correct tajweed is not fardh (obligatory), yet it does have the status of Mustahib( Much preferred).

Tajweed involves the correct use of emission points, or Makahrij; the points from where the letters are pronounced. According to the scholars, there are five main points which makes way for 17 Makahrij. 

1.          JOFF: The area between chest and the mouth. It makes one makhrij, and is used in pronouncing three letters.

2.          HALAQ: This includes the throat area. It makes three makharij, and is used to pronounce six letters.

3.          LISSAN: It means the tongue. It makes ten makharij, and is used to pronounce eighteen letters.

4.          ASH-SHIFTAN: It means the lips. They make two makharij, and are used to pronounce four letters.

5.          AL-KHISHOOM: It includes the internal area between nose to mouth. It makes one makhrij, and is only used to pronounce ghunna.

It is always a good idea to start learning how to read Quran with correct tajweed by using  Noorani Qaida. It has been specially created to not only teach the students the correct tajweed, but to give them practise, too. "Practise makes the man perfect," is indeed true in case of learning and practising correct tajweed. Noorani Qaida is equally good, if you are trying to improve your tajweed skills. Noorani Qaida is the easiest way to learn tajweed, however, there are several other books of tajweed that can be used and benefitted from.

While learning tajweed, you need a good teacher, too. Without a good teacher, you just wouldn't be able to perform well. Tajweed rules cannot be just learnt while seeing them in print. You need to hear the proper pronunciations, see which Makahrij to use for different Arabic alphabets; only then can you learn better tajweed. If you are trying to learn Tajweed online, you can use different pictures, or videos, to learn the different points of emission, to get a better grip at tajweed.

If you have issues in finding a good teacher, try learning tajweed online. An online Quran teacher of a reputable institute is usually selected on a strict criteria. The teacher is qualified, trained, and experienced in imparting correct tajweed and assist in learning Quran. Online Quran teacher is much more advantageous choice than regular Quran teachers; You can learn reading and reciting Quran with ease while sitting in your home; You can save time that you would otherwise had spent in commuting to and  fro from home to your institute; You can save the amount you would have spent on fuel otherwise; You can learn on your own personal pace; You can choose between group classes or personal classes, too. The best of all is that you are not going to compromise on quality while achieving all of this.

There are 28 basic alphabets is Arabic, 29 if we include hamza, too.

 ابتثجحخدذرزسشصضطظعغفقكلمنہوي

These letters are divided into two main groups.

Lunar or Qamari Alphabets

Solar or Shamsi Alphabets

It was narrated by Qatada:

Anas(RA) was asked, "How was the recitation(of the Quran) of the Prophet(SAW)?' He replied, "It was characterised by the prolongation of certain sounds." He then recited: In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful prolonging the pronunciation of 'In the Name of Allah, 'the most Beneficent,' and 'the Most Merciful.[2]

This hadith clearly indicates that we need to read Quran not only with correct tajweed, but we also should try to beautify our voices while reading and reciting Quran. We should pronounce each letter correctly; not prolonging it without requirement, nor pronouncing it hurriedly.

According to the scholars, there are three speeds for reciting or reading Quran.

1.      TEHQEEQ: Pronouncing every letter while using correct Makharij.

2.     TARTEEL: Pronouncing every letter while using correct Makharij, while keeping in mind all other rules of MADD, GHUNNA, TAFGHEEM, TARQEEQ. This is the most desirable way to recite Quran.

3.     HADAR: Recite Quran at a fast pace, like that of in taraweeh, bearing in mind all the rules of tajweed.

References:

[1]Chapter 73, Al-Muzammil, Verse 4

[2] Narrated by Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith  5046

Children are a wonderful gift of Allah SWT. They are the coolness of our eyes and hearts, our pride and our strength. True, we have a lot of responsibilities towards our parents, but we also have our obligations towards our children, too. Providing them food, shelter, education, showering them with love; but the most important responsibility is their proper training.

Proper training of our children involves training across all spheres of life. We need to train them to become responsible and useful Muslims as well as human beings. We need to groom them so that they can perform well in their lives and earn Pleasure of Allah SWT. For this purpose, it is essential that we give them proper religious education, and make rules that help them to achieve implementation of their religious education in their daily lives. Because without proper implementation, the purpose of their religious training and education would fail miserably.

After parents, teachers are the most important factor in shaping up a child's personality. The role of teachers and parents in achieving the goal of well rounded Muslims, and human beings, cannot be emphasised enough. When one party teaches something, the other party reinforces the concept, so that it becomes second nature to the children. To achieve this, we as parents need to ensure that we are on the same page with the teacher, regarding the education and training of the children.

The child needs to be given the worldly education as well as religious education. Religious education does not simply mean teaching to read Quran. It means that we need to teach them how to read Quran properly, understand Quran completely, and then try to implement Quranic teachings in their daily lives. It does not mean to teach them to learn salah; It means teaching them the wordings of Salah, its message, and then helping them implement the teachings; forming the habit of praying on time, every time. Religious education also means teaching them the best of Ikhlaq, or good character. It also means teaching them good moral values.But to achieve all of this, we need to find teachers who are qualified, trained, and are committed to their profession. Without the help of such teachers, we as parents would not be able to achieve our goal.

Alhumdulillah, Allah SWT has blessed us with many blessings in today's world; ease being one of them. If in this fast paced life, you can still find a reliable, qualified, and trained teacher, you should consider yourself lucky. But if you are not able to find a conventional teacher, there is no reason to panic.

 Hiring online Quran tutors is the answer to your problem, if you are unable to find a conventional teacher in your locality. In many ways, online Quran tutor is a better choice for your children and your family.

Online Quran Tutors are selected on the basis of their qualification. They are fully trained, and know how to install the love of Quran and hadith in their students' minds. They are experienced and know how to tackle various students according to their personalities and specific needs.

Hiring an online Quran tutor has many benefits. You can rest assured that your child will be learning to read the Quran with perfect tajweed; Your child would learn all the rules of reading the Quran, and would read Quran accordingly.

A conventional teacher has a class to teach. Online Quran tutor can teach your child individually, if your child is not too comfortable in a class. Your child can learn on the pace of his choice, rather than being forced into competition. However, if you prefer a class, your child can be a part of a group with similar goals, and he can develop friendships with like minded students.

You can hire female online Quran tutors for female students, and male online Quran tutors for male students. It all depends on your needs and priorities. You can even enrol as a family and take help from online Quran tutor in improving your tajweed, and Quran reading skills. Learning as a family is going to make you all come closer to each other; assisting each other in achieving the ultimate goal; Jannah!

Narrated Uthman bin Affan:

The Prophet (SAW) said, "The most superior among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Quran and teach it.[1]

Online Quran tutors can not only help you learning how to read and recite Quran perfectly, they can also help you in memorising Quran, too. If you are already blessed to be a hafidh, online Quran tutor is the perfect choice in helping you revise and retain the Quran permanently. Because without proper revision, Quran can be forgotten completely.

Narrated by Abu Musa: 

The Prophet (SAW) said, "Keep on reciting the Quran, for, by Him in Whose Hand my life is, Quran runs away (is forgotten) faster than camels that are released from their tying ropes."[2] 

References:

[1] Narrated by Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith # 5028

[2] Narrated by Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith # 5033