Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar and it is a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and increased devotion to worship. Here are some steps to help you prepare for Ramadan:

• Set your intention: Before Ramadan starts, set your intention to make the most of this month and to get closer to Allah. Make a commitment to improve yourself spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
• Start fasting: Start fasting a few days before Ramadan so that your body can adjust to the changes. This will also help you identify any health issues that might prevent you from fasting during the month.
• Create a plan: Create a plan for how you will spend your time during Ramadan. Decide how much time you will devote to worship, reading the Quran, and other spiritual activities. Make a schedule that works for you and stick to it.
• Prepare your meals: Plan your meals ahead of time so that you don't have to worry about cooking during the day. Make sure you have healthy and nutritious meals that will provide you with the energy you need to fast.
• Cleanse your heart: Use this month as an opportunity to purify your heart from negative feelings such as anger, jealousy, and envy. Forgive those who have wronged you and seek forgiveness from those you have wronged.
• Give to charity: Use this month as an opportunity to give to charity. Donate money, food, or your time to those in need. This will help you develop compassion and empathy for others.
• Reflect on your life: Take time to reflect on your life and your relationship with Allah. Think about your goals and how you can improve yourself in all areas of your life.

Remember that Ramadan is a time of self-reflection, discipline, and devotion to Allah. By preparing yourself physically and spiritually, you can make the most of this holy month and improve yourself in many ways

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” [1]

Allah SWT mentioned in this verse that He Has created all mankind and Jinn, to Worship Him, and to obey Him. Allah SWT sent down Quran as a guideline to spend our lives in this world. Whenever we read Quran, it seems that  Allah SWT Himself is directly talking to us. But what if we fall into some kind of trouble, and want to contact Allah SWT ourselves? How would we be able to do that?

Through Dua!

Dua is a weapon for Muslims. It is our way of contacting Allah SWT and asking for His mercy, help, blessings and forgiveness. It is a form of ibadah, as mentioned in a hadith in SunanAbiDawood. And it is Allah’s blessing for us that He not only hears our duas and supplications, but responds to them as well.

“And when My servants ask you, concerning Me- indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me” [2]

Considering dua as worship, and believing it will bring help, mercy, and forgiveness, is a form of support, comfort, and encouragement that every Muslim needs. It soothes and eases your mind when you realize that you are not alone. Allah SWT is always there for. Your dua would be heard, and responded to. Not even a single dua would be left un-responded. According to a hadith, dua is answered in one of the three ways.

1.     By being given the thing that one asked for

2.     By being stored for the akhira, where it would be returned many times fold

3.     By being atoned for the wrong actions by your dua

Several ahadith tell us the times during which a dua is never rejected. Some of them are:

1.     The time between Azan and Iqamah

2.     One unidentified moment on Friday. That is why it is recommended to make lots of dua on Friday.

3.     The dua of the traveller, of a person who has been wronged, and of a father for his child is not rejected, according to a hadith in IbnMajah

4.     Dua made while drinking Zamzam

5.     Dua made while it’s raining

6.     Dua made on the day of Arafah

7.     Dua made at the time of Sahoor

8.     Dua made while prostrating

9.     Dua made at the time of Tahajjud (optional prayer at night)

10.                        Dua made after the recitation of Quran

One way to ensure that our duas would be heard and responded to promptly, is to ensureusing the duas mentioned in Quran and ahadith that our Prophet (SAW) taught us, while making dua. What better way to present our problems in words that our Prophet (SAW) and prophets before him used, and Allah SWT responded to their duas!

It is only wise to make your dua in a way that Allah SWT wishes us to. The most important aspect of making dua is to ask from Allah SWT Alone. Do not make dua to any person, any prophet at all. Make dua with sincere intention and with good faith, believing that it would be heard, and responded to. Before making dua, remember to glorify and praise Allah SWT, and recite Darood before and after making the dua. Ask for forgiveness for your sins before asking anything else. Thanking for all the blessings of Allah SWT also helps in increasing the blessings of Allah SWT as mentioned in a hadith. Allah SWT Knows all your worries, all your problems, but He likes us to ask from Him, to make dua to Him.

A good way to present all your worries to Allah SWT is to try to memorize all duas mentioned in Quran and hadith, and make dua in the words of prophets. To memorize all Quranic supplications, it is better to seek help of a Quran teacher. Online Quran teacher can help you in memorizing the Quran as much as you wish, and the duas mentioned in Quran. Online Quran teacher can not only help you in memorizing Quran, but also help you in understanding the Quran. Online Arabic teacher can assist you in learning Arabic language so you can understand Quran better. Online Quran lessons are one easy way in coming closer to Allah SWT, without much hassle. These online Quran lessons not only help you correct your tajweed (the proper way of reciting Quran), but also help in making reading Quran daily a habit for you. You can choose to have private Quran tutor for yourself, or get yourself enrolled in an online Quran class. Getting your whole family enrolled for a family class is a more economical way to learn Quran online. Whether you are just starting and would like to enroll in Quran reading lessons, or are looking to improve your tajweed, and Quran reading skills, you have a variety of classes to choose from, and that is what makes online Quran lessons more appealing than traditional means of learning Quran.

Online Quran lessons are a better choice because they allow you to study Quran in your own home, at your own pace, and help you in saving time and effort. The time spent in commuting, the money spent in fuel consumption, in the case of traditional Quran learning class at your area’s mosque or Islamic center, is all saved if you choose Online Quran classes.

References:

[1] Chapter 51, Ad-Dhariyat: Verse 57

[2] Chapter 2, Al-Baqarah: Verse 186

Learning to read Quran correctly, and to try to understand it completely is a task that no Muslim should ever neglect. Quran is not just a book containing instructions, and old stories. It is a book of wisdom. It teaches us lessons that cannot be learnt on our own. And the lessons that it holds are as true today, as they were 1400 years ago.

Fortunately, Learning and understanding Quran has become a relatively easy task today. Online Quran lessons and online Quran tutors can assist us in achieving the best of dunya and aakhira for us. Whether you opt for Quran reading lessons, or online Arabic classes, they help you go one step nearer to your goal; Understanding the word of Allah SWT to make the best of both the worlds. You can hire a private Quran teacher, or take up online Quran classes according to your preference and needs. The most important thing is to stay connected with the Book of Allah SWT, and online Quran lessons is just one of the many ways to do so.

Each verse of Quran holds meanings and lessons for us. So does the story of DhulQarnain, which is mentioned in Chapter 18: Surah Al-Kahf. Al-Kahaf was revealed when the Non-believers of Makkah, with the help of Jew scholars presented some questions to the Prophet SAW as a test. The People of the Book (Jews/Christians) knew DhulQarnain as a person who had travelled extensively all around the world. Allah SWT sent down the surah with detailed answers.

DhulQarnain had great power and knowledge. He travelled all across the globe, fought and conquered many lands, and established the name of Allah SWT where ever he went. According to some tafseers, he was given the name of DhulQarnain (two horns) because he had travelled far to the East and far to the West. He was a righteous, kind person, but was strict in punishing the wrongdoers. Despite the power he had, he still was a just ruler. He was humble and he knew that all the powers that he had, were blessings of Allah SWT.

 First he travelled to the furthest point towards West. He established his rule there on the principles of kindness, and justice.Then, he started his journey towards the East. Whichever nations he met on his way, he would first present them the message of Allah SWT. If they accepted it, he continued without war, but if they didn’t, he fought till he established Allah’s message. He came across different people and nations during his journey. He met many strange and weird people during his journey. When he reached the furthest point in East, he came across a nation that had no shelter against sun. According to the Tafseer Ibn Katheer, it meant that they had no buildings or trees. They went down in tunnels till the sun lowered down a bit, and would then come out to carry on with the business of life.

Next, he took up a different direction. He reached a nation, which was so isolated that they could barely understand his language. They told him that Yajooj Majooj (another nation) were always troubling them, and sought his help in keeping Yajooj Majooj away from their land. They offered to pay him for his help.

Dhul Qarnain agreed to help them, but without any compensation, and he told them that Allah SWT had blessed him with much better than their offered pay. He asked for work force to assist him, and building materials. He asked for large Iron blocks, which he used to build a wall between two mountains to block Yajooj Majooj from entering their land.He then asked them to melt copper in a large quantity. Then he poured the molten copper over the iron block wall, to make it stronger. The stronger the wall, the safer they would be.

The host nation was extremely happy as now they were safe from Yajooj Majooj. Dhul Qarnain told them that it was a mercy from Allah SWT that their enemy wouldn’t be able to scale the wall or break it, and the wall would only protect them till Allah SWT willed. According to several hadiths, Yajooj Majooj would be able to break this wall as the Day of Judgement nears. They would then spread all across the world and would then cause mischief and trouble where ever they would go. According to a hadith in Sahih Muslim, and Sahih Bukhari, Yajooj Majooj would make up a large chunk of the denizens of hell.

 The story of Dhul Qarnain shows us several qualities that a ruler should have.

1.     Fear of Allah

2.     Humbleness; to remember that whatever powers, favors, and qualities you have, are blessings of Allah SWT indeed.

3.     Justice; being kind to the victims, and strict in punishing the wrongdoers.

4.     Being helpful

5.     Dawah; Spreading the word of Allah SWT in whatever capacity you can. Your actions, your words, and even your personality can help in the cause of Dawah.

We should remember that these qualities are not limited to the rulers of the land.

It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Prophet (SAW) said:

Beware. Every one of you is a shepherd and every one is answerable with regard to his flock. The Caliph is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects (as to how he conducted their affairs). A man is a guardian over the members of his family and shal be questioned about them (as to how he looked after their physical and moral well-being). A woman is a guardian over the household of her husband and his children and shall be questioned about them (as to how she managed the household and brought up the children). A slave is a guardian over the property of his master and shall be questioned about it (as to how he safeguarded his trust). Beware, every one of you is a guardian and every one of you shall be questioned with regard to his trust.

Reference:

[1] Narrated by Sahih Muslim, hadith 1829

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

Islam is not only a religion, but a complete system of life. It shows us how to spend our lives, in the best possible manner, all according to the wishes and commands of Allah.It teaches us how to be a good Muslim, and a good human being. It teaches us to be a beneficial being; to one's self, and all others. But how can we know exactly what Allah Expects from us? By reading and understanding Quran!

 Quran is the word of Allah. There is no doubt about it, because Allah Himself took the task of protecting Quran. It is essential that we should not take Quran only as a set of rules and regulations, or a set of stories of ancient people. Rather, it is the means through which Allah Talks to each one of us. It is the means through which we can connect to Allah. But for this to happen, we first need to read and understand Quran.

Reading Quran is a deed that is going to make our scales heavy on the Day of Judgement, and help us reach our ultimate goal; Jannah! Quran is going to intercede for all those people, who regularly read Quran.

Narrated:

 Abu Umamah al-Baahili said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say: “Read the Quran, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection interceding for its companions.”  [1]

*Companions of the Quran would be the people who regularly read the Quran, pondered upon it, and acted according to the Quranic teachings.

A good time to read Quran is at night.

Narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Fasting and the Quran will intercede for a person on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, ‘O Lord, I deprived him of his food and his desires during the day, so let me intercede for him.’ And the Quran will say: ‘I deprived him of his sleep at night so let me intercede for him.’ Then they will intercede.” [2]

May Allah make us all one of the companions of Quran, and help us in reciting Quran during the day, and at night, too. Ameen. But do you know that reading Quran is a means of increasing your good deeds, too?

Abdullah ibn Mas’ood said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Whoever reads one letter from the Book of Allah, will earn one good (hasanah/ good deed) thereby. One good deed is equal to ten good deeds the like of it. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Laam is a letter and Meem is a letter." [3] 

It is obvious that getting connected to Quran, whether it involves learning, reading, or understanding it, is going to bring us blessings of Allah and rewards in form of good deeds. It is a momentous task that we should never neglect, because we live in an age where knowledge is at our finger tips. We are going to be strictly questioned on the Day of Judgement, because we had easy access to all the knowledge of the world. That is why we as Muslims, should try to teach our children how to read Quran from an early age. Learning to read Quran from an early age helps in inculcating the Quranic teachings in the young hearts and mind, so that they grow up to be good Muslims and good human beings.

Learning to read Quran has never been so easy before, irrespective of whether you live in a Muslim or Non Muslim country. In order to learn Quran, no matter what the age, you can first try your local mosque, or Islamic centre. You can look amongst your social circle for help, too. But it is really important to learn to read Quran with proper Tajweed. Tajweed is a set of rules for the correct pronunciation of Quranic text. Reading the Quran with incorrect pronunciation may change the entire meaning of the actual text; which may result in sins, instead of good deeds. So, we need to make sure to learn to read Quran from a Quran teacher who knows proper Tajweed.

We are lucky that we can learn to read Quran easily from the comfort of our homes, too, in these times. Online Quran lessons can be taken at a time that suits you, at a place that is convenient for you. You just need to find a properly qualified online Quran teacher. Once you have found a good teacher, you can learn from him/her; in a class or privately, according to your preference.

An online Quran teacher is a better option in many ways. You can get personalized attention for each lesson. Privacy is another benefit if you opt for private lessons. It is more convenient to study with an online Quran teacher as compared to traditional teacher, because you can take lessons at a time that is suitable for you. You save time, too, if you take into account all the time that you could have spent in commuting, if you had opted to learn with a teacher at your local mosque, or Islamic centre. Another benefit is that you can also find female online Quran teachers for your daughters and sisters.

Consider the cost of online Quran lessons as your long term investment. An investment that is going to increase manifold on the Day of Judgement. It is going to be counted as your good deeds for your good intention to learn to read Quran.

It was narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say:

"The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or to marry a woman, his emigration was for what he emigrated for." [4]

References:

[1] Narrated by Muslim: 804

[2] Narrated by Ahmad: 6626

[3]Narrated by Tirmidhi, 2910

[4] Narrated by Bukhari: 01