An authoritative and accessible study guide that covers what the Book means to the believers and sets out the essential prerequisites of body, mind, and heart that serve to light up the inner life with the Qur'anic worldview; the etiquette of reciting, reading, and understanding the Qur'an; how to study the Qur'an collectively; and how to live by its teachings. Khurram Murad (1932–1996) was the director general of the Islamic Foundation, United Kingdom, and was a renowned teacher who spent forty years in the spiritual teaching and training of thousands of young Muslims around the globe.
Khurram Murad (1932–1996) was a Pakistani Islamic scholar and writer. While his da'wah activities began in Pakistan, he has been involved in the promotion of the Islamic movement in Asia, Europe and Africa. As a teacher and a da'iyah his speeches and orations have inspired thousands of young men and women all over the world. As chief of the training departments of the Jamiat, the Jamaat and as an active resource-person in training programmes in the UK, he played a key role in the character-building of the youth in the Islamic Movement. Khurram Murad served as Naib Amir (Vice-President) Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and Amir (President) in Bangladesh, a Trustee and a former Director General of the Islamic Foundation in Leicester, UK, and editor of Tarjumanal Qur'an, Lahore, Pakistan (a journal founded by the Islamic scholar, Abul Ala Maududi in 1932), and the quarterly Muslim World Book Review, UK. He was also a prisoner of war for many years in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. He was born in Bhopal, India, and after graduating cum laude, he took his master's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota. From 1975–1976, he was involved in the extension project of Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as he was a civil engineer by profession. He received his engineering degree from NED University, Karachi. During his time in NED he gained stature as a student leader and later served as Nazim-e-Ala of Islami Jamiat Talaba for session 1951–52. He was the author of over fifty works in Urdu and English.
“To live by the Qur’an requires a major decision on your part: you have to completely alter the course of your life [and] this decision requires major sacrifices.”
We are all aware of what Qur’an is. Whether our knowledge of it is in theory, principle or reality, the Qur’an, along with our master and Final Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, is the biggest blessing bestowed upon us by our Creator. Actualising such a blessing and having conviction that the Qur’an (and prior scriptures pre-tinkering) is indeed the Word of God requires active intellectual effort and continuous determination.
“Verily We have revealed the book to you in truth for instructing mankind. He that receives guidance benefits his own soul, but he that strays injures his own soul”. (39:41)
We engage with the Speech of Allah as a matter of formality during Ramadan and claim to revere it, only to return the mushaf back to its permanent site of residence at the top of our bookshelves. How do we expect to implement the Divine framework by which we should live our lives if we continue to neglect the manual that details all this and more?
Khurram Murad’s impassioned and persuasive treatise on reviving the Qur’anic worldview for the layman is nothing short of a Godsend (no pun intended). Murad’s cognisance of the ummah’s perilous state does not render this work by any means pessimistic or demoralising; rather, the uplifting and encouraging tone from the outset is what makes this such a stimulating and revitalising read. Functioning chiefly as a practical guide, the Qur’an is our chaperone through life, and Way to the Qur’an is the means by which we can support our endeavour to befriend the our chaperone, for the chaperone is the means by which we know the Divine.
“Its unique purpose is to guide man, every man, to his Creator, to radically change him by bringing him into a totally new relationship with his God.”
As Murad states, the most basic prerequisite we must possess prior to undertaking any form of Qur’anic reading or study is firm conviction that this is indeed the word of God.
Allah states in ayah 2 of Surah Al-A’rāf:
“This is a Book revealed to you. Let there be no qualm in your heart about it.”
The Qur’an is the uncreated word of God that has been preserved in a divine format in the heavens and in scribed format on earth. Our internal spiritual state stems from this fundamental assurance, so it is all but redundant to approach the Qur’an with the intention of understanding without accepting its divine status.
Bar the Prophets, humans are aberrant, fallible beings who succumb to nought save their own bodily desires. Though our fitra begets tawheed, taqwa and ihsan, our alignment with the Divine is contingent upon our submission, which is contingent upon reading the scripture that reminds us of our purpose.
As Murad states, “Do not read it merely for intellectual pursuit and pleasure; even though you must apply your intellect to the full to the task of understanding the Qur’an. So many people spend a lifetime in studying the language, style, history, geography, law and ethics of the Qur’an, and yet their lives remain untouched by its message”. Reading the Qur’an can undoubtedly be a pleasant experience, but if this transient stimulation does not inspire action, our reading is largely redundant. This is the same for those who undertake academic study of the Qur’an with the fixed intention of supporting their own biased views, for this will cause them to hear an echo of their own voices as opposed to that of God.
To become receptive to the Qur’an, to allow it to inform and transform our lives, we must do as the Angel Jibril (AS) instructed our Beloved ﷺ on their primary encounter – Read. Thankfully, this book is accessible to all, is well-structured and imparts invaluable advice.
“The outcome of your entire life depends on how you heed the call given by God”.
Having read this review and (hopefully) now having a sense of how critical this work can be in changing both your perspective and approach to understanding the Speech of Allah, especially if you feel as though your relationship with the Qur’an is deficient, I implore you to get your hands on a copy to facilitate and expedite your journey to understanding the Qur’an.
“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (13:28)
“If We had sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, split asunder out of the fear of Allah”- (The Holy Qur’an, 59:20)
I’m always shaken by this verse to the core, how ignorant and stone-hearted is the human?! How can we turn blind to the most glorious and special gift by our Lord to us? The value of the Qur’an has been limited to a sacred ornament, something that’s recited over the sufferers, deads, welcomings and farewells. The whole ocean of wisdoms and blessings have been left untouched- how pitiful is our condition.
Khurram Murad, a revolutionary writer in his book takes the reader through the journey of the Quranic worldview through engaging your whole body- asking your mind, compelling your heart and conversing with your soul. I was awestruck by his humility and sincerity throughout the book. Way to the Qur’an is an authoritative and accessible guide and a companion to all those who sincerely seek to learn not only the Qur’an but the hidden gems and wisdom behind it with the most receptive heart. It teaches you the etiquettes and essence of reciting and reading the holy book, understanding it, studying it collectively and to live by its teachings. Murad leads the way holding your hands until you are ready to approach the Qur’an yourself.
He stressed extensively on clearing the niyyah(intentions) of oneself before approaching the Qur’an, making your hearts receptive and your mind yearning to learn and understand. As we see millions of Muslim reciting Qur’an day and night, turning its pages laboriously, reciting the words beautifully, studying it scholarly and still fail to encounter with it that enriches and transform you as a person and a believer. As Murad states in the book - “What a tragic misfortune it would be if you come to the Qur’an and went away empty handed, soul untouched, heart unmoved, life unchanged.” Once our heart and soul entails and accept the guidance from our Lord, it’s hard for the eyes to remain tearless and the emotions to overwhelm our whole self.
Each chapter of this book is beautifully written with slow pace making it easy for the readers to understand and practice simultaneously. The writer has strived hard to involve our soul in the journey of reading this book, until the wisdom and gist of Quran becomes a part of ourselves. Several beneficial aids and equipments are provided by Murad at the end of the book for us readers to plan and study the Quran comprehensively and implement it in our lives. Few planned syllabus month wise and on annual basis are also given in the appendix to further help us complete the mission.
The writer’s convinced that if we read Qur’an in such a way as described in the book, we can in some way receive its blessings as the first believers did. However we must first surrender ourselves before the words of Allah to attain the real mercy of the Quran and act dutifully as asked by our Lord without any sense of arrogance or pride. Surrendering refers to submitting ourselves to God and believing every word of His, without eliminating any part of it. We must not approach with the intention of finding support to our views or with the grudge to find falsehood in it- that is when the doors of favour from our Lord shut down. We *must* ponder on the words and wisdom of Qur’an, reach to its context, raise and ask genuine questions, approach it rationally but finding our purpose and manipulating the words in sake of fulfilling our desire is disastrous.
The Glorious Qur’an was not sent down merely to heal our physical sufferings and recitation, it has the most exquisite brilliance in wisdom and guidance, a remarkable classical language unlike any other book which can’t not reveal its unique nature on a man of understanding. It is often mistaken by people that tadhakkur and tadabbur are mutually exclusive, but actually they are quite closely sewed together completing the purpose behind reading the Qur’an. Friends or foe, no one can deny the revolution sparked by the Qur’an in centuries, no other book or a man have so long lived the revolutionary spirit in the history of mankind. “A hundred new worlds lie in its verses. Whole centuries are involved in its moments”. -Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
What a blissful experience it was to read this book again and again and live through these moments of reviving the spirit of Qu’ran. I absolutely adore this book and I’d love to recommend it to every single human being on this earth.
Ramadan is less than twenty days far, there couldn’t have been a better time to read this book and harvest the beauty and enriches your soul.
“Believers are only those who, whenever God is mentioned, their hearts tremble in awe; and whenever His revelations are recited to them, they increase them in faith and upon their God they rely”. (The Qur’an, 8:2)
MashaAllah a beautiful book. Definitely not a one time read! For those who want to study the Quran, to understand it, beyond recitation and memorization, this book is the guideline how to do just that. A brilliant book I would recommend to everyone who wants to start studying the Book of Ultimate Guidance and Truth, that is the Quran.
A wonderful masterpiece! For those who are seeking to learn and access the depths of the Qur'an (or by extension, any beautiful, deep piece of literature), this book kindly guides to the proper spiritual way of approaching Qur'an. For setting the heart before nourishing it with the most exceptional guidance of all time.
A book written before I was born, and it is still read by many, after decades of its first print. SubhanAllah. This is really a gem of a book. Everyone must read it. It will bring you closer to the Qur'an, and will teach you how to read the book of Allah. It is like Ustadh Khurram Murad himself is teaching all this in a lesson. Read it, underline it, and keep it with you for good.
Honestly, I don't think my review will do this book justice.
"The best way to remember Allah, undoubtedly, is to read the Qur'an.
It's definitely a book that should be in every household. The Qur'an is a guide, and this book explains how we should approach it and understand it. The book prepares you for your journey; it's filled with tips and explanations. Every chapter is a step towards how you can get closer to the Qur'an. Essentially, it's a guide to the Qur'an.
"You cannot gather the full and real blessings and treasures of the Qur'an unless you devote yourself to understanding its meaning, unless you know what your Creator is saying to you."
You need to buy it, read it, and then reread it again.
(I especially loved the chapter about what the Prophet (pbuh) particularly read or emphasised)
Way to the Quran by Khurram Murad. In a word: Amazing. The choice of words resonates in your heart as though you will surrender it (the heart) to the book of Allah. It makes your eyes moist, and your heart tremble and deconstructs the perception of the Qur’aan being revealed ‘Once upon a time’. It takes you back… And makes it current… And makes you yearn to understand the language of the Qur’aan.
Lots of great tips for those looking to understand the quraan, or more aptly ‘Create a relationship/ bond with the quraan. Wonderful points and methods for learning to derive meaning, understanding or memorization of the Holy Quraan
A combination of heart-felt words that pinch and screw right into your heart along with practical advice to get you into action after this beautiful emotional state. It's full of straightforward points on how to prepare your heart to read the Quran, and how to approach the Quran to get the best out of it. I loved the part at the end that went into details about the different surahs recited by Prophet Muhammad at different times, and during the different prayers. May Allah make us amongst the companions of the Quran, the people who read, reflect over and act upon it.
Don't think I can come up with the right words to review this great book, so I'll just use some quotes that made an impression.
"To understand and absorb the Qur'ān, you must come as close as you can to the Prophet ﷺ who received it first from Allah. His life is the best 'exegesis' of the Qur'ān, the surest guide to its meaning and message. It is the 'living Qur'ān. If you want to see the Qur'ān rather than merely read it, see the Prophet ﷺ. For, as Sayyidah 'Ā'ishah said, 'his conduct was nothing but the Qur'ān'."
"You cannot gather the full and real blessings and treasures of the Qur'ān unless you devote yourself to understanding its meaning, unless you know what your Creator is saying to you. [...] Obviously an overwhelming majority of Muslims do not know Arabic, and many do not possess any translation in their language. But if they read the Qur'ān with sincere devotion, reverence and love, they should not fail to share in some of its riches. For, being in the company of the one you love, even if you do not know his language, certainly deepens your relationship with him."
"Reading the Qur'ān will be of little benefit to you, it may even bring misery and harm, unless you, from the first moment, begin to change and reconstruct your life in total surrender to God who has given you the Qur'ān."
The book starts with the question of how can Qur’an be relevant after 1400 years? Their time was different from ours so how can it be relevant? The message of the Qur’an is eternal and the essence of man is immutable. Qur’an is a book which was sent upon Prophet Muhammad S.A.W for mankind. The basic prerequisites to understanding the book of Allah and the right way to read and understand it. It tells you the way prophet Muhammad S.A.W and Sahaba used to read, understand and obey by taking various hadiths as an example. It is not like Muslims don’t read Quran. No, Muslims do read the Quran but not in a way that Allah asks us to. So many spend a lifetime studying the law, history, geography and ethics of the Qur’an yet their lives remain untouched by its message. What you get from the Quran depends on what you come to it for(niyyah is important). Heart plays an important role in the transformation of your inner self as Allah ta'ala also mentions in many verses in the Qur’an. Quran is a book of guidance a book that transforms our life in the best way possible, if you are having a tough time building a relationship with the Quran then this book is for you. This book guides you in a proper way to read and understand the Quran and also the obstacles that come in between. Lastly, it also tells you what prophet Muhammad S.A.W used to recite at various times. It is a must-read book. Highly recommended.
Subhanallah! Such an amazing book. Was totally hooked from the very first page and it has had such a deep impact on me Alhamdulillah. May Allah SWT help me in implementing the lessons learnt. It's a guide for the beginners on how to read and understand Quran. Beautifully written and explained in depth.
One of the best books ever..... as i was reading it I learnt the reason for most of the problems we face as the Muslims of this generation. The journey through this book was an extremely eye opening experience.
Best book about the Quran! Very easy to read and understand. Lots of tips on best ways to read and understand the text. One of the two books I read during the "aitikaaf" observance last year in Ramadan.
Just finished this book and I definitely will read it again! Such an amazing and important book for every muslim. Can't stress enough how much it should be in everyone's reading list.
It's totally life-changing, it helps me a lot in approaching alquran with a much better move. It aids me in understanding a lot of things regarding the best way to look at alquran and how to build an impactful relationship with it. This book is filled with significant contents about Quran that I haven't found in other books.
Honestly, every muslim must read this book, especially for those who want to upgrade their relationship with Allah and Alquran. Totally worth it. InshaAllah.
"... to live by the Qura'n requires a major decision on your part: you have to completely alter the course of your life, irrespective of what may be the dominant thought-patterns around you, of what your society may be dictating, or what others may be doing." Finished reading this book with millions thoughts and contemplations going through my mind, on what I should've done, should've continued or should've changed altogether. It fills you with this zeal and overwhelms you at the same time -- definitely going to be thinking (and putting on act) a lot about this one for a long time, just like his first book did to me. Such revolutionary writer, thank you sir.
a combination between a study guide and advice book in regards to the Book of Allah ﷻ the author lays out a systematic approach to the study of the Holy Book as well give plenty of insights into its best practices according to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ as well as from the Qur’ān itself on how to initiate, maintain and strengthen a lifelong relationship with the Word of Allah ﷻ
may Allah ﷻ allow us to be from amongst His beloved Ahl al-Qur’ān, ameen !!!
Where I specifically discuss 'The Way to the Quran', in addition to some other titles that I very briefly touch upon
1. Imam al-Nawawi, Etiquette with the Quran 2. Mustafa al-Azami, The History of the Quran Text 3. The Quran in 99 Questions 4. Ahmad Von Dennfer, Ulum al-Quran 5. Muhammad al-Ghazali, A Thematic Commentary to the Quran