By Qārī Ilyaas Badr
Founder | Qur’an Trace & El Badr Institute of Qur’anic Excellence
There is a stillness before dawn that feels almost sacred. For some, it is a quiet pause before the rush of work and noise. For others, it is when the soul remembers where it belongs.
Every morning, before the world awakens, I am reminded of a word: wird. It is what the early generations called the daily recitation of the Qur’an. Linguistically, wird means approaching water. When Mūsā came “to the water of Madyan” (28:23), or when travellers “sent their water-drawer and he let down his bucket” (12:19), the image was not only of thirst but of renewal. The Qur’an is that water. Every verse is a stream that nourishes the heart and revives the soul.
To recite daily is to draw near to that well. Just as the body cannot survive without water, the heart cannot live without the Qur’an.
Teaching in a Time of Distraction
We live in an age of constant noise—fast information, short attention, endless distraction. Yet the Qur’an calls for the opposite: stillness, reflection, and repetition. Teaching it today means building an oasis amid the noise, a place where the words of Allah are not rushed through, but absorbed, pondered, and lived.
Teaching the Qur’an is not a profession; it is a trust. A teacher is not merely a transmitter of words but a guardian of hearts. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” But teaching it well requires more than accuracy or eloquence. It requires sincerity that endures beyond recognition, patience that outlasts frustration, and constancy that quietly shapes lives.
Every teacher of the Qur’an must understand you are not raising reciters; you are raising souls. The reciter perfects sound; the companion of the Qur’an perfects sincerity.
What Students Really Learn
The first lesson a student learns is not from your words but from your conduct. They observe before they listen. They notice your tone, your calmness, your patience, the way you correct without harshness.
When you sit, let them feel ease. When you rise, let them feel your absence. When you speak, let silence fall. In those small moments lies the secret of transformation.
The best classroom is one where the Qur’an is not only recited but felt. Where humility, mercy, and discipline are part of the atmosphere. That was how the Prophet ﷺ taught—his gatherings were circles of light where hearts were healed by presence before they were guided by speech.
Beyond Memorisation
It is possible to memorise the Qur’an and remain unchanged by it. That is the danger every teacher must guard against. The Qur’an was never meant to be memorised only for competition or status. It was revealed to reform hearts, refine character, and reorder life.
Do not be content with students who memorise without reflection. Build minds that think, hearts that tremble, and characters that stand upright. Every verse learned should leave a mark—on speech, on manners, on the way one looks at the world. The Qur’an is not an ornament to display but a trust to uphold.
The Secret of Repetition
If there is a single principle that defines Qur’an study, it is repetition. When asked how to memorise, retain, perfect, or avoid forgetting, the answer remains the same: repetition.
The hardest part is not memorising new pages but reviewing the old ones. Review feels repetitive, but it is the discipline that keeps verses alive. The Qur’an leaves the heart quickly by design so that we must always return to it. Through this return, our connection remains alive and humble.
The pillars of memorisation are three: foundation, repetition, and review. The last is the most demanding. It teaches consistency, patience, and quiet devotion.
The Blessing of Early Hours
There is a secret in the early morning hours. When the world is still, the Qur’an descends with peace. Reciting before dawn fills the heart with light that lasts throughout the day. It strengthens focus and brings calmness to everything that follows.
The later one delays, the more distractions appear. Shaytān rarely says, “Do not read.” He whispers, “Later.” And “later” has ruined many recitations.
When he whispers delay, respond with discipline. Read immediately. Add an extra page as a quiet defiance. Allah says, “Indeed, the plot of Shaytān is ever weak” (4:76).
When the Journey Feels Heavy
Memorising the Qur’an is not easy, and it is not meant to be. It is not a race to finish but a lifelong journey of becoming.
Do not despair if you forget, if you stumble, or if you see others moving faster. With every mistake, rise again. With every attempt, you are loved more by Allah. The Qur’an is not a test of perfection but of perseverance.
One day you will look back and realise that the most beautiful journey you ever took was this one—travelling through the Qur’an, verse by verse, page by page, being reshaped with every step.
Lessons from the Scholars
The great imāms understood that knowledge leads to humility. Imām al-Shāfiʿī described knowledge as an ocean without shore. In the beginning, the student thinks he has reached the end. With time, he realises how much escapes him. And when he reaches depth, humility overtakes him until he admits, “I am but the most ignorant of people.”
The closer one draws to the Qur’an, the smaller one feels. That smallness is not weakness; it is clarity. It is the awareness that every word of the Qur’an carries worlds within it, and every return to it reveals something new.
And behind every scholar is someone unseen. Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said of his mother: “She would wake me before Fajr, heat the water for my wuḍūʾ on cold nights, dress me, then cover herself and walk me to the mosque.” That is the quiet love that builds generations of Qur’an-bearers—the unseen effort behind every light.
The People of the Qur’an
The people of the Qur’an are not those who boast of completion but those who never stop returning. They move between memorisation, review, and reflection, finding peace in every stage. They live in a quiet joy in this world, their hearts alive with remembrance.
To them belongs the promise: “Recite, ascend, and recite with measured recitation, for your rank is at the last verse you recite.” They are not known for fame, but for presence. Their company softens hearts and reminds others of Allah without words.
A Word to Teachers
To every teacher of the Qur’an: you are the rain in a thirsty world. Wherever you fall, life grows. Your lessons may seem small, but their reward is vast.
Every letter you teach becomes a charity that continues to flow. Every student you guide carries your light forward. Never underestimate the value of a single sincere class. A quiet word may awaken a heart or open a door to Paradise.
Teach with sincerity, plant with patience, repeat with hope, and endure with trust in Allah’s reward. You carry the legacy of Prophethood—guard it well.
Living by the Qur’an
The Qur’an does not open its treasures to the casual reader. It opens to those who return daily, patiently, even when tired. “And those who strive for Our sake—We will surely guide them to Our ways” (29:69).
Stay long enough at its door, and it will open. Once it settles in your heart, life begins to change. Words soften, priorities shift, and time itself feels lighter. The greatest delight in Paradise will be seeing Allah; the sweetest delight in this world is hearing His words and living under their light.
Honour the Qur’an here, and it will honour you in the Hereafter.
Returning to the Well
The Qur’an is not something we master. It is a relationship we nurture. Every time you open it, you return to the well. Every verse you recite refreshes your soul.
Do not measure progress by how many pages you’ve memorised, but by how much your heart has changed. If you can only read a little, then read that little—but read it well. If you can only memorise slowly, then memorise slowly—but do not stop.
The Qur’an does not ask for perfection; it asks for sincerity.
So, return again and again. Water your heart until it blooms.
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The Watering of Hearts: Living and Teaching the Qur’an
