The Quran was revealed in Arabic by Allah. All other translated Qurans are efforts of scholars who want people to understand the Quran. For beginners who want to learn how to read Quran in its original form which is Arabic, they need to learn the Arabic language. In addition to that, they should endeavor to learn about Tajweed and its application. Also, beginners should try to listen to the Quran as many times as possible.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) said: ‘’The one who recites the Quran and the one who listens to it have equal share in the reward.’’
7 Tips to Read the Quran in Arabic for Beginners
There are other tips for beginners which will be discussed in this article
1. Study the Arabic Letters and Vowels
As you begin the journey of learning how to read the Quran in Arabic, the first thing to do is to study the Arabic letters and vowels. The Arabic letters consist of 28 letters which begin with Alif and end with Yau. After the letters, the vowels come next. The vowels are eight which are Fathah, Kasra, Dumma, Sukoon, Shadda, Fathataan, Kasrataan, and Dummataan.
When these vowels come in contact with any letter, they produce different unique sounds. Let us use one of the alphabets to demonstrate the sounds of different vowels.
Let us take the letter ‘’Ba’’ for example. If Alif comes in contact with the letter Ba, it produces the ‘Ba’ sound. When it comes in contact with Kasra, it becomes ‘’Bi’’. For Dumma, it produces ‘’Bu’’. For Fathataan, it becomes ‘’Baan’’, for Kesrataan, it becomes ‘’Bin’’, while for Dummataan, it becomes ‘’Buun’’.
These are the first basic knowledge a beginner needs to know.
2. Use Nurool Bayan to Study Word Formation
The next important knowledge for beginners who want to learn how to recite the Quran in Arabic is the knowledge of word formation.
When letters are joined together, they form words. When words are joined together, they form sentences. The knowledge of word formation can be obtained from a book called Nurool Bayan.
Nurool Bayan is a 45-page book written by Tariq Al-Saeed. The book is written in a step-by-step approach for beginners who do not have any knowledge of Arabic letters. Also, the book will expose beginners to the knowledge of Tajweed which is an important knowledge for reciting the Quran properly.
After completing Nurool Bayan, students will be able to join Arabic letters to form words. They will also be able to read the words collectively with Arabic letters.
3. Apply the knowledge of Word Formation to Surahs
As soon as you understand how letters are joined together to form words and you can read the words collectively, you should be able to read the Quran little by little. What you will find in the Quran is what we have explained in the first two points. The Quran consists of 28 Arabic letters. These 28 letters carry vowels which are used to pronounce their sound.
But when you want to start, do not start with surahs like Surah Al-Baqarah, Al-Imran, or Nisai. Start with the short ones that you can easily read in one or two minutes.
4. Target Pace and Accuracy
When you are able to start reciting the Quran, the next thing you should target is pace and accuracy. You can start with a surah. Pick one surah; recite it over and over again multiple times. When you are sure that you have mastered the recitation, use a watch to track the number of minutes spent.
Take surah Al-Nas for example, and recite it over and over again multiple times. Check the minutes you were using to recite the surah before and check the minutes used after reciting it multiple times, you should notice a difference.
What this means is that repetition is one of the factors that will make you recite the Quran fast. When you achieve pace with the first surah you used to practice. Apply the same method to other surahs.
5. Start Memorizing the Surah as Little as You Can
Memorizing a surah means the surah is in your memory which is one of the ways to learn Quran. Scholars usually encourage students of knowledge to target how to memorize the Quran first before vying for other knowledge like Fiqh, Hadith, and Usool.
6. Target the Understanding of the Quran
The easiest way to learn something is to understand it first. As soon as you begin to recite the Quran and start memorizing it, you should try to learn the meaning of the verses of the Quran.
Knowing the meaning of the verses of the Quran helps in the recitation of the Quran. It will guide the reciter on where to pause and where not to in order not to change the intended meaning of a verse.
7. Get a Native Arabic Teacher
If you want your Quran journey to be fast and easy, it is better to get a teacher through beginners Quran classes. Not just any teacher, but a native Arabic teacher who understands the Quran and the Arabic language very well.
Scholars say it is the best method of learning not only the Quran but all Islamic knowledge in general.
Sheikh Muhammad Shummuni said,
‘’The one who is listening verbally to a Shaykh or scholar face to face, he is far away from getting the wrong knowledge. However, the one who is just studying from books will not be considered as a holder of knowledge.’’
Al-Imam al-Gazari also said that there is a unanimous agreement that the Quran must be taught in the same way of receiving it from Imam after Imam (Shaykh after Shaykh) up to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) so that other ways of receiving it are rejected and not accepted.
The two quotes from these scholars point to the fact that taking knowledge from scholars directly is very important. To them, anybody who claims to be a scholar without having a Shaykh is not a scholar.
Conclusion
Finally, if you are a beginner who wants to learn how to read the Quran in Arabic then learn quranic arabic programs, these are the tips you need. These tips were carefully selected by us because we believe they are the best for beginners.
