My Qur’an Study Journal

When a relationship with the Qur’ān is fostered, it is a companion such that a person doesn’t feel lonely as long as they have the Qur’ān. Doesn’t feel needy, as with the Qur’ān there is no poverty. Is satisfied, as nobody has been given more than the treasure of the Qur’ān. Is continually cured from their spiritual ailments and so doesn’t feel spiritually sick. Is enlivened by its freshness, as there are multiple layers to its message and so is engaged. Finds it to be multifaceted and so appreciates its nuances and complexities and is occupied with studying and repeating it. The more they reflect on the Qur’ān the vaster the meanings they find in it. They live life with the Qur’ān as their anchor. They find vision of the Prophet (saw) and the Infallibles (as) through the lens of the Qur’ān. They act according to it and so can look forward to a beautiful reward with Allah as their lives are filled with the light of the Qur’ān.

The purpose of this Qur’ān journal is to be part of that journey. A space in which you choose how you want to develop. Whether it is noting down important points that you find in the exegetical literature, writing your innermost thoughts and questions, reflecting on Qur’ānic expressions and its choice of words, diagramming verses, or sketching how a verse makes you feel. There are no rules to how you process the guidance of the Qur’ān as each person’s journey with the Qur’ān is individual. Use this journal as your personal development space, and leave its definitive interpretation to the specialists in order to steer clear of interpreting the Qur’ān according to your whims. Interpreting the Qur’ān according to your own opinions is heavily disparaged, while thinking about the verses of the Qur’ān is recommended and indeed essential to progression. The middle line is to think over the verses and how they have been interpreted rather than claiming that your thought is the purport of a verse. Let the verses guide your thought, rather than allowing preconceived notions speak over the Qur’ān. The Qur’ān is the guide and we are the wayfarers.

My Qur’ān Study Journal makes use of the translation of the Qur’ān into English by Ali Quli Qara’i. May Allah grant us all a beautiful relationship with the Qur’ān and thank you for letting us be part of your Qur’ānic journey.

Dr Zoheir Ali Esmail
The Batool (as) Foundation
Tehseen Merali
Sun Behind The Cloud Publications