book or miracle?

bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

assalamualaikum wrb,

alhamdulillah tsumma alhamdulillah, all praises and thanks belong to Allah, Most High Most Wise.. may He forgive all our sins and guide us to sincere repentance ameen.. greetings and salutations upon Rasulullah SAW..

i hope your Ramadan is going well, and your plan is going smoothly insyaAllah.

a lot of us tend to associate Ramadan with fasting, and of course that is a given. but I hope we don't overlook also at another reason why Ramadan is so special, is that it was in this month that the Quran was sent down.

"The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful." (al-Baqarah:185)

and what better time than now would it be to revive or increase our intimacy with the Quran? so how's our relationship with the Quran these days?

truth be told... if we really believe that the Quran is our guidance, our manual for life... we would always have it by our side. we would know what is being said and remember the content. it wouldn't have to take a religious occasion for us to touch it... or open it. it would be our daily speech because it is constantly in our hearts and minds. we would make reading it everyday as a priority. 

but sadly, this may not always be the case. maybe i used to think that reading the Quran everyday, especially when there is no 'religious' occasion is weird, and that people carrying the Quran around everywhere they go are somewhat 'religious'... but how am I going to proceed with life without knowing and understanding the proper guidance? trust me, I have gone with life doing so, and it was shallow and empty.

why did I choose that life a while ago? because i used to see the Quran as only a book... well it is a book... what separates it from other books? it is a book if we leave it on the shelf... just like any other... but come to think of it, sometimes we allow ourselves to be affected by romance novels, stories of wizards and magic, etc, how much of a travesty is that? astaghfirullahalazim.. 

but you see the Quran is a miracle... when we place it in our hearts. if you don't believe me, why don't you try moving it from the shelf to your heart? ;) 

so how? read it... not just the Arabic, since many of us don't understand Arabic, it is essential that we have the Quran with translation, so that we can read and understand with our hearts and that is how we will find the true meaning of life, and solace... spending time with Allah through the Quran. 

and don't worry, if we find ourselves struggling with reading it, Allah always values us for our efforts rather than the results... here's some more motivation... 

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wa salam) said: Verily the one who recites the Qur’an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have TWICE that reward.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

all good is from Allah completely, and all that is flawed is from my own inadequacies, please do forgive me and make doa that Allah accepts this from me and rewards my family with abundance of good and may this Ramadan be our best one yet that will increase our ranks in the Hereafter and may Allah guide us to strengthen our relationship with Him through the Quran ameen.

wassalam