Excuses, Excuses...

Normally, what makes people procrastinate from reading the Quran daily revolves around the following six excuses:

Lack of time: "I don't have time! I'm too busy!"

Enough Quran in Salah: "I read Quran in my Salah everyday..."

Mental blocks: "I like to be in a certain mental/spiritual state to read the Quran - I rarely get those 'states' every day"

Guilt: "I haven't touched the Quran in ages, I feel so bad, don't think I can read it now, maybe when I go to Hajj or in Ramadan"

Inability to read: "I don't know how to read the Quran"

Lack of Understanding: "I can read the Quran but I don't understand it, so for me, there's no point reading it"

We've heard these excuses in varied degrees.

Imagine, every time you open and read this book, mercy and healing comes down to you. That's mercy and healing for all your social problems, psychological issues, emotional ups and downs, etc. How can it not be a mercy and healing, when it's Allah's beautiful timeless words that He says brings tranquility to the heart?

I once heard a story narrated of a Muslim man who had psychological problems. He went to see a lot of doctors in his country and couldn't find a solution to his issues. He travelled to the US and visited a top Christian doctor. After hearing his problems, the doctor quietly walked to a shelf, picked up a book and told him: "You Muslims have this and you have psychological problems?!" The book he held was the Quran.

Tackling the Excuses
1. "Lack of time" - I'm sure you have 10 minutes!

2. "Enough Quran in Salah" - Alhamdulillah, it's good that you're reading Quran in your salah every day, but unless you're Hafidh of Quran, the large majority of what you recite in Salah is the last 5 pages of the Quran. Correct? Exactly, reading the Quran outside the salah allows you to explore the other beautiful and miraculous 595 pages and truly build the Quran into your life. You need time with Quran where you can just sit down to read and reflect on the ayah.

3. "Mental blocks" - Get into the habit of reading the Quran daily and your 'special mental state' will come.

4. "Guilt" - This is one of the most famous tricks of Shaytan. Shaytan will whisper to you that you're too sinful to even come close to the Quran, there's no point now after so long, and you can only make repentance during Hajj. My simple advice is to fight those whisperings of Shaytan; now that you know those thoughts come from Shaytan, don't listen under any circumstance. Use that guilt you feel for abandoning the Qur'an to drive you into taking action and making a change. It's really as simple as picking up the Quran and reading it. Insha'Allah you'll soon fall in love with the Quran.

5. "Inability to read" - Join a Quran class or find a Quran teacher.

6. "Lack of Understanding" - Join a Quran class, find a Quran teacher, start learning Arabic, and/or have a translation next to you.

Three Practical Tips
So here are the practical tips to get you into the habit of reading the Quran on a daily basis.

Set a daily allocated time, not more than 10 minutes, to read the Quran. I say not more than 10 minutes because if you over do it (especially in the first few days), you won't come back reading the Quran again. It's a psychological quirk, don't ask me! Just simply set a daily 10 minutes a day, whether it's before/after Fajr, or during your commute, or before you sleep.

Make it a habit: You know brushing your teeth in the morning is a habit? Good, use that same concept with the Quran. It's part of your morning routine or evening routine or some form of a habit that you consistently do and you would feel incomplete and unhappy if you have not done it.

Sign up to a Quran class: This depends on your level. If you can't read the Quran, join a class that teaches you how to read. If you can read the Quran, but don't understand its meanings, start learning Arabic. If you can read the Quran, and can understand it, start memorizing. Whatever it is, make sure you attend a learning circle related to the Quran. Subhan Allah, the Quran is an endless sea of knowledge that one does not tire to explore, so start your journey today.


I'll be honest with you, the Quran is like a silent teacher that guides you and teaches you. The more you devote yourself to it, the more it'll unlock its treasures for you and you'll grow and come to understand things in ways you never thought before. People pay thousands for coaches, personal advisors, etc...but you have the Speech of Allah (AzzawaJall) right between your hands to guide you.

Will you embark upon the journey of the Quran, a journey of constant recitation, learning, and acting upon the Quran insha'Allah?

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