Excerpt from the author’s book “The Way to the Quran”.

As you come to the Quran, you come to a new world. No other venture in your life can be so momentous and crucial, so blissful and rewarding, as your journey to and through the Quran.

It is a journey that will take you through the endless joys and riches of the words that your Creator and Lord has sent to you and all mankind. Here you will find a world of untold treasures of knowledge and wisdom to guide you on the pathways of life, to mould your thoughts and actions.

In it you will find deep insights to enrich you and steer you along the right course. From it you will receive a radiant light to illumine the deeper reaches of your soul. Here you will encounter profound emotions, a warmth to melt your heart and bring tears running down your cheeks.

It is crucial for you because, as you travel through the Quran, at every step you will be summoned to choose, and to commit to Allah. To read the Quran is nothing less than to live the Quran willingly, sincerely, devotedly, and totally. The outcome of your entire life depends on how you heed the call given by Allah. The journey is therefore decisive for your existence, for mankind, for the future of human civilization.

Know, then, that it is the Quran, and only the Quran, which can lead you on and on to success and glory in this world and in the world to come.

What is the Quran?

It is beyond man’s power to comprehend, or to describe, the greatness and importance of what the Quran holds for him. Yet, to begin with, you must have some idea of what it is and what it means to you, and such that you are inspired to immerse the whole of yourself in the Quran, in total commitment, complete dedication and ceaseless pursuit, as it demands.

The Quran is Allah’s greatest blessing on you. It is the fulfillment of His promise to Adam and his descendants:

{There shall come to you guidance from Me, and whatsoever follows My Guidance no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow} (Al Baqarah 2:38)

The Quran is the only weapon for your frail existence as you struggle against the forces of evil and temptation in this world. It is the only means to overpower your fear and anxiety. It is the only ‘light’ (nur), as you grope in the darkness, with which to find your way to success and salvation.

The Quran is the only healing for your inner sickness, as well as the social ills that may surround you. It is the constant reminder (dhikr) of your true nature and destiny, of your station, your duties, your rewards, your perils.

It was brought down by one who is powerful, and trustworthy in the heavens – the angel Jibril. Its first abode was that pure and sublime heart, the like of which man has never had – the heart of the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him.

More than anything, it is the only way to come nearer and closer to your Creator. It tells you of Him, of His attributes, of how He rules over the cosmos and history, of how He relates Himself to you, and how you should relate to Him, to yourself, to your fellow men and to every other existence.

The rewards that await you here are surely many, increasing manifold and the Hereafter, but what awaits you at the end of the road promises Allah in the Hadith qudsi:

“…the eye has seen not, nor the ear heard, nor the heart of man ever conceived and, adds Abu Hurayra: read if you wish (in al-Sajdah 32:17): {No human being can imagine what joys are being kept hidden for them in reward for all that they did}” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)