Those of us who are interested in reading the Qur'an, learning from the Qur'an, should not only read the Qur'an, but also understand its proper meaning. We need to understand what the Qur'an teaches in the light of our current personal life, society and world order. Many of us recite the Qur'an, but most do not understand. What is more alarming is that many of them are satisfied without understanding. But when Allah has instructed to read the Qur'an, did he not understand it? What is the instruction not to understand the Qur'an and Hadith? If people do not understand, then what was the need for such a wise speech in the Qur'an? The whole Qur'an could have been filled with letters like Alif, Lam, Meem (meaning Allah knows best). We have already mentioned that one of the reasons for the revelation of the Qur'an is that Allah wants us to try to understand His words, to think about His verses. Now, if we know a few things before moving on to this path of understanding, we can benefit a lot from reading the Qur'an. Otherwise, it will be seen that even after reading the Qur'an with the understanding of the meaning, its main point will remain unclear to us or we will lose our zeal in the middle.
The Qur'an is not a novel about the history of antiquity, it is a guide for people, it opens people's eyes. Those who understand the Qur'an and follow the path will not lose their way. The things we need to keep in mind in order to understand this Qur'an are:
The main goal of the Quran:
If one reads the Qur'an without keeping the main objectives of the Qur'an in mind, he is like the person who buys the latest model of computer and uses it only to play games. In order to benefit from reading a book, one has to keep in mind the main purpose and goal of the book. There are also different types of reading depending on the purpose of the person. If one reads the Qur'an just in the hope of gaining blessings, he will read it quickly without bothering to understand the meaning. If a Muslim reads the Qur'an without understanding it, there will not be much benefit. If one reads the Qur'an in this way, the word of Allah cannot affect one. Therefore, in order to make the study of the Qur'an meaningful, we need to keep in mind the following main goals of the Qur'an:
A) The Qur'an teaches the monotheism of Allah: The human mind always wants to know its Creator. The Qur'an informs people about the Creator, His instructions and His attributes. From this teaching of the Qur'an, people bow down in gratitude to Allah and begin to love Allah more and more. If Allah had not known about him, it would not have been possible for man to guess the true identity of Allah. So when one reads the Qur'an, one should understand that he is reading about his Creator and Lord. It is narrated in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked one of his Companions, "Do you know which verse of the Qur'an is the best?" The Companion gave the correct answer - that verse is Ayatollah Kursi
“There is no god but Allah, He is the Living, the Sustainer of all things. He cannot be touched by drowsiness or sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there who will recommend to him without his permission? He knows what is before (the world) or behind (the Hereafter). They cannot encompass anything beyond His knowledge, except as much as He wills. His throne encompasses all the heavens and the earth. And it is not difficult for him to contain them. He is the Most High, the Most Great. " (Surat al-Baqara, 2: 255)
The best verse of the Qur'an is a description of the greatness of Allah. From this it is clear that the most important thing in the Qur'an is to inform about the nature of Allah Himself. Surah Ikhlas is said to be one third of the Qur'an, this Surah is also a description of Allah. From these descriptions we can understand that worship is for Allah alone. So from now on, when we read the adjectives of Allah, we will remember that it is very important for us to understand them.
B) The Qur'an shows the right path: The most important thing after knowing the name and attributes of Allah is to know the way to please Allah. We ask Allah for something valuable in every rak'ah of every prayer:
“Show us the straight path, the path of all those whom you have blessed. Not the way of those on whom Thy wrath is revealed, nor of those who go astray. (Surah Fatiha, 1: 5-6).
In response to our call, Allah says at the beginning of Surah Baqara,
"This is a Book in which there is no doubt, for those who are guided." (Surat al-Baqara: 2)
That is, the Qur'an gives guidance to the pious in every aspect of life. The Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is also included in this guideline because the Qur'an itself says to follow the Sunnah. In this way, by reading the Qur'an, we will know how Allah will be pleased with us in any way. Only by pleasing Allah can we be secure in this world and in the Hereafter. The Qur'an will show the Muslims the straight path till the Day of Resurrection, so we have to submit to the Qur'an in search of the straight path.
C) The Qur'an seeks to purify the personality: The Qur'an is not just a book of rules, it is a book that builds a person's character. The Qur'an not only gives us knowledge of the right path, but also instills fear, love and a sense of responsibility (taqwa) to do that right thing. This purpose has been achieved in many ways in the Qur'an; As Allah has described to man the nature of this fleeting earth, distinguishing Paradise from the joy of the earth, He has further described the consequences for the believers and unbelievers on the Day of Judgment. At the end of almost every provision in the Qur'an, there is a promise of remembrance of Allah, a promise of reward for the faithful and a punishment for the disobedient. There are innumerable examples of this knowledge and taqwa being narrated together, as in Surah Baqara, verses 221-242, twelve different types of rules have been narrated. After each provision, Allah is reminding him to fear Him by highlighting His various characteristics.
Why did Allah combine ‘taqwa’ with ‘knowledge’? This is because the knowledge of good-evil or right-wrong is not enough to keep people on the right path, for this we need the urge of the heart. A real example of this can be seen in the Western world - Westerners know that smoking, alcohol, drugs are harmful, but how many of them are still motivated to stay away from these? That is why we have to take these words of taqwa with our heart while reading the Qur'an.
D) The Qur'an speaks of building an Islamic society: The Qur'an describes people as part of a larger society, the Qur'an contains instructions on social responsibility, social rights, and mutual understanding.
“O human society! Be careful of (your duty to) your Lord, Who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same (kind). And from the two of them spread countless men and women. And be careful of (your duty to) Allah, in Whose name you ask one another, and be careful of (your duty to) kinship. Surely Allah is aware of you. (Surah Nisa 4: 1)
The Qur'an says to build a unique society guided by the clear direction of Allah. It is different from a secular society. Islamic society will order good deeds and forbid evil deeds.
"If you are the best nation, you have been created for the welfare of mankind. You shall enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and you shall believe in GOD. ” (Surah Al 'Imran, 3: 110)
The society of the Qur'an does not indulge in arbitrariness in the name of individual freedom, its members together eliminate evil and establish justice. This thinking is different from Westerners. There one can be engaged in reprehensible activities without caring about the society, the society pretends not to see them. Therefore, when one reads the Qur'an, one must understand that the Qur'an is showing him his duties and rights as a member of society and the whole of mankind. Studying the Qur'an from this point of view will prove that every Muslim is beneficial for his nation and the world.
E) The Qur'an identifies the opponents of Muslims: The spread of Islam is like an ideological revolution that uproots all ignorance. There will be obstacles in making this change. The misguided ruling class will not want to change their power. According to Sayyid Qutb, history teaches that ignorant society does not want peace, they choose the path of war. In this conflict, Allah has given guidance to the Muslims, He has told them how to gain strength against the enemy, what policy to follow during the conflict. The greatest enemy of Muslims is Satan. God has taught him to protect himself,
“If you feel any conspiracy on the part of Satan, seek refuge in Allah. Surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing. (Surah Fussilat, 41:36)
Muslims have more enemies, Allah has clearly identified them. He explained how infidels, polytheists, Jews and Christians conspired against Muslims. Allah has also given a long description of the hypocrites, the internal enemies of the Muslims (such as Surah Munafiqun). Allah has revealed another enemy, which people would not understand if he did not identify them - he is his own nafs.
"Those who are free from the lust of their nafs are the ones who are successful." (Surat al-Hashr, 59: 9)
When Muslims recite the Qur'an, they should keep in mind that Allah is warning them about the real enemies, who are trying to divert them from the straight path. The verses of the Qur'an need to be memorized about the behavior of enemies and how to defend oneself. The goals of the Qur'an discussed above are derived from one goal, and that is belief in one God (Tawheed). It is not enough to accept one God as the Creator, but to accept His submission in every aspect of life is also part of Tauhid.