How do you benefit from reading the Qur'an?

The Qur'an is like an instruction manual for mankind. Like complex
electrical goods which come with their own instruction manuals in order
to make the products work at their best, the Qur'an is a guide for
humanity.

It is not just a collection of sacred texts to be ritually memorised
and recited, the Qur'an is a guide, a map and at times, a prescription
for humans, as ordained by the One which created us.

Given the significance of the Qur'an, and given further that these
are the direct words of God, we should respect what we are about to read
by according an amount of physical and spiritual preparation first.

Physical preparation: involves being in a state of cleanliness
and purity, for example, dressing in clean and modest clothes, and to
purify yourself physically.

Spiritual preparation: involves being in the state of mind
that would help the reader obtain the divine benefit of the messages.
The first prerequisite of personalizing Qur'an to us is absolute
humility and humbleness to Allah SWT. The more we are poor to Allah and
the more we are aware of our ignorance and acknowledge our need for
Allah SWT and His divine guidance, the more we will be granted, by the
will of our Creator, the in-depth understanding of the Qur'an. Also
important is the sincerity and honesty of the reader.

Opinions vary. But I have read the Qur'an, and The Bible in many forms, and also the Torah, makes for interesting reading, but at the end of the day they are all written by man and are just one view. We have freedom of choice and can usually, though not always, choose to believe in what we want.
Reading gives knowledge but it is up to the individual if they see benefit or not.

i agree with you crystal: the Qur'an, the Bible take away the freedom of choice and free thinking from people and if you are a woman then you are even less lucky.
i believe everyone should be free to choose what form of life he or she wishes to live and according to what, and see what is the best fit and beneficial for them. and i wish we live in a world where no one should have the power to force people to live according to this or that religious way of thinking and living.



S

Thank you Crystal and Shayn for your comments/feedback. However, Bible, Torah, and Quran are given to us as guidelines on how to live our lives. When we talk about choosing to live freely and free thinking than we come across people who believe in gay marriages, men women walking naked on streets, and people committing crimes openly etc. In other words we become more like animals. We are created human beings and being a human means a lot. This is what God want from us is to distinguish ourselves from animals. I'll give you a short example about Muslims. Muslims fast in the Month of Ramadhan from sunrise till sunset. While fasting they cannot eat nor drink a sip of water. Muslims cannot curse, hurt, or even abuse anyone. Muslims seek repentance over their past sins and ask God to give ability to live lives peacefully. This whole month is a training period for the Muslims. Who is training? God. Why? so that the 11 month they become used to what they do in the one month. And while a Muslim stays hungry and thirsty, he realizes the importance of all blessings from God and think about those who are less fortunate. So this is what the guidelines do, make people civilized and human beings. :)

forcing someone to live against his nature is causing hurt!!!!! and if you refuse to accept gay marriage or gays in general then you hurt those who are different from you, just because you are unable to accept that people who are different from you have rights just as you do. refusing to accept that means,  in my dictionary,  hurting others out of pure selfishness and narrow minded thinking. Being gay is as natural as all other ways and forms of life in this world, and gays are blessed by God as all life is blessed by God. 


s

Well said Shayn, not sure how someone with a spiritual name can say such awful unkind and untrue things either :(

spiritualannie wrote:Thank you Crystal and Shayn for your comments/feedback. However, Bible, Torah, and Quran are given to us as guidelines on how to live our lives. When we talk about choosing to live freely and free thinking than we come across people who believe in gay marriages, men women walking naked on streets, and people committing crimes openly etc. In other words we become more like animals. We are created human beings and being a human means a lot. This is what God want from us is to distinguish ourselves from animals. I'll give you a short example about Muslims. Muslims fast in the Month of Ramadhan from sunrise till sunset. While fasting they cannot eat nor drink a sip of water. Muslims cannot curse, hurt, or even abuse anyone. Muslims seek repentance over their past sins and ask God to give ability to live lives peacefully. This whole month is a training period for the Muslims. Who is training? God. Why? so that the 11 month they become used to what they do in the one month. And while a Muslim stays hungry and thirsty, he realizes the importance of all blessings from God and think about those who are less fortunate. So this is what the guidelines do, make people civilized and human beings. :)

 When we talk about choosing to live freely and free thinking than we come across people who believe in gay marriages, men women walking naked on streets, and people committing crimes openly etc. In other words we become more like animals. We are created human beings and being a human means a lot. This is what God want from us is to distinguish ourselves from animals.

I'm confused????????

and people committing crimes openly etc

So people comitting crimes secretly is ok????


Aren't we ALL god's creatures?


Frankly I find your post offensive:  

than we come across people who believe in gay marriages, men women walking naked on streets,

 In other words we become more like animals.

Crystal wrote:Opinions vary. But I have read the Qur'an, and The Bible in many forms, and also the Torah, makes for interesting reading, but at the end of the day they are all written by man and are just one view. We have freedom of choice and can usually, though not always, choose to believe in what we want.
Reading gives knowledge but it is up to the individual if they see benefit or not.

Indeed!

If I may interject:

Man was created naked by God and walked in God's grace naked. It was not until man broke God's commands did he realize that he he was naked and became ashamed of his body and covered up. 

It is man who has created a stigma about the body, not God. Man is the one that decided the body was something to be ashamed of and to be covered up.

In God's eyes our bodies are a beautiful creation...just like His other creations.

'i say cheese to my nicer nobility', i once crawled for the big bigs of the koran - cause i say cheese to my nicer nobility. that ol' prophet mahamed has good socks - maybe it's like wine for the public .. .

1antique wrote:If I may interject:

Man was created naked by God and walked in God's grace naked. It was not until man broke God's commands did he realize that he he was naked and became ashamed of his body and covered up. 

It is man who has created a stigma about the body, not God. Man is the one that decided the body was something to be ashamed of and to be covered up.

In God's eyes our bodies are a beautiful creation...just like His other creations.

So very true,1antigue.....A baby is born naked in it's purity.

jcam@sii wrote:'i say cheese to my nicer nobility', i once crawled for the big bigs of the koran - cause i say cheese to my nicer nobility. that ol' prophet mahamed has good socks - maybe it's like wine for the public .. .

Jcam you certainly have a way with words! Mohammad has good socks, indeed! Did he ever wear socks, were socks invented? Taking the old and bringing it to the new is refreshing, wine for the public, I like that idea :)