Quran: A Daily Family Practice

Are you waiting for Ramadan to make the Quran a daily family practice in your home? Wait no more and start today with our 3 simple tips below! Ramadan is the month of the Quran. For that reason, we are generally pretty good at making the Quran a central focus during the blessed month, at least to some extent. We pray Taraweeh at the mosque, we listen to Islamic lectures, perhaps we even pick up a mushaf and recite it in Arabic.

We hope to instill the love for the Quran in our children's hearts during this month. There is a common misconception however that Ramadan is a springboard when it comes to the Quran: we think that we can build our relationship with the Quran for the whole year depending on how much time we dedicate to it during Ramadan. We wait until Ramadan to feel this special eman rush and we get easily disappointed and discouraged a few days into Shawwaal when we realize that we have already lost our good Quran habits, and that our kids are not closer to the Book of Allah SWT now than they were prior to Ramadan.

The reality is that Ramadan is like a marathon: we need to train the whole year in order to reap all the blessings of this special month. This means that we can't just wait for the Ramadan eman boost to get our family started with the Quran. We need a daily plug with the Book of Allah SWT in order to grow as a Quran-centric family. So, how can we do that? We need to be intentional about it and apply the 3Ds method: Dua, Daily habits, and Dialogue.

1. Dua

As with everything else, we need to turn to Allah SWT and ask Him for guidance and ease in building our relationship with His Book as a family. Remember that there is no such thing as a "bad time" to make dua so just do it and keep doing it. There are special times and situations that have been highlighted in narrations for guaranteed duas, so make sure that, at the very least, you don't miss those golden opportunities: at night, in the last third of the night, on Friday, when fasting, upon praising Allah SWT, making istighfaar and sending salutations upon our beloved Prophet (SAWS), at the end of your prayer, and so on and so forth.

2. Daily habits

Think about small but consistent changes you can make in your household to be a more Quran-centric family and ask your family members for suggestions on how to do that so that everyone can get excited about the changes. For instance, take a few minutes to read one ayah, its translation and meaning right before or after dinner; pray together as a family; listen to Tafseer podcasts or watch videos together about the Quran instead of another movie night; read Surah Al-Kahf together on Thursday night or Friday and allow everyone to participate; go attend halaqaat at the mosque, etc.

3. Dialogue

It is important to always allow discussions to happen when it comes to the Quran, especially if you have older children or teenagers in your home. Kids are naturally curious and have a lot of questions, all the time. Some can be challenging, and, in many cases, you might not have the answers. But do encourage your children to ask anyway and offer to find answers with them by talking to a trusted, knowledgeable community leader such as the imam of the local mosque. This is part of our deen: we should always seek knowledge, and that will only come if we ask questions. Your daily habits to increase your family's relationship with the Quran will not go far if you shut the door as soon as your kids have questions - sometimes unsettling - about it.

Ramadan is an amazing time of year, and it is natural that we dedicate more time to the Quran and other aspects of our deen during Ramadan than the rest of the year. However, building a relationship with the Quran is a lifelong journey that doesn't need a specific time of year to get started. May Allah SWT instill the love and understanding of the Quran in your and your children's hearts, ameen!

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