“Learn Surat al-Baqara? Me?? Ha! You have to be kidding!” I remember my initial derisive thoughts surfacing when I toyed with the idea of reading the longest surah in the Quran, all 48 pages with 286 ayaat in the original Arabic. I dismissed the thought as unrealistic and left it at that until about a year ago, someone suggested that I, an older convert become acquainted with Surat al-Baqara, the second Surah of the Quran, and read it daily for it contains “barakaat”—blessings as well as protection from evil. Presented below are a few tips from a skeptic-transformed-proponent for all converts to learn Surat al-Baqara, myself included!
Wudu (وضوء )
Wudu, or ablution, is the specific way we wash ourselves, always prepared at a moment’s notice to pray. Outwardly, wudu expresses the physical equivalent of the spiritual. The washing away of crusted marina sauce from our arms, dirt embedded under our nails, and sand between our toes, not to mention the powdered sugar lining our lips from a hasty donut bite, refreshes and rejuvenates where we are able to present ourselves respectfully to someone we want to please. Outwardly, wudu expresses the physical equivalent of the deeper spiritual dimension. Just as we discard the dirty water from washing ourselves, inwardly we cast our sinful thoughts away to approach Allah with a clean mind which is important when reading Surat al-Baqara.
Niyyah (نِيَة)
Niyyah refers to the intention that Muslims remain focused aligning themselves with contentment and goodness before executing any act such as prayer, driving the car, watering the plants outside, washing dishes, or reciting parts of the Quran which in our case would be Surah al-Baqara. For Muslims, intention is everything. In sujuud, when our heads are closest to the ground during prayer, we ask Allah to help us read Surat al-Baqara in the best way possible where we are cognizant of what we want to achieve personally. For some, this goal means memorizing Surat al-Baqara. For me, it is to learn to read the Arabic letters and read the Quran in the language it was revealed.
Repetition (ذِكر)
Once we cleanse our body and mind of impurities and focus on reading al-Baqara out loud, we must repeat the same process daily, mirroring the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) advice that “the most beloved of deed to Allah are those that are most consistent, even if its small.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6464) Last year, it took me about 1 hour to read one full page of Surat al-Baqara. One year later, I am able to read the same Arabic page in 10 minutes after reciting a few pages everyday. In the future with sincere hearts, the right intention, and Allah’s guidance, all of us, inshaAllah, will be gifted to read all of Baqara every morning, thereby allowing His blessings to shower upon our lives. الله أكبر
Irene Khatib, written for The Daybreak Dispatch