02The Qur’an and Guidance

With my return to prayer I felt something else was still missing from my journey. The Qur’an is the Book that guides a person in every part of life, yet I had not treated it as it deserves, reading it on scattered occasions without reflecting on its meanings or living among its verses.

One night, after the Isha prayer, I felt a strong urge to open the mushaf. I sat in a quiet corner of the house, held it carefully, and my eyes fell on a verse in Surat Al-Baqarah:

﴿ وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ﴾

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the caller when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me, that they may be rightly guided.” (2:186)

My eyes stopped on it and I read it again and again; something in my heart softened, as if it were a message addressed to me. It was not just words but a clear promise that Allah is near and that the prayers I raised were not lost.

I felt that the Qur’an is not merely a book to be read but a message from Allah to every person, a guide to walk through life by.

I began reflecting on what I read, and the verses spoke to my heart and mind together, each one opening a new door to understanding myself and the world.

Day by day I made reading the Qur’an a fixed part of my routine. I began each morning with a few verses and reflected on their meanings, not rushing to finish a surah but going deep into each word and asking: how does this guide my day? Once I read:

﴿ فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ﴾

“For indeed, with hardship comes ease.” (94:5)

This verse came during a hard period at work, when challenges piled up and the pressure was intense. I remembered that Allah promised ease with every hardship, and it was not a theoretical reminder but a practical message: even in the darkest moments there is hope, and light waiting after the dark.

I returned to the Qur’an whenever I felt lost or needed guidance, and found in it calm when I was anxious and answers when I faced challenges.

Text in this figure

Read · a verse · 1 · Understand · its meaning · 2 · Reflect · on yourself · 3 · Act · on it · 4 · Figure 10

When I read the stories of the prophets and the righteous, I felt they were not historical tales but lessons for my daily life.

The story of Ayyub, peace be upon him, taught me patience in affliction, and the story of Musa, peace be upon him, was a lesson in reliance on Allah and courage in the face of injustice.

The change I felt was not just an increase in knowledge but a deep change in my soul; the Qur’an was teaching me how to be patient, how to be grateful, and how to rely on Allah in everything.

I repeated the verses that inspired me throughout the day and found comfort in them when things were hard, and each reading revealed a new meaning. The Qur’an was no longer a text I read but a light on my path and a guide towards inner peace and reassurance.

With every day spent with it I came a step closer to Allah, and found within myself the strength to face what life brings.