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How to Start Quran Journaling – for Beginners
February 24, 2021
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Whether it was part of your New Year’s Resolutions or a long time goal, Quran Journaling should be part of our lives. This simple practice may seem overwhelming or confusing to begin with so in this post, I have laid out in basic steps on how to start Quran journaling for absolute beginners.
Recent years has seen the rise of journaling. As self-help books and recommendations from experts have shown, this mindful practice greatly reduces stress, fear and anxiety.
Everywhere you look, from Instagram to Pinterest, we are shown picture-perfect bullet journals that have us inspired to start journaling.
Why you need to start Quran Journaling
As Muslims, nothing is more precious and powerful than the words of God. These words have the control to calm us during chaos, to be a balm to our wounds, to fill our darkness with light.
When I started Quran journaling, it opened my eyes to so many secrets of the Quran, unfolded some hidden layers and allowed me to dive deep into understanding the words of my creator. Through this meditative process, I was able to connect it to my personal life and whatever I was going through at the time.
Having a personal Quran, one dedicated for journaling, makes the divine book much more personal and intimate. Whenever you pick it up to read, you will instantly see how that highlighted ayah made you feel and all the imagery associated with it.
‘…through this meditative process, I was able to connect it to my personal life and whatever I was going through at the time.’
I know that after seeing beautiful images of Quran Journals online it can seem quite intimidating and confusing on how to get started. So here are my recommendations, for absolute beginners, on what tools you will need to start Quran Journaling.
What you will need to start Quran Journaling
1) Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation Quran with good quality paper.
2) Highlighters
3) Good quality Coloured Pencils
4) Washi tape in a variety of colours
5) Beautiful stickers ideal for journaling! I love these, super pretty and very reasonable!
6) A good quality journal notebook with thick paper
It may seem like a lot of material but I recommend creating a little storage ‘kit’ for all your items so that they are easy to access.
How to start Quran Journaling in 6 Easy Steps:
1. Intention
Start by thinking about why you would like to create a Quran Journal. Write your Niyyah (intentions) on the first page / contents so that you can always look back and reflect upon them. Be sincere and compose how you want it to impact your spiritual goals in connecting with the Quran.
2. Read
Read and reflect on some verses. Are there any verses that speak louder to you than others? Any that can be applied to your life at this present moment? Highlight it (if you want to be more structured, you could have a colour code as per the theme of the Ayah. This will be covered in more depth in a separate post)
3. Select the Ayah
Select the ayah that speaks to your heart or really makes you ponder. For example, you may be feeling rather stressed out recently and you stumble upon an Ayah reminding you that hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. That is something that could effortlessly make you feel at peace within.
Verily in the Remembrance of Allah do Hearts find Rest– QURAN 13:28
4. Jot it down
Write down the ayah in your journal (if you are feeling adventurous, you can write it in Arabic too!).
5. Reflect
Tadabbur & Tafakkur is to look deeply at the meaning and profound messages behind the verse and to reflect upon it.
Start by making three sections:
1. Lessons learned
2. Tadabbur (analyzing what the deeper meanings are behind a verse)
3. An Action Plan.
Make some bullet points on how you can apply this ayah to your life and what is the wisdom behind it? How does it make you feel? What is God telling us?
If the ayah uses imagery for comparison, why not draw some images that can help you to remember that ayah and enhance the learning even more.
6. Don’t worry
Remember, YOU decide on how the pages of your journal should look.
Do not be discouraged by others work – this is something personal and everyone has their own unique style. There is no right or wrong method. What is important is that you keep the right mindset and benefit from this fulfilling and soul-cleansing habit.
This simple practice can have huge impacts in our lives.
We would LOVE to see your Quran Journal pictures! Share them with us on our Instagram page and we will feature it in our dedicated Story Board as inspiration for everyone
So what are you waiting for? Bismillah…
Written by: Fatema
I am Fatema, a Purpose-Driven, Type-A Perfectionist, Proud Muslim-Millenial.
My goal is to EMPOWER Muslim women, who are seeking more, to find their ideal FAITH-WORK-LIFE balance in order to have a balanced home in Dunya and also in Akhira (inshaAllah).
You can follow me on Instagram ( @BalancedBayt ), Facebook (@BalancedBayt), and stay up to date on my blog: https://balancedbayt.com
