As I write this, Ramadan is approaching and I want to give you a gift this Ramadan. Think of it as an early Eid present. My gift for you is the exact process I go through in order to set and achieve my Quran goals every Ramadan.

Now, I didn’t always have successful Ramadans when it came to my Quran studies. In fact, since I started practising Islam, my first few Ramadans were so un-successful Quran-wise, that I almost gave up on the Quran altogether! Let me tell you about…

The Ramadan I Gave Up On The Quran

It was a few years back – I was in my first year of had studying Arabic seriously at university, but was nowhere near the point where I could understand the Quran. I was so motivated this year, and so excited to actually be studying Arabic full time, that I decided to make the most of Ramadan. I got together with a friend who lived with me in our halls of residence, and we decided we were going to ‘kill it’ this Ramadan.

The plan was simple…

We were going to meet up after Suhoor & Fajr every day in my room or his and we were going to read one entire Juz of the Quran. Because there were two of us, we figured that would increase our accountability and we could motivate each other. And, because neither of us were particularly good at reciting the Quran, we decided to enlist the help of Imam Shatiri via CD. For the first time in my life, I was excited because I thought I was about to actually complete the Quran during Ramadan.

But Allah had other plans for us…

The first day we did it, and we both felt great about it. And of course, I missed my 9am Arabic lecture. The second day, we were still on track but both showing signs of fatigue – but we were determined to push through it. By the fifth day, we were both dreading each other’s phone call, and we had that awkward conversation of… “you know, I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to do it today, but maybe we can catch up tomorrow…”

By the end of Ramadan, we hadn’t even come close. In fact, the longer Ramadan went on, the more I kept changing my targets… and missing them. The truth was, I had failed. Miserably. Towards the end of the month I decided to just let this year go, and hope to do better next year. I was so upset I almost blasphemously went down a path of thinking… “why did Allah make it so difficult for us to study the Quran?”

I now realise the Quran was never ‘difficult’ – my plan was ineffective. When life doesn’t go according to your plans, here’s a great question to ask yourself… “What is the most valuable lesson I can learn from this, that will save me from making much bigger mistakes in the future?” After some reflection, and training, I later realised where I went wrong. And, the more I reflect on it, the more I see how it was a doomed-for-failure plan from the out-set.

Now I’ve mastered a system I use with all my personal Quran Coaching clients to help them create plans that actually work in the build up to Ramadan. The plan outlined below will give you immense clarity around your Quran studies for this Ramadan, but you need to actually open up a document and write out the answers. If you want, you can answer the questions in the comments box below this article, to get feedback & support from other Quran Fans.

Exactly How To Set & Achieve Your Quran Goals This Ramadan

Get your Quran Journal out & brainstorm answers to each of these questions…

1. What can you learn from previous Ramadans’ mistakes that will help you succeed in future Ramadans?

Your past is not your future. Brainstorm 3-5 ways you can improve on your past efforts

2. If you could wave a magic wand, what would you ideally achieve with the Quran during an ideal Ramadan?

Recognise that you may not be ready to achieve this ideal target this Ramadan, and commit to improving yourself over the next year, so you can do it NEXT Ramadan, not this one.

3.a. Set up ideal & minimum time targets for each day of Ramadan.

Take a look at your calendar right now & mark off the dates of Ramadan. Now ask yourself…

a. When during the day is the best time for me to recite?

b. Will I have more time on weekends than weekdays?

c.  Which healthy weekly/daily commitments am I willing to cut out during Ramadan? Perhaps cutting out gym, or other healthy normal activities, like TV will create more time for Quran.

d. How much time will you ideally, comfortably have each day for the Quran? (eg. 1 – 2 hours)

e. And if you don’t make that ideal target, what will be the bear minimum you think you can comfortably do each day? (eg. 15-30 mins)

3.b. When Can I Use Passive Audio ‘NET’ Time (No-Extra-Time)?

I like to think of Ramadan as having 2 types of productive Quran time: passive audio listening time; versus sitting & studying the Quran time. The great thing about passive audio time is that it can be whilst you are doing something mundane that requires no conscious thought, such as taking the train or doing the laundry.

4. Where are you at right now in your Quran studies? Eg. Fluency, English, Memorization, etc.

In the following areas, rate yourself on a scale of 1-to-10:

  • Tajweed (Recitation Accuracy)
  • Memorization
  • Quranic Arabic – roughly how much of the Quran can you understand without needing a translation?
  • Quranic Vocabulary – roughly how many of the words of the Quran do you know without needing a dictionary?
  • Familiarity with the English translation – do you read it regularly
  • Knowledge of the life of the Prophet (peace & blessings upon him)
  • Tafsir – Exegesis or explanation of the Quran. Do you have a system in place, that you enjoy, that will eventually cover the whole Quran?
  • Literacy – can you read the Arabic script (even if you don’t understand what the words mean yet)
  • Fluency in reciting the script of the Quran (does it take you 30 seconds, or 10 minutes to read through one page…?)
  • Consistency – do you have a daily Quran habit in place that will inevitably lead you to a solid 10 in each of the areas above?

    Write your answer to each question on a scale of 1-10 in your Quran Journal. If you want to get to a solid 10 for every question, check out our web-class here.

5. Of all the areas of Quran study, which is the most important for you to improve on during this Ramadan to set yourself up for a great year with the Quran?

For some people, the best use of Ramadan may be to learn to understand the entire Quran in Arabic. That way, for the rest of the year, they can connect more deeply with the Quran. For others it may be improving fluency of recitation, so that for the rest of the year they can read 2 pages each day in Arabic & English to feel that constant connection. For others, the best use of this month may be to simply learn how to recite the Arabic script, so they can go on to achieve all their other Quran goals. There are many more options than just these, and each individual has to decide for him/herself what is most important to improve this Ramadan.

6. Use these practical Quran strategies with the suggested time-frames, and decide which one suits your abilities, free time & goals.

The great news is, wherever you are in your Quran studies, you’re not alone! For a deep, powerful, comprehensive training to help you re-connect with the Quran this Ramadan, check out the recently released Quran For Busy People Webclass here.