Remembering

Now we may have been practicing our reading of the Bountiful Qur'an by starting with the long surahs at the beginning of the Message,

and they are rather long to try to learn.

But just because we may not try to learn them all from start to finish

doesn't mean that there aren't parts of these surahs that are so famous that large numbers of muslims have chosen to learn them.

Obviously, Juz number 1 begins with the opening of the Qur'an,

the Fatihah,

the best known surah of all,

but Juz number two contains a part of Surah 2 that is almost as well known,

one single ayat known as the Verse of the Throne,

the verse called Ayat-ul-Kursi.

And this verse can be seen on the wall of many a muslim household,

and has been learned and recited by millions of muslims over the years.

So it's not a bad idea to join them

and learn the words well enough to be able to recite them.

But of course you have to want to do it,

to learn what has been learned by so many muslims throughout history.

And when you are learning those words for the love of Allah,

if we read on to the ayat that immediately follows it, we find that it is also often quoted,

it being the ayat that says quite clearly that

'there is no compulsion in the Deen'.

And so the Message is threaded through with beautiful gems of language for our delight, and Ayat-ul-Kursi is just one of them,

but it is very short, so those who are serious about their learning will want to have learned a lot more than that by now.

Perhaps you might want to learn Ayat 35 from Surah 24,

the famous Verse of Light from the Surah of the same name.

Or perhaps you might like to learn some of the verses well known for including many of the Beautiful Names of Allah,

such as the start of Surah 57, Iron,

or the end of Surah 59, The Gathering.

But for those really wanting to stretch their memories a little more,

perhaps learning another half a dozen short to medium length surahs might be expected by the time that you've got to here,

Perhaps you might like to learn Surah 55, Ar-Rahman, the All-Merciful,

or Surah 67, Mulk, the Realm.

There are so many beautiful surahs to choose from.

And of course, as ever, it's not just the sound of the words that count,

but trying to know what those words mean,

so that what we learn helps with our understanding of the meaning of our lives

and the relationship between God and humankind.