How to Read Quran Daily: A Goal That Survives
It is 11 pm. You meant to read Quran today, and the day got away from you. Your phone is already in your hand. You feel a little bad, and you promise to do double tomorrow.
Here is a better plan. To read Quran daily, set a goal so small that you could still do it on your worst day: one to five ayahs (an ayah is a single verse). Attach it to something you already do every day. Then let the amount grow only after it feels easy.
Why the small goal wins
Most plans fail on the hard days, not the good ones. A goal of a full juz (one of the 30 equal parts of the Quran) sounds fine on a quiet Sunday. It falls apart on the first week with a sick child, a deadline or a long trip. Then one missed day turns into a missed month.
A goal of three ayahs does not fall apart. It takes about two minutes. On a day when you have nothing left, you can still do it, and the day still counts.
You can always read more. Treat the goal as the floor, not the limit. If you sit down for three ayahs and keep going, good. If you stop at three, you still kept your word to yourself.
What small adds up to
The Quran has 6,236 ayahs in 114 surahs (chapters). In the common Madinah mushaf, the printed copy, that is about 604 pages. Ayahs vary a lot in length, so these numbers are rough, but they give you a fair picture:
- 1 page a day: about 604 days, a little under two years.
- 10 ayahs a day: about 624 days, a bit over a year and eight months.
- 20 ayahs a day: about 312 days, under a year.
- 5 ayahs a day: about 1,247 days, a little over three years.
Even the slowest line is a finish, and it is a finish made of days you actually showed up. Use the slider on the app's home page to try your own number.
Pick the moment before you pick the amount
A time of day is more useful than a good intention. Look for something that already happens at the same point each day, and put your reading right after it:
- After your first coffee or tea.
- Right after a prayer you already make.
- When you sit down on the train or bus.
- In bed, before you put your phone down.
Choose one, not four. Also choose a backup slot for the days the first one fails, such as lunch or the last five minutes before sleep. Having a backup decided in advance means you do not have to bargain with yourself at 11 pm.
Make the first step easy
Put the Quran where your thumb already goes. If you read from a book, leave it on your pillow or next to your keys. If you read on your phone, put it on your home screen, not in a folder on the second page.
Many people also find it easier to read with the English alongside the Arabic, so they know what they are reading. If you cannot read Arabic well yet, that is a normal place to start. For questions about how to recite, or about meaning, a qualified teacher or imam is the right person to ask.
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍۢ
When you miss a day
You will miss one. Decide now what happens next: you read your small goal the next day, and that is all. No catching up, no doubling. A missed day is information about your schedule, not a verdict on you. If you keep missing the same slot, move the habit to a different one.
One thing to do today
Pick your three ayahs and your slot, and say them out loud or write them on a note: "After ___, I will read 3 ayahs." Then do it tonight, even if it is late.
If you would like help with the routine, Scroll the Quran is an iPhone app that shows the Quran one ayah at a time, in Arabic and English, with a daily ayah goal, a streak and a reminder. It is not on the App Store yet, but the goal slider on our home page works today.