This is a development of some of the points made in this reflection:

Our perception of the Qur'an is oftentimes skewed, we do not see the Qur’an as a rūh, a living soul, a moving sea, a wahy (revelation) ready to be received by our hearts and minds not in the prophetic sense but as guidance. Many wisdoms pertaining to the nature of the Qur’an itself and its objectives can be found in the various names of the Qur'an such as furqan, dhikr, huda, noor and so forth.

The quality of our reception of the Qur'an however, is dependent upon the quality and purity of our souls and of our hearts. Allah says on numerous occasions that there are in the outward phenomena of the world signs for those who reflect, but what does it mean to reflect inwardly?

'Imam al-Ghazali distinguishes between two dimensions — mulk and malakūt. In the outward Dominion of God, known as al-mulk, we observe His Signs with the outward senses. Whereas, in the inward Dominion of God, known as al-malakūt, we observe His Signs with the inward senses.'

Some signs are hidden to us because of the degradation we have imposed on our souls. Shaytan calls us to sin and when we give in to the whispers, the sins form a barrier between ourselves and true reception of Allah’s word. To perceive the signs of Allah inwardly, we need to purify ourselves inwardly too. Only a pure soul can grasp the inner realities of faith. Shaykha Iman Badawi says that 'abstinence from inward sin is the key to opening the eyes of the heart to the inward signs of God, namely the verses of the Qur’an.' This is also why in Ramadan, many of us form a deeper connection with the Qur'an than during the rest of the year: because fasting is an inward act of purification, whose reward is known only to our Lord.

We should view our reading of the Qur'an or any other act of worship not as an end in and of itself but as a journey. The second verse I selected for this reflection points us into that direction. 'Ibadah is not stagnant. Our objective is not only to pray in the same way for the rest of our lives, but rather to perfect our prayer to approach Allah. The same goes for the Qur'an. The goal is never to just recite, but rather there are stations at which we stop in the search of Allah's pleasure. And we know that we are unable to reach perfection, and that is evermore a source of motivation to reach the highest stations of Imaan.