I recently had the honour of participating in one of the most incredible events I have ever taken part in. The Ladies of Light Qur’an Healing Circle, organised by the Rabbani Project (@therabbaniproject ) and Rabata UK (@rabata_org ) was a unique online gathering of women from around the globe, listening in to a complete, unbroken recitation of the Qur’an, from beginning to end, by distinguished female reciters. It was an absolutely phenomenal event and left us all in awe and serenity as the du’as came to a close.

It was a beautiful way to see out the month of Rajab, a time of planting seeds in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan. For many listening it was a moment spurring us on the bring more of those beautiful sacred melodies into our lives, and a motivating catalyst to enter this new month of Sha’ban ready to irrigate those seeds that have been planted.
What better way than to prepare for the month of the Qur’an than by focusing on our Qur’an recitation and finding ways to improve it – our fluency, our connection to its meanings, our melody and the spiritual depths of feeling it invokes. But for a lot of us, the thought of reciting brings thoughts of understandable frustration – “tajwid is sooo hard for me to learn! I’m tone deaf! I’ll never be able to recite like that!”
None of that is true!
Recitation is not a gift anyone is born with. It is learnt. And you can learn it too. It simply requires commitment and steady progress. Not a lavish three-month intensive but the daily 20 minute effort that you decide to give, day in, day out.
But, sometimes, the grind is hard. The daily effort is all well and good… but I’d really like to see some results in less than years from now. Well I’ve got you covered! Here are five ways that you can immediately improve your Qur’an recitation, and five ways that you can improve it over time.
Ways to immediately improve your Qur’an recitation

- Eat an apple
I’m serious! When we recite we are using our vocal cords and the muscles in our neck. Just as you need to give your car the right sort of fuel, you also need to give your voice the right treatment. Eating foods containing dairy, spices, caffeine or refined sugars all stimulate your body to produce mucous which can plug up your vocal cords, leading to a worse recitation. Set a time to recite when you are not hungry or completely full either and eat something fresh and crisp beforehand, like an apple.

2. Fix your posture
For your best Qur’an recitation you should be comfortable. If we are hunched over or leaning awkwardly it’s no wonder we are not getting the best out of our time with the Qur’an. Try to sit with your back straight to open up your ribcage and give your diaphragm room to move as you inhale and exhale. Imam Nawawi in his book on our Etiquettes with the Qur’an states that it is best for one to be facing the Qibla and sitting as though one was in front of a teacher.

3. Use a scent
Wearing a small dab of perfume will help to set the scene as you prepare yourself for reciting the Qur’an. But did you know this serves as a brain hack too? If we think about scent, certain smells can often trigger strong memories. Perhaps the perfume your mother used to wear or a certain brand of soap you used to use at a certain time in your life will remind you of things from the past. Well, in the same way, applying a small dab of scent when you attend your tajwid or Qur’an lessons, and then using that same scent when you recite, will help you to remember the things you learnt when you were using that same perfume. It really works!

4. Warm up
Just as we know we should warm up before we exercise to avoid injuring our muscles, the same applies to the voice. Even though reciting the Qur’an wouldn’t be considered a very strenuous activity, it will still improve your recitation if you spend a few minutes warming up your voice before you begin. The best Qur’an reciters will apply lengthy warm up routines before they recite. You could try making some dhikr or singing a nashid before you begin. A nashid can also serve the double purpose of helping you get familiar with a melodic maqam that you are about to apply in your recitation by singing a nashid that applies the maqam.

5. Give it your full self
Life can be full of distractions and it’s easy to let that get in the way of our Qur’an recitation. For your best recitation to shine through, try to come to the Qur’an with your full self. That may mean putting your phone in another room, trying to make sure you are not likely to be disturbed, and dealing with anything pressing or urgent before you sit down to recite. Perhaps if you have a number of things to think about, you can jot some of those thoughts down on a piece of paper, park them to one side and try to come to the Qur’an with an “empty cup”, ready to be filled with the light of God’s word.
Ways to Improve your Recitation Over TIme

6. Recite a lot
This sounds obvious, but it’s the reminder we all need. I’m often asked how a student can get to the level of the most fluent, accomplished reciters. As much as we all like a quick fix life hack, the answer is almost always time. Most Qur’an teachers will tell you they have devoted hundreds, if not thousands of hours, to practising their recitation, both in and out of classes. Practice makes progress.

7. Sing a lot
Singing and reciting the Qur’an both use the same vocal apparatus. By singing a lot, you train your vocal cords, neck muscles and your lungs and diaphragm to function more effectively. As mentioned earlier, singing can also help you to get familiar with particular melodies and maqams that can be applied to Qur’an recitation – the more familiar you are with different melodic patterns the more easily you will be able to add variety to your recitation style.

8. Exercise
Similar to the point above, exercising will help to improve your respiratory health and increase your lung capacity – imagine only stopping in the middle of an ayah when you plan to and not because you ran out of air! When we recite with full effort, we notice that the sound comes not just from the throat but your whole chest – even your abdominal muscles are engaged. Improving your general level of fitness is a sure way to help improve your Qur’an recitation.

9. Nail your tajwid
It can be very tempting to start trying to copy the greatest Qur’an reciters’ melodies and seeing how long you can recite it one breath. But if our tajwid is a mess then the simple answer is that our recitation will not be as smooth and beautiful as we would like, regardless of how many fancy embellishments we may try to add. It’s the same as cleaning up the house. If we don’t do the basic tasks of cleaning away dirt and tidying things away, no matter how many ornaments or air fresheners you use the room will not look presentable. Your aim is to get to a stage where you can recite the Qur’an without having to think about the tajwid rules being applied. Like learning to drive, it should become natural such that you can then focus on the meanings, and recite in a way that reflects the meanings of the Qur’an.

10. Study Arabic
The most significant step to improving your recitation will be studying the Arabic language. Notice I do not say “learn Arabic” – for many this seems like an enormous task, an insurmountable wall of an entire language. But engaging with the Qur’an does not require you to be a fluent Arabic speaker. Simply being familiar with the most oft-repeated Qur’anic vocabulary will mean that you can get a good idea of what the recitation is about and can thus add more emotion to your recitation. There are many lists online of the most common words in the Qur’an that you can make a plan to start learning. The key is to make Arabic study a regular habit. Just one word a week is better than nothing at all. The most beloved deeds to God are those that are done regularly, even if they are small. If you make the intention and remain consistent, you will be surprised at the doors that are opened for you, inshaAllah.
With Ramadan just around the corner, there is no better time to make a start on improving our recitation so that we can hit the ground running when those long days and nights of worship come round. May we all be facilitated in reciting the Qur’an with ease and may all our goals and intentions for Ramadan be accepted.
Salam alaykum,
Wonderful article, jazakillahu khayrun! Do you have any suggestions for nashids that apply the maqamat?
For each maqam there are many famous anashid! For example Tala ma Ashku Gharami and Nur Al Huda Wafana are in maqam Nahawand. Tala’al Badru ‘Alayna is in maqam Rast, Inna fil jannah is in maqam bayat, and so on. Inshaallah I hope to provide more resources on this soon!
Please how can i get a teacher
Great work – I want to see more!
Subhan ALLAH its a beautiful post i will share this post in my friends and circle
Barakalahu fikum
How can I treat my voice
Great article! So much information and inspiration ❤️
Very useful tips ma shah Allah!
This article was so informative, I loved reading everything. I look forward to practicing these tips yu suggested. May Allah Reward You. ♡