Learning to read the Quran: a beginner's path

1. The letters and their sounds

Start with all 28 letters and the sounds they make, including the letters that have no equivalent in English, such as ع and ح.

2. The Qaida

A Qaida is a step-by-step primer. It takes the learner through the vowel marks, sukun, shadda, tanween and long vowels, then joining letters into words, until any vowelled word can be read.

3. Tajweed basics

Tajweed is the set of rules for reciting correctly: where each letter is pronounced from, which sounds are stretched and how letters merge. Beginners usually learn a few core rules first and add more over time.

4. The short surahs

Many learners begin reading from the last part of the Quran (Juz Amma), where the surahs are short. Reading slowly and accurately matters more than speed.

Learn with a teacher too

An app can teach the letters and the reading rules, and help you practise every day, but recitation is best checked by a qualified teacher who can listen and correct. Bapu's Arabic School has a three-level Quran reading track covering the Qaida, tajweed and the short surahs. It does not use computer voices for Quranic text, and it points learners to a qualified reciter to hear it.

Common questions