Reading the Quran in Ramadan as an Arabic Beginner

Every year, many Muslims approach Ramadan with a slight ache in their heart: everyone around them talks about finishing the Quran, while they still read Arabic letter by letter, or not at all. Some don't even dare to open the mushaf.

The good news: Ramadan is not only for those who read fluently. And the weeks before it are the best time to start learning. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February 2027, depending on the sighting of the crescent: there is still time.

The one who reads with difficulty has a double reward

The Prophet ﷺ said that the one who recites the Quran with ease will be with the noble angels, and the one who recites it with difficulty, stumbling over it, will have a double reward (reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

So reading slowly is nothing to be ashamed of. It is an effort, and it counts.

Set a goal that matches your level

Forget other people's goals. Choose your own based on what you can do today.

You can't read Arabic yet

Before Ramadan: learn the letters and the vowels. With a teacher and regular sessions, many adults manage to decode simple words within a few weeks.
During Ramadan: every day, listen to a short surah while following the text with your eyes, and learn one or two short surahs from Juz 'Amma by heart.

You read slowly, letter by letter

Goal: 1 to 2 pages a day, read correctly.
Method: listen to the page with a reciter, then read it aloud, then listen again.
Over the month: about 30 to 60 pages, that is 1 to 3 juz. That is already a lot.

You can read, but without the rules of tajweed

Goal: half a juz a day (about 10 pages), or 1 juz if you are comfortable.
Alongside: work on one tajweed rule a week (elongations, then ghunna, then the emphatic letters).

If you want to finish the whole Quran, our Ramadan Quran reading plan offers paces over 30, 20, 15 and 10 days.

A plan for the weeks before Ramadan

Here is what a complete beginner can aim for before Ramadan, with two to three sessions a week:

The first weeks: the letters, how to pronounce them and their shapes depending on their position in the word.
Next: the short vowels, sukun, shadda, then the long vowels.
Before Ramadan: reading words, then short verses, starting with Al-Fatiha and the last surahs.

This is exactly the path of the Noorani Qaida method, designed to teach you to read the Quran step by step. For the details of each stage, see our guide to online Quran classes for beginners.

Mistakes to avoid

Learning alone with an app: it can't hear you. A wrong pronunciation picked up at the start is very hard to correct later. One of our teachers puts it simply: "I don't let a mistake settle in."
Aiming too high: an unreachable goal leads to giving up after a few days.
Reading in transliteration: Latin letters do not render Arabic sounds. They help at the very beginning, but then hold you back.
Waiting for Ramadan to start: the weeks before are precious.

English and French speakers often stumble on the same letters: ح, ع, ق and ض.

Frequently asked questions

Can you learn to read the Quran in a few weeks?

You can learn to decode the letters and vowels in a few weeks of regular sessions. Reading fluently takes longer, but Ramadan comes quickly: every week of work counts.

Can you read the Quran in transliteration during Ramadan?

Transliteration can help you follow a recitation, but it does not render the Arabic sounds accurately. It is better to listen to a reciter while following the Arabic text, and to learn to read the letters.

I'm an adult and I never learned. Is it too late?

No. There is no age limit for learning to read the Quran. In one-to-one lessons, the teacher starts from your real level and moves at your pace.

Want to be ready for Ramadan? Start with our online Noorani Qaida course, in sessions of 30, 45 or 60 minutes. See our prices and message us on WhatsApp.