An old Muslim lived on a farm with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Noble Qur'an.

His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa, I try to read the Noble Qur'an just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Noble Qur'an do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home.

Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The Grandfather said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The Grandfather said, "Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

"Son, that's what happens when you read the Noble Qur'an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read the Noble Qur'an, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah (SWT) in our lives."

The best way to learn is to share what you have learned and practice it in your life

A Masjid (Mosque) goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to Masjid (Mosque). "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 Lectures. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the Imams are wasting theirs by giving Lectures at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher.

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to Masjid (Mosque) for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

When you are DOWN to nothing.... Allah (SWT) is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank Allah (SWT) for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

Since last night my young son has been unwell. When I got back from work this evening I decided to take him to hospital despite my exhaustion. There were many waiting; perhaps we will be delayed by more than an hour. I took my number and sat down in the waiting room.

There were many faces, young and old, but all silent.

Some brothers made use of the many booklets available in the waiting room. Some of those waiting had their eyes closed, while others were looking around. Most were bored. Once in a while the long silence was broken by a nurse calling out a number. Happiness appears on the one whose turn it is, and he gets up quickly; then silence returns.

A young man grabbed my attention. He was reading a pocket-sized Noble Qur'an continuously; not raising his head even once. At first I did not think much about him. However, after one hour of waiting my casual glances turned into a deep reflection about his lifestyle and how he utilizes his time. One hour of life wasted! Instead of making benefit of that hour, it was just a boring wait. Then the call for prayer was made. We went to prayer in the hospital's Masjid (Mosque). I tried to pray close to the man who was reading the Noble Qur'an earlier in the waiting room.

After the prayer I walked with him. I informed him of how impressed I was of him and how he tries to benefit from his time.

He told me that most of our time is wasted without any benefit. These are days that go from our lives without being conscious of them or regretting their waste. He said that he started carrying the pocket-sized Noble Qur'an around when a friend encouraged him to make full use of his time. He told me that in the time other people waste he gets to read much more of the Noble Qur'an than he gets to read either at home or in the mosque. Moreover, besides the reward of reading the Noble Qur'an, this habit saves him from boredom and stress.

He added that he has now been waiting for one and a half hours. Then he asked, when will you find one and a half hours to read the Noble Qur'an? I reflected; how much time do we waste? How many moments of our lives pass by, and yet we do not account for how they passed by? Indeed, how many months pass by and we do not read the Noble Qur'an? I came to respect my companion, and I discovered that I am to stand for account and that time is not in my hand; so what am I waiting for? My thoughts were interrupted by the nurse calling out my number; I went to the doctor.

But I want to achieve something now. After I left the hospital I quickly went to the bookshop and bought a pocket-sized Noble Qur'an. I decided to be mindful of how I spend the time.

Are you one of those people who rarely touch the Noble Qur'an? Or do you read daily, but don't find it is having the impact on you that it should? Whatever the case may be, these are some simple tips that can help you connect with the Noble Qur'an.

1. Before you touch it, check your heart

The key to really benefiting from the Noble Qur'an is to check your heart first, before you even touch Allah's book. Ask yourself, honestly, why you are reading it. Is it to just get some information and to let it drift away from you later? Remember that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was described by his wife as a "walking Noble Qur'an ": in other words, he didn't just read and recite the Noble Qur'an, he lived it.

2. Do your Wudu (ablution)

Doing your Wudu is good physical and mental preparation to remind you you're not reading just another book. You are about to interact with Allah (SWT), so being clean should be a priority when communicating with Him.

3. Read only 5 minutes everyday

Too often, we think we should read Noble Qur'an for at least one whole hour. If you aren't in the habit of reading regularly, this is too much. Start off with just five minutes daily. If you took care of step one, Insha Allah (God willing), you will notice that those five minutes will become ten, then half an hour, then an hour, and maybe even more!

4. Make sure you understand what you've read

Five minutes of reading the Noble Qur'an in Arabic is good, but you need to understand what you're reading. Make sure you have a good translation of the Noble Qur'an in the language you understand best. Always try to read the translation of what you've read that day.

5. Remember, the Noble Qur'an is more interactive than a CD

In an age of "interactive" CD-ROMs and computer programs, a number of people think books are passive and boring. But the Noble Qur'an is not like that. Remember that when you read Noble Qur'an, you are interacting with Allah (SWT). He is talking to you, so pay attention.

6. Don't just read, listen too

There are now many audio cassettes and CDs of the Noble Qur'an, a number of them with translations as well. This is great to put on your walkman or your car's CD or stereo as you drive to and from work. Use this in addition to your daily Noble Qur'an reading, not as a replacement for it.

7. Make Dua (supplication)

Ask Allah to guide you when you read the Noble Qur'an. Your aim is to sincerely, for the love of Allah (SWT), interact with Him by reading, understanding and applying His blessed words. Making Dua to Allah (SWT) for help and guidance will be your best tool for doing this.

If this information is beneficial to you, then please do forward it to your friends and relatives. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said; "Whoever guides or directs to good, then he gets the same amount of blessing (reward) as the one who does it" The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also said "Pass on knowledge from me even if it is only one verse."