I fell in love with the Quran at a fairly young age. My fascination with the Quran started when was given my own copy of the “MH Shakir compilation” of the Quran by Dadi [my grandmother] when I was about 9 years old. At the time, I was fascinated that my own grandfather (Mohammed Ali Habib, pen name: Shakir) had done such an awesome service for us. His intention was to  simplify the English translation to make it more accessible to his children and grandchildren. It made me proud that Dadi felt that I, along with my cousins, was responsible enough to look after a copy of this message from God for mankind. The fact that this was my grandfather’s ‘swan song’, in that he passed away almost immediately after compiling the translation, added to the significance and solemnity of the verses on the pages.

And so I began reading it from cover to cover (the English translation, that is) at least once a year. A few verses resonated every year and I began to commit them to memory. I found that the profound wisdom held in the seemingly simple words helped guide me in my day to day life, on the playing field as well as in family relationships.

As I grew up and pursued various fields of education from Economics to Literature to Law to Social Work, it became obvious to me that unlike anything else I ever read, the words of the Quran grew more and more relevant. The more my knowledge grew in other fields, the more I appreciated that these timeless verses held the answer to absolutely everything in my life and beyond. From the bazaar to the boardroom, the Quran had valuable wisdom which could guide me in making life decisions, leading to success here and in the hereafter.

And so, I began to study the tafsir of the Quran. Though I began over two decades ago, I know that I have only touched the surface of the great wealth of knowledge in this Holy Book. I am no scholar of the Quran, nor do I pretend to be one. But I do believe that it speaks to all of us at whatever level we are at. Sinner, scholar and saint alike can partake of its healing, mercy and blessings. As my grandfather wrote, and I paraphrase, this book has wisdom for the one who strolls the shores of wisdom, picking up shells that he finds on the beach, as well as for the one who dons the full gear and goes diving for pearls in the ocean.

And so while picking up the shells of wisdom from the shores of this immense sea of beauty and guidance, I started to share my thoughts and reflections with friends and family and this is how "LivingtheQuran" was born. 

This blog contains some brief reflections on the verses of the Quran and other spiritual literature. The focus is on making the message simple, accessible and practical to address the challenges of modern life, guidance for living the good life and practices for self-growth.

For those that prefer listening, please check out the Podcast, Living and Loving the Quran on Apple Podcasts and wherever you listen. 

And for those that prefer to watch, please check out the YouTube channel: LivingtheQuran.