Listening to the Quran during the month of Ramadan

Ramadan is above all the month of the Quran. Many Muslims use these thirty days to read it from cover to cover, and listening is its natural companion: it supports those who cannot yet read Arabic, those who want to correct their pronunciation, and those who spend hours commuting or in the kitchen. This guide explains the link between Ramadan and the Quran, how to listen well, a simple plan for hearing the whole Quran during the month, and a selection of surahs and reciters you can find on Islamzoom.

Ramadan, the month of revelation

The Quran itself makes the connection: “The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion” (Quran 2:185). It adds that it was sent down “during the Night of Decree” (Quran 97:1), “a blessed night” (Quran 44:3).

Every Ramadan, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ relived this encounter with revelation. Ibn ‘Abbas reports that the angel Gabriel (Jibril) “used to meet him every night of Ramadan to study the Quran with him” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6). Abu Hurayrah adds that Gabriel reviewed the Quran with him once a year, and twice in the year he died (Sahih al-Bukhari 4998). This practice is the origin of the tradition of going through the entire Quran during the month.

It lives on in mosques: in many of them the imam recites about one juz’ (a thirtieth of the Quran) each night in the tarawih prayers so as to complete the whole recitation (the khatm) before the end of the month, often closing with a collective supplication. Attending tarawih is therefore already a way of hearing the whole Quran, together with your community.

Why listen to the Quran?

Listening to the Quran is no second-best activity. The Prophet ﷺ loved to hear it from others. One day he asked ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud to recite it to him; Ibn Mas‘ud was surprised: “Shall I recite it to you when it was revealed to you?” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “I like to hear it from someone else.” Ibn Mas‘ud recited Surah al-Nisa’ until he reached the verse: “So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you against these [people] as a witness?” (Quran 4:41). “That is enough,” said the Prophet ﷺ, and his eyes were overflowing with tears (Sahih al-Bukhari 5049 and 5050; Sahih Muslim 800).

The Quran describes how hearing it affects believers: “when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith” (Quran 8:2); “the skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah” (Quran 39:23). And it promises mercy to those who listen attentively: “So when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy” (Quran 7:204).

Listening also has very practical benefits:

• It is open to everyone: children, elderly or visually impaired people, and those still learning to read Arabic. Women during their period, who do not pray or fast on those days, can listen to the Quran as much as they wish.
• It improves your recitation: hearing a reciter who has mastered tajwid corrects your pronunciation and helps you memorise. Repeating a short surah after him is one of the best ways to learn.
• It goes hand in hand with reading: following the recitation with your eyes in the mushaf lets you read at the same time, and so earn the reward of reading, in which every letter is worth ten good deeds (Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi 2910, graded sahih). See also our advice on earning hasanat during Ramadan.

How to listen to the Quran well

The Quran is the word of Allah: listening to it is an act of worship that deserves some care.

• Really listen. Verse 7:204 asks for attention and silence. Fifteen minutes of attentive listening are worth more than a recitation left playing in the background during a conversation. Avoid playing it in unsuitable places, such as the toilet.
• Understand. “[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, that they might reflect upon its verses” (Quran 38:29). If you do not understand Arabic, read the translation of the passage before or after listening.
• Respond to the text. When he recited at night, the Prophet ﷺ would glorify Allah at verses of glorification, ask for His favour at verses of supplication and seek refuge with Him at verses of warning (Sahih Muslim 772). You can do the same, quietly.
• Be considerate of others. Hearing people reciting aloud in the mosque, the Prophet ﷺ told them: “Each of you is calling upon his Lord in private, so do not disturb one another, and do not raise your voices over one another in recitation” (Sunan Abi Dawud 1332, graded sahih). Keep the volume moderate and use headphones in shared spaces: listening should not disturb anyone, especially people who are praying.
• Choose good recordings. Prefer recognised reciters with a correct recitation. “Beautify the Quran with your voices,” said the Prophet ﷺ (Sunan Abi Dawud 1468, graded sahih).

Note finally that listening does not require wudu’; however, the great majority of scholars, including the four Sunni schools, require a state of ritual purity to touch the mushaf, which does not prevent you from following the text in an app or in a translation.

A plan for listening to the whole Quran during the month

The Quran is divided into 30 parts of roughly equal length, the ajza’ (singular juz’), which are themselves split into 60 hizb. This division is a practical one, not part of the revelation, designed to make regular reading easier. In the Madinah mushaf, which has 604 pages, a juz’ is about twenty pages. Listening to one juz’ a day therefore lets you complete the Quran in a month: exactly the pace the Prophet ﷺ first advised ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr to follow: “Recite the whole Quran in one month” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5054).

How long does it take? It all depends on the reciter and his style. Based on the length of our complete recordings, one juz’ lasts on average:

A few tips for keeping up the pace:

• Break it up. Four pages after each of the five daily prayers, or ten minutes at four points in the day, and the juz’ is done without strain.
• Make use of idle moments: commuting, preparing iftar or suhoor, a walk after the meal.
• Listen ahead to the night’s juz’. If your mosque follows the order of the Quran during tarawih, listening to the passage during the day, with its translation, will help you understand it and stay focused during the prayer.
• Plan for 29-day months. The lunar month has 29 or 30 days, so get a little ahead in the first week.
• Do not feel guilty. If you fall behind, simply carry on from where you are. “The deed most beloved to Allah is the most regular, even if it is small” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6464). There is no point rushing either: the Prophet ﷺ warned that whoever recites the Quran in less than three days does not understand it (Sunan Abi Dawud 1394, graded sahih).

Surahs to prioritise

The whole Quran is a blessing, but some surahs have particular merits established by authentic hadiths, or a direct link with Ramadan.

• Al-Fatiha, recited in every unit of prayer, which the Prophet ﷺ called “the greatest surah in the Quran” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4474).
• Al-Baqarah, which contains the verses on fasting (2:183 to 2:187), the Verse of the Throne (2:255), “the greatest verse in the Book of Allah” (Sahih Muslim 810), and its last two verses, which “suffice” whoever recites them at night (Sahih al-Bukhari 5009). “Satan flees from the house in which Surah al-Baqarah is recited” (Sahih Muslim 780).
• Al ‘Imran: together with al-Baqarah, these are “the two bright ones” that will plead for those who recite them on the Day of Resurrection (Sahih Muslim 804).
• Al-Kahf, which many read or listen to on Fridays; memorising its first ten verses protects against the Antichrist (al-Dajjal), according to a hadith in Sahih Muslim (809).
• Al-Mulk, a surah of thirty verses that intercedes for its reader until he is forgiven (Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi 2891, graded hasan).
• Al-Qadr, which tells of the Quran being sent down on the Night of Decree, a surah to listen to especially during the last ten nights.
• Al-Ikhlas, which “is equal to a third of the Quran” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5013), and the two surahs of protection, al-Falaq and al-Nas.

For reflection, the great narratives are also much loved: Surah Yusuf, a story of patience and forgiveness, Surah Maryam, or Surah al-Rahman with its refrain: “So which of the favours of your Lord would you deny?” The last juz’, known as Juz’ ‘Amma, gathers the short surahs most often recited in prayer: the ideal starting point for children and for anyone beginning to memorise.

Which reciters to listen to?

There are two main styles. Murattal recitation, measured and steady, is best suited to daily listening and learning. Mujawwad recitation, slower and more melodic, lends itself to moments of reflection. Islamzoom offers some sixty reciters; here are a few pointers.

• For learning and correcting your recitation: the Egyptian Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary (1917–1980), the first to record the complete Quran in murattal style, in the 1960s, renowned for the clarity of his diction; or Abdullah Ibn Ali Basfar, with his unhurried pace.
• The great Egyptian voices: Abdelbasset Abdessamad (1927–1988) and Mohamed Seddik El Menchaoui (1920–1969), masters of both murattal and mujawwad, and Muhammad Jebril, famous in Egypt for his tarawih prayers.
• The atmosphere of tarawih in Makkah and Madinah: Abdul Rahman Al Sudais, Saoud Shuraim, Maher Al Mueaqly and Yasser Al Dossari have led the prayers at the Sacred Mosque in Makkah; Ali Alhodaifi and Salah Al Budair those at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
• Voices much loved by listeners: the Kuwaiti Mishary Rashid Alafasy, Saad El Ghamidi, or the Moroccan Omar Al Kazabri, known for the tarawih at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca.

The full list of reciters and all 114 surahs are available from our Quran MP3 page. To go further with reading itself, see also our guide to reading and reciting the Quran.

Beyond listening

For Muslims, the Quran is the word of Allah, preserved by Him (Quran 15:9) and inimitable: “If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like of it” (Quran 17:88). It answers the question everyone eventually asks, that of the meaning of their existence: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (Quran 51:56). In it Allah makes Himself known, recalls the message of the prophets who came before Muhammad ﷺ, such as Abraham (Ibrahim), Moses (Musa) and Jesus (Isa), and sets out the path to follow.

Listening during Ramadan is therefore not an end in itself: it is a gateway to reading, understanding and putting the Quran into practice. If this month leaves you with the habit of listening, even for a quarter of an hour a day, to a recitation you understand, it will have borne lasting fruit.